Pavona care

[cadmanof50s]

I recently purchased a small frag of an encrusting coral which I am now fairly certain is Pavona bipartita. It is 1" x 1" frag that is generally a pale orange color and peppered with sections that are the color of a shiny penny. Truly a beautiful little specimen.

When I bought it (a week ago), I thought it was some species of of Montipora, so it went to the top of my reef where the light was bright. But it faded a little so I brought it back down to the bottom to avoid bleaching it.

What does this family of corals like in terms of light, flow, etc?
My tank is heavily geared towards SPS, I'm hoping that will do ..as I really like this little specimen and hoping it will grow and spread in my tank.

Would love some info on it. Thanks!

Vic

 

[maxxin69]

Pretty strong lighting and very strong current.

 

[DaddyJax]

Good current but the lighting is not as high, ime. Be sure to give some space, though. They pack a sting and can cause some damage to other corals.

 

[cadmanof50s]

Thanks for the info.
I'm going to keep in low in the tank to acclimate then bring it up into a slightly brighter region.... But not to the very top

Thanks again.

Vic

 

[Spaws]

i just got one & it seemed to bleach about 1/4" over the next 3 days it was mid level about 14" from my t5 ho x3 blue plus & 1 10k aquatic life 36" fixture 75g tank tall. i moved it to the sand about 30" away & closer to a rock as to block off some of the light i would really appreciate if there is any other person that may have experienced this such as CADMANOF50'S or any one else i would really like to make this piece flourish as it is a very nice pink/orange in color any help would be great TIA

 

[Nano sapiens]

There are something like (12) different recognized species of Pavona, many are encrusting, but can also send out 'leaf-like' structures when conditions are correct.

In general, Pavona do not require very bright light, but many do well in it. However, they have been shown to be very good at obtaining a high amount of energy from just their zooxanthellae alone, even in lower light, so they don't need direct feeding. Low moderate/moderate flow should be fine as they are quite adaptable corals.

Some species, such a P. varians (aka: 'Corrugated Pavona'), have been shown to have photo saturation at quite low light intensities of around 110 PAR. This species is often found in cracks and shaded by other corals/organisms. I've had this one for over five years and have it acclimated to around 200 PAR (LEDs), but it actually grows fastest in those areas where it is partially shaded.

Others, such as P. maldivensis, can be found in areas of relatively low to high PAR. I have the bright copper variant which receives around 300 PAR for 5 hours/day and it is beautifully colored and grows moderately fast.

If I had a Pavona that I couldn't find much info on, I'd start it in 'Moderate' light and see how it grows. If it forms horizontal plates instead of encrusting (assuming its an encrusting type), then light is likely too low. If it encrusts by following the existing substrate (usually forms 'mounds'), then it's receving what it needs.

Sweeper tentacles are a concern. However, they aren't obnoxiously long like Galaxia or Euphyllia, but they are powerful. My two typically produce 1" sweepers (rarely up to 1-1/2"), so they are manageable, even in a nano tank.

These are great corals that are often under appreciated IMO.

 

[Nano sapiens]

i just got one & it seemed to bleach about 1/4" over the next 3 days it was mid level about 14" from my t5 ho x3 blue plus & 1 10k aquatic life 36" fixture 75g tank tall. i moved it to the sand about 30" away & closer to a rock as to block off some of the light i would really appreciate if there is any other person that may have experienced this such as CADMANOF50'S or any one else i would really like to make this piece flourish as it is a very nice pink/orange in color any help would be great TIA

If a coral is 'pink-orange' it may indicate that it is bleached. This is common with SPS like Monitipora setosa that are typically a deep orange or orange-red (depending on type), but will turn an attractive, but unhealthy pink, when partially bleached. However, it is possible that you have a naturally pink-orange variant. If the coral turns orange in lower light, then that may be it's natural color.