Mobile plate coral
Cycloseris
Also known as Cyclo Coral, Fringe Plate Coral, Button Plate Coral, Cycloseris Plate, Disc Coral
SaltwaterCoral
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 3.1 in
- 8 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Fungiidae
- Origin
- Lives free on sandy and rubble bottoms between reefs across the Indo-Pacific, often in deeper or sheltered water.
Overview
House it on open sand in a 75 liter or larger reef with gentle flow and moderate light, keeping it off sharp rock where its underside can tear. Standard reef chemistry works well, with temperature 24 to 27 C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, and steady calcium and alkalinity for its skeleton. It photosynthesizes but responds strongly to spot feeding of mysis or small meaty foods dropped near the mouth. Keep it clear of other corals since its central mouth can sting and it may drift into neighbors.
In the wild
A small solitary disc coral that sits loose on the sand rather than cementing to rock. Each animal is a single round polyp with fine radiating ridges and a slit mouth in the center, often in bright red, orange, green, or striped patterns. Unlike its larger Fungia relatives it stays palm-sized and rounded. It inflates its tissue with water to lift off settling grit and can creep short distances across the substrate.
Good to know
Cycloseris is a genus of free-living corals in the family Fungiidae. These corals begin life attached to rock by a small stalk, then break free as a mobile disc once they mature. Research on Cycloseris cyclolites has documented it using tissue inflation and pulsing to right itself and move toward light.
Did you know
If it topples upside down it can slowly flip itself back over by pumping up its tissue, making it one of the few corals that moves under its own power.
Common questions
What size tank does a Mobile plate coral need?
A Mobile plate coral needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a Mobile plate coral need?
A Mobile plate coral is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
How big does a Mobile plate coral get?
An adult Mobile plate coral reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).
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