How much light and flow does Giant palythoa need?

Soft coral, medium light at roughly 80–150 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 Giant palythoa attack neighbouring corals?

It releases chemicals that suppress its neighbours, worst in a small tank with weak flow and stale carbon. Increase flow, change carbon often, and place it downstream.

Does Giant palythoa need feeding?

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

What water parameters does Giant palythoa need?

24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.023–1.026, 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 Giant palythoa a good beginner coral?

Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: it mats over rock, so keep 10 cm or more; where it touches another coral it leaves a clear burn line.

G-03 / 18Marine

Giant palythoa大纽扣

Palythoa grandis · Sphenopidae

Giant palythoa: much larger than button polyps and loaded with palytoxin — the one coral here that always deserves gloves.

Illustration to come

G-03 / 18 · Giant palythoa Palythoa grandis

SpecificationsCoral atlas

Name: 大纽扣
Scientific name: Palythoa grandis
Family: Sphenopidae
Origin: Shallow reefs and intertidal flats of the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean
Type: Soft coral
Light: Medium light
PAR: 80–150
Flow: Medium flow
Aggression: Chemical toxins
Feeding: Optional feeding
Alkalinity: 7–9 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 mg/L
Magnesium: 1250–1350 mg/L
Salinity: 1.023–1.026 SG
Growth: Fast
Placement: Foreground / Midground
Level: Beginner

Water requirementsMarine

Temp.24–26 °C

pH8.1–8.4

Salinity1.023–1.026 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 mats over rock, so keep 10 cm or more; where it touches another coral it leaves a clear burn line.
2Flow: medium; polyps stretch in weak flow and retract in strong flow, and neither is a sign of illness.
3Feeding: optional; light is enough, and feeding speeds up splitting.
4Water tolerance: extremely high — it almost never dies from parameter swings, and it spreads fast enough to cover a whole rock.
5Safety: never touch the mucus bare-handed when cutting it, scrubbing rock, or after a heater breaks in the tank — wear gloves and work in a ventilated space.

Frequently asked questions

How much light and flow does Giant palythoa need?: Soft coral, medium light at roughly 80–150 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 Giant palythoa attack neighbouring corals?: It releases chemicals that suppress its neighbours, worst in a small tank with weak flow and stale carbon. Increase flow, change carbon often, and place it downstream.
Does Giant palythoa need feeding?: Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.
What water parameters does Giant palythoa need?: 24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.023–1.026, 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 Giant palythoa a good beginner coral?: Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: it mats over rock, so keep 10 cm or more; where it touches another coral it leaves a clear burn line.