Soft Coral vs. LPS vs. SPS: Choosing Your First Coral Type

Reef keepers generally group corals into three broad categories based on skeletal structure and care difficulty: soft corals, LPS, and SPS.

Soft Corals

Soft corals like Xenia, mushroom corals, and zoanthids are generally the most forgiving, tolerating a wider range of lighting and water quality than stony corals — a great starting point for new reef keepers.

LPS (Large Polyp Stony) Corals

LPS corals like Euphyllia have a calcium carbonate skeleton with large, fleshy polyps. They’re a natural next step after soft corals, needing more stable calcium and alkalinity but still relatively forgiving. See our Euphyllia care guide.

SPS (Small Polyp Stony) Corals

SPS corals like Acropora have small polyps over a dense, fast-growing skeleton and demand the most stable, high-quality water of the three groups. Our Acropora care guide covers what SPS keeping requires.

Building a Stocking Plan

Start with soft corals to build confidence and stable parameters, move to LPS as your tank matures, and only add SPS once your tank has a long track record of stability. See our Complete Guide to Coral Reef Tanks for full setup guidance.

Browse our corals & anemones selection to find your first frag.