TankBud

Scoly coral

Homophyllia australis

Also known as Scolymia, Australian Scoly, Artichoke Coral, Disk Coral

SaltwaterCoral

Scoly coral (Homophyllia australis)
(c) Susan Prior, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.1 in
13 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Photosynthetic
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Lobophylliidae
Origin
Australia, mainly the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland

Overview

The Scoly coral is a fleshy disc coral that sits low in a reef tank. Its care is a step up from the easiest corals.

Did you know

Named color morphs of the Scoly coral are some of the most expensive single polyps in the hobby. Premium Australian Scolys occasionally sell at auction for several thousand dollars, for one fist-sized disc.

Caring for the Scoly coral

Keep the Scoly coral under low to moderate light, roughly 50 to 120 PAR, though it tolerates a wide light range. Give it low to moderate indirect flow that carries food to its mouth without battering the exposed flesh. Place it low in the tank, on a stable rock ledge or the sandbed.

It needs at least 11 gal (40 L), at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It photosynthesizes through its zooxanthellae and also extends short feeder tentacles at night. Feed it minced meaty foods two to three times a week to support its color and slow growth.

The Scoly coral is mostly peaceful and lacks the long sweeper tentacles of true brain corals. It still needs real breathing room, since it can inflate to roughly twice its resting size during the day.

As a single free-living polyp, it is not propagated by fragging the way colonial LPS are. Most Scolys in the trade are still wild collected rather than farmed. Australia limits how many can be harvested from the reef each year, which keeps supply tight however popular a color morph becomes.

Good to know

Homophyllia australis spent decades classified as a Scolymia. Budd and colleagues resurrected the genus Homophyllia in a 2012 molecular study, making it the sole species in that genus. That is why older hobby writing still calls it Scolymia australis. It is a large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae, and a solitary polyp with a single mouth. Growth is slow, typically well under an inch of diameter added per year.

In the wild

Homophyllia australis is collected almost entirely from the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, Australia. There it lives as a solitary polyp on rocky or rubble substrate, often near giant clams.

Common questions

What size tank does a Scoly coral need?

A Scoly coral needs at least 11 gal (40 L).

What temperature and pH does a Scoly coral need?

A Scoly coral is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Scoly coral eat?

A Scoly coral photosynthesizes through its zooxanthellae and extends short feeder tentacles at night. Feed it minced meaty foods two to three times a week.

How big does a Scoly coral get?

An adult Scoly coral reaches about 5.1 in (13 cm).

Related species