Soft Coral
Finger Leather Coral.
A hardy soft coral that sends up soft, finger-like branches that sway with the current — one of the easiest corals to keep and a great first step into reefkeeping. Peaceful and reef-safe; give it moderate light and flow in a tank of 30 gallons or more.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 8"
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Diet
- Planktivore
- Scientific name
- Sinularia spp.
Good tank mates
A peaceful soft coral that does well in mixed reef tanks alongside other softies, zoanthids, mushrooms, and most LPS (large-polyp stony), plus reef fish and invertebrates. Give it some space from neighboring corals, since like many leathers it can release chemical compounds (terpenoids) into the water that may irritate nearby corals in a small or poorly circulated tank. Run carbon and good water movement when keeping it with sensitive SPS (small-polyp stony).
Good to know
Finger leather corals periodically shed a waxy surface film to slough off algae and debris, looking dull or 'closed up' for a day or two before reopening clean.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Royal Gramma
Universally regarded as 100% reef safe across all major husbandry sources. Does not nip corals, anemones, or sessile invertebrates. Feeds exclusively on zooplankton and small crustaceans. Territorial toward conspecifics and similar-looking basslets, but that aggression is fish-to-fish and poses no risk to Sinularia tissue. A reliable, well-documented soft-coral companion.
Firefish Goby
Consistently rated reef safe across all commercial and hobbyist sources. Spends its day hovering in the water column picking off passing zooplankton and does not interact with sessile coral tissue at all. No documented cases of nipping leather corals. Only practical husbandry caveat is jump risk — a tight lid is required — but that has no bearing on Sinularia compatibility.
Green Chromis
Poses zero threat to Sinularia or any coral tissue — it is a pure midwater zooplanktivore with no interest in sessile inverts. Well-documented conspecific hierarchical aggression (dominant fish systematically stress and kill subordinates) is a serious fish-keeping concern but has no bearing on leather coral compatibility. The coral is in no danger from this species.
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Consensus across FishLore and Reef2Reef community spotlights is reef safe with soft corals including leather corals. Functions as a cleaning station operator, not a coral grazer. Isolated anecdotal reports of opportunistic nibbling at food placed near corals exist but are rare and not specific to Sinularia. No structural risk to leather coral tissue.
Yellow Watchman Goby
Explicitly confirmed compatible with leather corals in multiple published care guides including Coralife. Substrate-dwelling species that burrows in sand and has no interest in coral tissue. The only husbandry note is that it can disturb sand-bed coral placements when excavating — Sinularia is almost always mounted on live rock, so this does not apply in practice.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.