TankBud

Maze brain coral

Platygyra

Also known as Brain Worm Coral, Closed Brain Coral, Bowl Coral

SaltwaterCoral

Maze brain coral (Platygyra)
Nhobgood Nick Hobgood · CC BY-SA 3.0

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
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Merulinidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to the central Pacific

Overview

Maze brain is a genuinely semi-aggressive coral, extending sweeper tentacles well beyond its base after dark to sting anything within reach, so give it real spacing rather than tucking it in next to softer corals. Target feeding micro-plankton or minced meaty foods two to three times a week in the evening, as the tentacles emerge, helps color and growth. It tolerates a wider swing in nitrate than most LPS and is considered one of the hardier brain corals for a newer reef keeper. It frags well by cutting through the skeleton between valleys, though each cut piece needs a clean, unbroken wall to recover reliably.

In the wild

Platygyra grows across Indo-Pacific reefs from the Red Sea to the central Pacific, forming dome-shaped colonies on reef flats and slopes in a wide range of depths. In the aquarium it wants moderate light, roughly 100 to 150 PAR, paired with steady, moderately strong indirect flow, since current across the winding valleys seems to matter more to this coral than exact light intensity. Place it low to mid on stable rockwork with clearance on every side for its nighttime tentacles. Keep temperature 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4.

Good to know

Platygyra is a large polyp stony coral in the family Merulinidae, identified by long, winding meandroid valleys that fuse neighboring corallites into a maze-like pattern, which is where both the genus name and the common name maze coral come from. It is photosynthetic but also an active nighttime predator, and it produces noticeably more mucus than many other LPS when disturbed or stressed. Colonies grow as solid, boulder-like domes that can become one of the more substantial pieces in a mature reef tank.

Did you know

The maze-like ridges that give this coral its name are also its defense system, since the whole network of connected valleys can extend stinging tentacles in unison at night, turning what looks like a static dome into a coordinated wall of nematocysts.

Common questions

What size tank does a Maze brain coral need?

A Maze brain coral needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Maze brain coral need?

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

How big does a Maze brain coral get?

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

Related species