TankBud

Lettuce coral

Pavona varians

Also known as Cactus Coral, Potato Chip Coral, Leaf Coral, Pavona

SaltwaterCoral

Lettuce coral (Pavona varians)
Philippe Bourjon · CC BY-SA 4.0

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
Widespread Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa across to the eastern Pacific, on reef flats, slopes and lagoons

Overview

The lettuce coral is a tough, adaptable stony coral and one of the easier Pavona to start with. It encrusts over rock instead of building fragile plates.

Did you know

With its raised ridges and grooves, the lettuce coral looks more like an encrusting brain coral than a leafy Pavona. It is closely tied to the similarly corrugated Pavona venosa.

Caring for the lettuce coral

Give the lettuce coral moderate light and medium to high flow, which keeps the ridged surface free of detritus. It encrusts readily across rock, so place it where it has room to sheet outward.

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 runs mostly on light. Fine foods help it thicken and spread.

Its sweepers are short, but like the rest of the genus it will slowly overgrow neighbors it can reach. Leave bare rock around the edge.

Good to know

The lettuce coral, Pavona varians, is a zooxanthellate stony coral in the family Agariciidae. Its wall-less corallites share ridged septa, exaggerated here into a distinctive corrugated surface. It is one of the most variable species in the genus, so the trade struggles to tell it from its plating relatives on looks alone. Its trade names are especially muddled, with cactus, lettuce, leaf and potato chip all used, so lean on the scientific name.

In the wild

The lettuce coral is one of the most widespread corals in its genus. It ranges from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way to the eastern Pacific, on reef flats, slopes and lagoons. It usually grows as an encrusting sheet, with prominent ridges and valleys between the polyps.

Common questions

What size tank does a lettuce coral need?

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

What temperature and pH does a lettuce coral need?

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

What does a lettuce coral eat?

A lettuce coral runs mostly on light, so feeding is optional. Fine foods help it thicken and spread.

How big does a lettuce coral get?

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

Related species