Lighting
60-160 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Platygyra Coral
Platygyra spp.
Platygyra Coral LPS guide focused on maze-like valleys, lookalike separation from Brain Coral and Favites, and early checks for maze groove recession before changing light or flow.
Compare maze-like valleys, 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.
- 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: Nhobgood Nick Hobgood
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Esculapio
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
- 2-15 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 Platygyra Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Platygyra 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
- maze-like valleys
- shared winding walls
- encrusting dome growth
Common colors
- Green
- Brown
- Orange
- Purple
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
When Platygyra Coral is confused with Brain Coral and Favites, the useful clues are maze-like valleys, shared winding walls, and encrusting dome growth. Color is secondary; structure, expansion pattern, and the first place tissue irritation appears are more reliable. 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.
Platygyra Coral maze groove recessionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- long maze grooves look pinched and ridge edges lighten
- Platygyra 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
- detritus in grooves, unstable alkalinity, or sweeper contact
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Platygyra Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Platygyra 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
- identify Platygyra Coral by continuous maze valleys rather than color alone
- placing Platygyra Coral before confirming maze-like valleys and its spacing needs
- using Platygyra Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Brain Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Platygyra Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral beginner friendly?
Platygyra Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Platygyra Coral be placed?
Start Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral?
Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral touch other corals?
Give Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Platygyra Coral, long maze grooves look pinched and ridge edges lighten and Platygyra Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Platygyra Coral maze groove recession. Likely causes to check include detritus in grooves, unstable alkalinity, or sweeper contact and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Platygyra Coral. Start with these database checks: check Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral?
For Platygyra 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 Platygyra Coral.
Compare likely matches.
Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare maze-like valleys, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
