TankBud

Yellow scroll coral

Turbinaria reniformis

Also known as Yellow Scroll, Scroll Coral, Yellow Lettuce Coral, Turbinaria Scroll, Yellow Cup Coral

SaltwaterCoral

Yellow scroll coral (Turbinaria reniformis)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

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
40 gal
150 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Photosynthetic
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Dendrophylliidae
Origin
Found on shallow Indo-Pacific reefs and flats, from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.

Overview

The yellow scroll coral is a plating stony coral that folds and curls into scroll-like sheets. It is a step up from the easiest corals and suits a reef tank.

Did you know

The yellow scroll coral is one of the only reef corals that shows a genuine bright yellow. Reef keepers often use it as a color break among the greens and reds of a mixed reef.

Caring for the yellow scroll coral

Give the yellow scroll coral bright light to hold its yellow color, and moderate to strong flow to keep the plates clean. It needs a reef tank of at least 40 gal (150 L). The coral is peaceful, but give the scrolls room to expand, since they can overgrow lower neighbors.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Hold calcium and alkalinity steady for plating growth. It feeds mostly through photosynthesis but takes fine plankton.

Good to know

Turbinaria reniformis is a small polyp species in the family Dendrophylliidae. Like the rest of its genus, it hosts zooxanthellae and grows a thin plating skeleton. Its overlapping, ruffled plates give it the scroll or lettuce look. The color runs from bright yellow to yellow-green, often with a green or brown rim, and the tiny polyps sit low against the surface.

In the wild

The yellow scroll coral is found on shallow reefs and flats across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to the western Pacific. Its strong yellow comes through best in shallow, well-lit specimens.

Common questions

What size tank does a yellow scroll coral need?

A yellow scroll coral needs at least 40 gal (150 L).

What temperature and pH does a yellow scroll coral need?

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

What does a yellow scroll coral eat?

A yellow scroll coral feeds mostly through photosynthesis. It also takes fine plankton.

How big does a yellow scroll coral get?

An adult yellow scroll coral reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

Related species