Lighting
60-160 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Symphyllia Coral
Symphyllia spp.
Symphyllia Coral LPS guide for identifying broad fleshy valleys, choosing low placement with moderate flow, and managing shared-valley tissue irritation when kept near Lobophyllia Coral and Brain Coral.
Compare broad fleshy 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: Jenny Huang from Taipei
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0
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 Symphyllia Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Symphyllia 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
- broad fleshy valleys
- brain-like folds
- thick tissue
Common colors
- Red
- Green
- Orange
- Purple
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Broad continuous valleys and thick tissue sit between lobo and maze brain appearances. Separate Symphyllia Coral from Lobophyllia Coral and Brain Coral by checking broad fleshy valleys, brain-like folds, and thick tissue 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.
Symphyllia Coral shared-valley tissue irritationOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- large connected valleys deflate and ridges become more visible
- Symphyllia 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, parameter change, or neighboring aggression
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Symphyllia Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Symphyllia 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 treating Symphyllia Coral as a small isolated-head acan colony
- placing Symphyllia Coral before confirming broad fleshy valleys and its spacing needs
- using Symphyllia Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Lobophyllia Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Symphyllia Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Symphyllia 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 Symphyllia Coral beginner friendly?
Symphyllia Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Symphyllia Coral be placed?
Start Symphyllia 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 Symphyllia Coral?
Symphyllia 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 Symphyllia Coral touch other corals?
Give Symphyllia 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 Symphyllia Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Symphyllia Coral, large connected valleys deflate and ridges become more visible and Symphyllia Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Symphyllia Coral shared-valley tissue irritation. Likely causes to check include abrasion, parameter change, or neighboring aggression and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Symphyllia Coral. Start with these database checks: check Symphyllia 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 Symphyllia Coral?
For Symphyllia 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
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Compare broad fleshy valleys, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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