Palythoa

Care at a glance

Overview

A sessile mat-forming coral that reproduces by budding and can overgrow rock rapidly. It does not sting neighbors aggressively but competes for space by encrusting, so it is best kept on its own rock with a buffer from slower corals.

In the wild

Palythoa are larger-polyped relatives of zoanthids that form fleshy mats on reef rock, often in areas with brighter light and some current. In the tank they thrive under moderate light around 50 to 150 PAR and moderate flow that keeps debris from settling between polyps. They grow quickly, so give them an isolated rock or clear border and place them low to mid on the rockwork where their spread can be managed.

Good to know

Palythoa is a colonial zoanthid whose polyps share a thick common tissue and often bind large amounts of sediment into their bodies for support. It is the genus most associated with palytoxin, one of the most potent marine toxins known, which can be released when colonies are cut, scrubbed or boiled. Gloves, eye protection and good ventilation are strongly advised when fragging, and hot water treatment of Palythoa rock should be avoided.

Did you know

Several documented cases of hobbyist palytoxin poisoning have come from boiling or scrubbing Palythoa rock indoors, which aerosolizes the toxin and can cause serious respiratory illness.

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