TankBud

Potato chip coral

Pavona decussata

Also known as Cactus Coral, Lettuce Coral, Leaf Coral, Pavona

SaltwaterCoral

Potato chip coral (Pavona decussata)
Benzoni, F. · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Photosynthetic
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Agariciidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa east to the central Pacific, on shallow reef flats, slopes and lagoons usually shallower than 15 meters

Overview

The potato chip coral is a hardy, fast-settling stony coral for a reef tank. It makes a good first SPS for a keeper stepping up from softies and LPS.

Did you know

The stacked, overlapping plates of the potato chip coral are also how it competes for space. It fans outward and layers over slower neighbors to claim its patch of reef.

Caring for the potato chip coral

Give the potato chip coral moderate light, with around 100 PAR as a good target. Too much intensity bleaches its thin tissue rather than improving color. Set it on the lower or middle rockwork, out of the intense top light.

It wants medium to high flow to keep detritus out of the folded plates. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feeding is optional, since it gets most of its energy from light, but it will take fine foods like minced mysis or rotifers.

It carries only short sweeper tentacles, so it is not much of a threat to neighbors. The plates encrust and spread outward as the colony fills in, so leave space around it.

Good to know

The potato chip coral sits in the family Agariciidae, the lettuce and leaf corals. Its corallites lack distinct walls and share ridged septa that link neighboring polyps into one continuous surface. It is a zooxanthellate reef builder, drawing its energy from the symbiotic algae in its tissue. Its shape shifts with conditions, building tighter, more upright plates in stronger flow and light and flatter sheets in calmer, shadier water. The trade uses the cactus, lettuce, leaf and potato chip names loosely across several look-alike Pavona, so check the scientific name if exact identity matters.

In the wild

The potato chip coral grows across the shallow Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa out to the central Pacific. It lives on reef flats, slopes and lagoons in the top 15 meters or so. There it builds thin, upright plates that fold over one another into a leafy wall.

Common questions

What size tank does a potato chip coral need?

A potato chip coral needs at least 20 gal (75 L).

What temperature and pH does a potato chip coral need?

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

What does a potato chip coral eat?

A potato chip coral gets most of its energy from light, so feeding is optional. It will take fine foods such as minced mysis or rotifers.

How big does a potato chip coral get?

An adult potato chip coral reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

Related species