Dragon Soul Torch
The Dragon Soul Torch Coral is a must have for any torch collector and looks great in any tank!
While all torch corals are beautiful, the Dragon Soul Torch is in a class by itself. Generally regarded as one of the most beautiful and colourful torch coral colour morphs, the Dragon Soul Torch makes a standout addition to any reef tank. Its long flowing tentacles are predominantly violet coloured with green tips. There are often hints of yellow at the end of the tentacles as well. It is a colonial coral and grows by splitting. A single head will, over time, begin to split into two heads. In this way a single head can become a beautiful colony in a reasonable time period.
The Dragon Soul Torch Coral has a very limited range, which adds to its rarity. It is found only in the waters off Indonesia. It is a relatively shallow water torch and is generally found on reef slopes in areas of moderate water flow with clear water. Due to its popularity, there is also an emerging aquaculturing industry in Indonesia. However, the vast majority of specimens available for sale in the hobby are wild collected. Hobbyists have a number of different options for torch coral placement in a home aquarium. They can thrive on both the sandbed or in the rockwork. While some reefers place them on frag discs in the sandbed, most choose to place them on the rockwork. A popular technique is to combine multiple types of torch corals into a “torch garden”. Due to their powerful sting it is important to give them space so they don’t sting other corals. Some hobbyists report success keeping them with other euphyllia but this is somewhat hit and miss.
Like other torches, the Dragon Soul Torch Coral requires moderate levels of light and flow. Flow should be sufficient to cause the tentacles to sway and move in the current but not so strong that they stay retracted. Extreme flow can also cause the tentacles to rip. Strangely, insufficient flow can also cause the tentacles to remain underinflated.
All torch corals are photosynthetic and are able to use aquarium lighting to meet their energy needs. Spot feeding will likely increase the growth rate and can cause the coral to appear plumper and display more vibrant colours. Vitalis LPS Food is a good choice for hobbyists who wish to feed their torch corals. This allows for careful spot feeding and reduces the negative impact of over feeding on water quality.
It is fairly easy to frag any torch coral with the right equipment. Once there is a clear separation between heads, a bandsaw can be used to cut off the desired number of heads. Thinner heads can also be cut with coral cutters. It is worth considering an iodine dip after fragging to reduce the likelihood of infection.
Dragon Soul Torch corals are moderately easy to maintain in reef aquariums. It has an exposed calcified skeletal structure as base and long fleshy polyps with rounded tips that extend from it. They require medium light and medium to high water flow. We recommend placing them halfway in your tank on rocks. There tentacles can extend and are used for feeding and defending itself. Hence, it is very important to leave plenty of space in between any torch with other coral as they will sting and kill other coral species. They do not, however, sting other torches so it is fine to place torches close to other torches. Feeding is not required but highly recommended for better health and faster growth of torches. Their skeleton forms babies around the base and then they grow a branch like structure from their babies, or heads may also split and form two heads out of one.
Key to torches we have found is flow, they need more than most euphyllia coral. Also dip torches before placing them in your tank as there is a large flat worm predator that eats them.
Check out this video we made for youtube on how to care for torch corals. Subscribe to our channel for more coral and salt water reef tank info