Cotton Candy Torch (AC) — 3 Head
Show-grade three-head aquacultured Cotton Candy Torch colony.
Three-head Cotton Candy Torch colony grown out in-house — immediate display presence with full pastel coloration.
What it needs to thrive
- Lighting
- Moderate — 75–125 PAR under 14–20K reef LED or T5. Acclimate slowly to avoid bleaching.
- Flow
- Low to moderate, indirect flow that lets the tentacles sway without whipping or retracting.
- Feeding
- Primarily photosynthetic. Boost growth and head-splitting with 1–2 weekly spot feedings of mysis, brine, or LPS pellet.
- Temperament
- Aggressive — long sweeper tentacles can extend 4–6 inches at night. Give wide berth from non-Euphyllia corals.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Ideal Tank Size
- 20 gallons and up, mature and stable for 6+ months.
- Water Parameters
- SG 1.025 · Temp 78°F · Alk 8.0–9.0 dKH · Ca 420–440 ppm · Mg 1350–1400 ppm · NO₃ 2–10 ppm · PO₄ 0.03–0.10 ppm
Euphyllia deploy nocturnal sweeper tentacles that will sting and kill neighboring corals. Leave a minimum 6-inch buffer from all non-Euphyllia species. Torch, hammer, and frogspawn are generally compatible with each other, but torches can still sting hammers — keep different Euphyllia types spaced 3–4 inches apart until you know how they behave in your flow.
Quarantine, dip, and acclimation
Quarantine
Hold all new fish in a bare-bottom 10–20 gallon QT for a minimum of 4 weeks. Observe for flashing, clamped fins, white spots, or breathing changes. Treat preventatively with copper (1.75–2.5 ppm chelated) or tank-transfer method for ich, plus a praziquantel course for flukes. Invertebrates and corals skip QT but go through dip and observation instead.
Recommended coral dip
For every new coral: a 5–10 minute bath in your reef-safe dip of choice (Bayer Complete, CoralRx, or Reef Primer) following label dosage, followed by two clean saltwater rinses. Inspect plugs and bases for flatworms, pyramid snails, and eggs — remove or refrag onto clean plugs before placing in display.
Acclimation
Float sealed bags in your QT or display for 15 minutes to match temperature. Then drip acclimate at 2–4 drops per second for 45–60 minutes until volume has tripled. Net livestock into the tank — never pour shipping water in. Dim the lights for the first 24 hours to reduce stress.