Purple Hammer Coral
The Purple Hammer Coral is a stunning flowing LPS coral featuring rich purple colouration and the distinctive hammer-shaped tentacle tips that make this group of corals so popular.
When fully expanded, its large fleshy polyps sway gently with the current, creating beautiful movement throughout the aquarium. Under quality reef lighting, the purple tones can become particularly striking, making this an excellent feature coral for an established mixed reef or LPS display.
Care Information
Genus: Fimbriaphyllia
Coral Type: LPS
Care Level: Easy to Moderate
Lighting: Moderate
Recommended PAR: Approximately 75–150
Water Flow: Moderate, indirect
Placement: Middle areas of the aquarium
Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
Feeding: Photosynthetic with optional supplemental feeding
Aquarium Placement
Purple Hammer Coral performs best under moderate lighting with gentle-to-moderate indirect flow.
The polyps should gently sway rather than being pushed aggressively in one direction. Strong direct flow can cause the coral to retract and may damage its delicate fleshy tissue.
A stable rock ledge in the middle regions of the aquarium is generally ideal.
Feeding
Hammer Corals receive most of their energy through photosynthesis but can benefit from occasional supplemental feeding.
Suitable foods include:
- Mysis shrimp
- Enriched brine shrimp
- Copepods
- Small LPS coral foods
- Finely chopped marine foods
Feeding a few times per week can help support healthy growth and strong colouration.
Give It Plenty of Space
Hammer Corals can extend long sweeper tentacles, particularly overnight, which are capable of stinging neighbouring corals.
Leave generous clearance around the colony and remember to account for future growth when choosing its permanent position.
Recommended Water Parameters
Eastern Marine recommends approximately:
Temperature: 24–26°C
Salinity: 1.025–1.026
Alkalinity: 8–10 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 ppm
Magnesium: 1300–1400 ppm
Stable conditions are particularly important with fleshy LPS corals, so avoid rapid changes in salinity, alkalinity or lighting intensity.
With its deep purple colour, flowing movement and classic hammer-shaped polyps, the Purple Hammer Coral makes an outstanding feature LPS for an established reef aquarium.
Colour, tentacle shape, head count and colony size may vary between individual specimens.
