Lighting
60-160 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Meat Coral
Acanthophyllia deshayesiana
Identify Meat Coral by large single fleshy polyp and thick inflated mantle; then set low placement, moderate flow, and enough separation from Scolymia Coral and Cynarina Coral.
Compare large single fleshy polyp, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 60-160 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.
- Short editorial review recommended before indexing this page.
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: Oceanamazon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC0
Photo: Oceanamazon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC0
Photo: M21Cestda
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
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
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.1 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Meat Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Meat Coral 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
- mysis, small meaty foods, LPS pellets
- Frequency
- weekly or when feeder tentacles are extended
ID
Identification
Key features
- large single fleshy polyp
- thick inflated mantle
- central mouth
Common colors
- Red
- Green
- Orange
- Rainbow
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Separate Meat Coral from Scolymia Coral and Cynarina Coral by checking large single fleshy polyp, thick inflated mantle, and central mouth 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.
Meat Coral fleshy rim recessionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- thick mantle pulls back from the edge or shows a pale exposed rim
- Meat Coral 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
- abrasion, sudden light increase, or competition from nearby LPS
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Meat Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Meat Coral 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
- avoid moving Meat Coral repeatedly once it is inflated and feeding
- placing Meat Coral before confirming large single fleshy polyp and its spacing needs
- using Meat Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Scolymia Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Meat Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Meat Coral
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
Acan Coral
Micromussa lordhowensis
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Candy Cane Coral
Caulastrea furcata
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Blastomussa
Blastomussa wellsi / Blastomussa merleti
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Meat Coral beginner friendly?
Meat Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Meat Coral be placed?
Start Meat Coral low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 60-160 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Meat Coral?
Meat Coral may benefit from careful target feeding with mysis, small meaty foods, and LPS pellets. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly or when feeder tentacles are extended. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Meat Coral touch other corals?
Give Meat Coral about 4 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Moderate. Use caution near Favia, Favites, and Chalice 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 Meat Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Meat Coral, thick mantle pulls back from the edge or shows a pale exposed rim and Meat Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Meat Coral fleshy rim recession. Likely causes to check include abrasion, sudden light increase, or competition from nearby LPS and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Meat Coral. Start with these database checks: check Meat Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Meat Coral?
For Meat Coral, 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
Identify Meat Coral.
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Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare large single fleshy polyp, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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