TankBud

Leaf coral

Pavona frondifera

Also known as Frond Coral, Cactus Coral, Pavona

SaltwaterCoral

Leaf coral (Pavona frondifera)
NPS Photo - Eva DiDonato · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
9.8 in
25 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, on shallow reef flats, slopes and turbid lagoons, common through Southeast Asia and the western Pacific

Overview

The leaf coral is a branching Pavona that adds height and texture to a reef scape, breaking up the flat lines of plating corals. It is a good first stony coral for a beginner.

Did you know

Most Pavona build neat, overlapping plates, but the leaf coral splits into a thicket of irregular upright fronds. Next to the tidy walls of its cousins, the same colony can read as chaotic.

Caring for the leaf coral

Give the leaf coral moderate light, around 100 PAR, and medium to high flow. Place it on lower or middle rock, where the fronds get good water movement without sitting under the most intense light. That flow keeps detritus from collecting between the crowded fronds.

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 lives mainly off its light. It will still accept fine foods like rotifers and minced mysis.

It has only short sweepers, but the fronds spread and thicken over time. Give it space to open up.

Good to know

The leaf coral, Pavona frondifera, belongs to the family Agariciidae, the lettuce and leaf corals. Its polyps sit in wall-less corallites, joined by ridged septa into a continuous surface. It is a zooxanthellate reef builder, powered mostly by the symbiotic algae in its tissue. Its thin fronds carry that tissue over a large surface to capture light. Its branching growth is more fixed than the flow-driven shape shifting of the plating Pavona. It is often sold under the same leaf and cactus names as other Pavona. Confirm the scientific name if you want this exact branching form.

In the wild

The leaf coral grows on shallow reef flats, slopes and turbid lagoons, and it is common through Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. Its clusters of thin fronds branch and split more irregularly than its relatives, giving each colony a busier, more tangled outline.

Common questions

What size tank does a leaf coral need?

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

What temperature and pH does a leaf coral need?

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

What does a leaf coral eat?

A leaf coral lives mainly off its light, so feeding is optional. It will accept fine foods such as rotifers and minced mysis.

How big does a leaf coral get?

An adult leaf coral reaches about 9.8 in (25 cm).

Related species