Lighting
70-160 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 5/10
Favia
Dipsastraea spp. / Favia spp.
Favia LPS guide for identifying brain-like corallites, choosing low placement with moderate flow, and managing corallite edge recession when kept near Favites and Brain Coral.
Compare brain-like corallites, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 5/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 70-160 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- Moderate
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Minimum tank age
- 4 months
- Minimum tank size
- 20 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Philippe Bourjon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 400-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-20 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.12 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Favia, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Favia requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- small meaty foods, LPS pellets, mysis
- Frequency
- weekly after feeder tentacles appear
ID
Identification
Key features
- brain-like corallites
- separate walls around corallites
- encrusting or dome growth
Common colors
- Green
- Red
- Orange
- Purple
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Use corallite walls and colony structure for hobby ID, but avoid treating every trade-name Favia as a verified Favia species. Separate Favia from Favites and Brain Coral by checking brain-like corallites, separate walls around corallites, and encrusting or dome growth in normal white light. Then confirm corallite walls, polyp shape, tissue inflation, and where recession begins; avoid using a trade name as the only ID evidence. Because trade photos can exaggerate color, skeleton shape, polyp layout, and expansion pattern are stronger clues than color alone.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 4 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Favia corallite edge recessionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- separate corallites show pale rims or feeders stop extending at night
- Favia shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- alkalinity swings, nearby stings, or detritus trapped between mouths
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Favia
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Favia alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact
- reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton
- increase spacing and observe the coral under white light and after lights out
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- remember many hobby Favia labels may be Dipsastraea or related merulinids
- placing Favia before confirming brain-like corallites and its spacing needs
- using Favia color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Favites
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Favia looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Favia
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Candy Cane Coral
Caulastrea furcata
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Acan Coral
Micromussa lordhowensis
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Blastomussa
Blastomussa wellsi / Blastomussa merleti
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Favia beginner friendly?
Favia is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Favia be placed?
Start Favia low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 70-160 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Favia?
Favia may benefit from careful target feeding with small meaty foods, LPS pellets, and mysis. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly after feeder tentacles appear. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Favia touch other corals?
Give Favia about 4 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Moderate. Use caution near Favites, Chalice Coral, and Brain Coral. Avoid close placement with Torch Coral and Elegance Coral. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Favia looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Favia, separate corallites show pale rims or feeders stop extending at night and Favia shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Favia corallite edge recession. Likely causes to check include alkalinity swings, nearby stings, or detritus trapped between mouths and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Favia. Start with these database checks: check Favia alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Favia?
For Favia, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 4 months as the minimum tank age and 20 gallons as the minimum tank size. For LPS-style care, protect fleshy tissue from repeated moves, direct flow, and abrupt chemistry corrections.
Coral Identifier
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Compare brain-like corallites, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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