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Animal-World > Coral Reef > Soft Corals > Blue Fire Coral

Blue Coral
Blue Fire Coral

Picture of a Blue Fire Coral
Heliopora coerulea

Photo courtesy: John Rice

   This is the coral that leaves behind a blue skeleton when it dies. It is common to see the coral skeleton in marine aquariums because it is so beautiful. When it is alive however, it is brown, basically the color of' zooxanthellae. It is one of the weird 'soft corals' that is not soft but has a calcerous skeleton.


Blue Fire Coral
Soft Corals Index

Description:
   The living coral is brown, the skeleton is blue from iron salts. It normally lives in very shallow water and frequently becomes exposed at low tides.

Lighting - Water flow:
   Strong lighting and strong current is preferred although it will survive in low or medium lighting conditions.

Difficulty of Care:
   This is an easy coral to care for. It will encrust rocks and glass rapidly. It requires adequate calcium and alkalinity and apparently uses iron to produce the blue skeleton.

Aggressiveness:
   This is not an aggressive coral.



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