How much light and flow does Moon coral need?

Stony coral · LPS, low light at roughly 50–80 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with medium flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.

Will Moon coral attack neighbouring corals?

It has sweeper tentacles: at night it extends tentacles several times its own width and burns whatever they reach. Leave at least one adult diameter between it and its neighbours.

Does Moon coral need feeding?

Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.

What water parameters does Moon coral need?

24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.

Is Moon coral a good beginner coral?

Difficulty: beginner. Growth: slow. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: it expands slowly, but its sweepers are not short — keep 10 cm or more from neighbours.

G-03 / 10Marine

Moon coral蜂巢脑珊瑚

Favites abdita · Merulinidae

Moon coral: neighbouring cups share their walls, giving a honeycomb surface, and it puts out feeding tentacles at night.

Illustration to come

G-03 / 10 · Moon coral Favites abdita

SpecificationsCoral atlas

Name: 蜂巢脑珊瑚
Scientific name: Favites abdita
Family: Merulinidae
Origin: Reefs of the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, Indonesia and the Great Barrier Reef
Type: Stony coral · LPS
Light: Low light
PAR: 50–80
Flow: Medium flow
Aggression: Sweeper tentacles
Feeding: Optional feeding
Alkalinity: 7–9 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 mg/L
Magnesium: 1250–1350 mg/L
Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG
Growth: Slow
Placement: Foreground / Midground
Level: Beginner

Water requirementsMarine

Temp.24–26 °C

pH8.1–8.4

Salinity1.024–1.026 SG

Alkalinity7–9 dKH

Units: temperature in °C, hardness in German degrees (dGH / dKH), marine salinity as specific gravity at 25 °C, volume in litres. These are the values recorded for the species and do not follow the site unit switcher.

Keeping notes

1Spacing: it expands slowly, but its sweepers are not short — keep 10 cm or more from neighbours.
2Flow: medium; the surface traps detritus, and tissue loss starts under the debris and spreads outward.
3Feeding: optional — feed shrimp or pellets when the night tentacles are out and growth picks up noticeably.
4Water tolerance: above average for LPS, but long-term calcium shortage lowers skeleton density and the surface becomes brittle.
5Growth form: spreads as a dome or plate with fused walls, never into separate branches like a branching coral.

Frequently asked questions

How much light and flow does Moon coral need?: Stony coral · LPS, low light at roughly 50–80 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with medium flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.
Will Moon coral attack neighbouring corals?: It has sweeper tentacles: at night it extends tentacles several times its own width and burns whatever they reach. Leave at least one adult diameter between it and its neighbours.
Does Moon coral need feeding?: Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.
What water parameters does Moon coral need?: 24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.
Is Moon coral a good beginner coral?: Difficulty: beginner. Growth: slow. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: it expands slowly, but its sweepers are not short — keep 10 cm or more from neighbours.