Duncan Corals

11 Duncan corals for sale, including green stem, Booberry and Evergreen morphs

Shop aquacultured Duncan corals for sale, from classic green stem colonies to rarer color morphs. Also called whisker coral, Duncanopsammia axifuga grows as a branching cluster of tubular heads topped with long, flowing tentacles that stay extended around t... Read more Show less

Shop aquacultured Duncan corals for sale, from classic green stem colonies to rarer color morphs. Also called whisker coral, Duncanopsammia axifuga grows as a branching cluster of tubular heads topped with long, flowing tentacles that stay extended around the clock. It is one of the easiest and fastest-multiplying LPS corals available, taking food readily and tolerating a wide range of light and flow. Every Duncan frag here is grown in our own systems and ships with a live arrival guarantee.

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Popular live coral picks

Compare Duncan Coral Morphs

Compare our most popular live corals by care level, lighting, flow, growth, placement, and temperament — from beginner-friendly softies to advanced SPS.

Green Stem Duncan Coral

Starting at $39.99

Care Level: Easy
Flow: Low–Moderate
Lighting: Low–Moderate
Growth rate: Moderate
Placement: Low–Mid
Temperament: Peaceful

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TSA Slam Duncan Coral

Starting at $59.99

Growth rate: Slow

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TSA Booberry Duncan Coral

Starting at $39.99

Care Level: Easy
Flow: Moderate
Lighting: Moderate
Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Low–Mid
Temperament: Peaceful

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TSA Evergreen Duncan Coral

Starting at $39.99

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TSA Evergreen Duncan Coral

Starting at $49.99

Care Level: Easy
Flow: Moderate
Lighting: Low–Moderate
Growth rate: Moderate
Placement: Low–Mid
Temperament: Peaceful

View details

TSA Toxic Pinwheel Duncan Coral

Starting at $89.99

Growth rate: Slow

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Answers

Duncan Coral Care FAQ

Are Duncan corals easy to keep?

Duncans are one of the best first LPS corals. They tolerate low to moderate light, accept a broad range of flow, keep their tentacles extended most of the day so they always look good, and take food eagerly. They need a cycled tank with stable alkalinity and calcium to build new heads, but they are far less demanding than torches or acropora and far less prone to sudden decline.

Where should I place a Duncan coral?

The lower to middle rockwork or the sand bed suits Duncans well, under low to moderate light and gentle, indirect flow. You want enough current to sway the tentacles without folding them back against the heads. Duncans do extend short sweeper tentacles, so leave three or four inches between the colony and its neighbors, and remember the cluster will widen as it adds heads.

Do Duncan corals grow fast?

Yes, by LPS standards. A healthy Duncan multiplies by budding new heads off the base and branches of existing ones, and a single-head frag can become a cluster of six or more within a year when it is fed regularly and alkalinity stays stable. Feeding is the main accelerator, far more than light intensity.

What should I feed a Duncan coral?

Duncans are enthusiastic eaters and will grab food straight out of the water column with their tentacles. Mysis shrimp, chopped seafood, pellets, and prepared LPS foods all work. Feed one or two heads a small portion once or twice a week rather than saturating the tank, and watch that the coral actually ingests the food rather than dropping it. Regular feeding is the difference between a Duncan that survives and one that colonizes.

Will clownfish host a Duncan coral?

Sometimes. Clownfish deprived of an anemone occasionally adopt a Duncan because the long tentacles resemble one, and a determined pair can keep the heads closed for long stretches. Most Duncans tolerate light hosting without damage, but persistent, aggressive hosting stresses the colony and stalls growth. If a pair will not leave it alone, moving the Duncan lower or further from the clownfish territory usually resolves it.

Live coral buying guide

What are Duncan corals?

Duncanopsammia axifuga, known in the hobby as the Duncan or whisker coral, is a branching large polyp stony coral from Australian and Southeast Asian waters. Each polyp sits on its own tubular skeleton and carries a crown of long, pale tentacles around a contrasting oral disc, usually green. Unlike most LPS it keeps its tentacles extended day and night, which gives a Duncan colony constant movement. It is one of the most reliable LPS corals for a newer reef.

Duncan coral care: light, flow, and feeding

Duncans are comfortable under low to moderate light, and pushing intensity higher does not improve them. Give gentle, indirect flow that keeps the tentacles drifting rather than pinned back. Because they are building a stony skeleton with every new head, alkalinity and calcium stability matter: track them with dependable water testing equipment and compare options in reef lighting before moving a colony up the rockwork. Feed one or two heads a small portion of mysis or prepared LPS food once or twice a week to drive head production.

Duncan color morphs

Duncans vary less dramatically than acans or chalices, and morphs are sorted mostly by tentacle and oral disc contrast:

Green stem — the standard Duncan, with cream tentacles over a green disc and stem. The fastest grower and the best value entry point.
Toxic and neon morphs — stronger green or yellow saturation in the tentacles, which reads most strongly under blue-heavy lighting.
Purple and blue stem morphs — selected lineages with colored skeletal stems, generally slower to multiply and priced accordingly.

Duncans in a mixed reef

Duncans are moderately peaceful but not harmless. They extend short sweepers and will burn a coral pressed directly against them, so plan three to four inches of clearance and account for the cluster spreading outward as it buds. They are a natural fit on the lower rockwork alongside acans, candy canes, and blastomussa, which share their preference for calmer water and lower light. Keep them well clear of torches and chalices, both of which reach much further at night.

Growing a Duncan colony

A Duncan is one of the few corals where a single frag reliably becomes a showpiece colony without any special technique. Feed it, keep alkalinity steady, and give it room to widen. Browse the full range of live corals for sale, pair it with other forgiving species from our beginner corals selection, or compare established multi-head pieces in coral colonies.