Favia brain coral

Care at a glance

Favia is the classic brain coral: a compact, stony dome with a surface of winding grooves and cups, often in startling colour combinations of green, red and orange. It grows slowly but is markedly hardy and tolerates a tank whose parameters are not yet perfect.

What surprises many people is how aggressive it is. At night favia extends long, thin sweeper tentacles that reach well beyond the colony and burn away neighbouring corals — often you only notice once the victim is already losing tissue. So reserve generous space all around. By day it looks inactive; it is simply retracted.

Good to know

• Potent sting — keep distance in the tank

Related species

• Acan coralMicromussa lordhowensis
• Candy cane coralCaulastraea furcata
• Octopus coral (branching frogspawn)Euphyllia paradivisa
• Confetti coralMicromussa amakusensis
• Blastomussa (wellsi)Blastomussa wellsi
• Frogspawn coralEuphyllia divisa