Coral
ECC Flame Boy Favia
Favia sp.MerulinidaeFavia corals
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The ECC Flame Boy Favia is a high-contrast LPS coral featuring green corallites set against a deep red to purple base with an orange to red rim. It grows in a slow encrusting manner on rockwork, preferring moderate light (150-250 PAR) with low to moderate flow; it is semi-aggressive and may extend sweeper tentacles at night, so keep space from neighboring corals.
Quick facts
Handling caution: Can sting via nighttime sweeper tentacles; wear gloves when handling frags due to sharp calcareous skeleton
Identity
- Also known as
- Brain coral; Pineapple coral; Moon coral
- Synonyms
- Favites (closely related, formerly grouped together)
- Environment
- Saltwater
- Native to
- Indo-Pacific, Red Sea
- Habitat
- Reef flats and slopes, typically in areas of moderate light and water movement
- Sourcing
- Aquacultured
- Conservation
- Not Evaluated
Care
- Care level
- Moderate
- Coral type
- LPS
- Temperament
- Semi-Aggressive
- Growth form
- Encrusting
- Adult size
- 0.8 – 8 in (1.9 – 20 cm)
- Spread
- 12 in (30 cm)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Low, Middle
Water
- Temperature
- 75 – 78 °F (24 – 26 °C)
- pH
- 8.1 – 8.4
- dKH
- 8 – 9.5 dKH
- Salinity
- 1.025 – 1.026 SG
- PAR
- 75 – 200 PAR
- Flow
- Low-Moderate
- Light
- Medium
Reef care
- Nutrient preference
- Medium
- Alk/Ca uptake
- Medium
- Target feeding
- Beneficial
- Give it room
- 4 in (10 cm)
- Colors
- Green, Red, Orange, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Multicolor
Feeding & breeding
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Foods
- Frozen, Coral food, Zooplankton
- Propagation
- Fragging
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Care guide
Overview
Green corallites contrast against a deep red-to-purple base rimmed in orange to red. Growth is slow and encrusting across rockwork, favoring moderate light and low to moderate flow. Semi-aggressive at night, it extends sweeper tentacles and needs distance from neighboring corals.
Care
Favia is a hardy large polyp stony coral that tolerates a range of lighting and flow, making it a reasonable choice for reef keepers moving beyond softies into LPS. It does best under moderate lighting rather than intense light, since excessive PAR can cause fading or tissue recession over time. Stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium levels support steady encrusting growth, and new frags should be acclimated slowly by starting in a lower, shadier spot before moving upward.
Placement & acclimation
Mount frags on rubble rock or frag plugs using coral glue or epoxy, placing them on stable rockwork in the lower to middle sections of the tank away from other corals. Acclimate gradually to light by starting in a shadier position and moving the piece higher over several weeks if more intense lighting is desired. Leave at least three to four inches of open space around the colony to accommodate both growth and nighttime sweeper tentacles.
Feeding
Favia derives most of its energy from photosynthesis but responds well to occasional target feeding of small meaty foods such as mysis, chopped shrimp, or prepared coral blends. Feeding tentacles extend mainly after the lights dim, so offering food in the evening produces the best response. Regular feeding is optional but tends to speed growth and deepen coloration in mature colonies.
Neighbors
Favia is semi-aggressive and known for extending sweeper tentacles several inches at night, so it needs a few inches of clearance from neighboring corals, especially slower-growing or more delicate species. It is best kept away from SPS and other corals sensitive to stinging contact. Give newly placed frags room to grow into, since colonies expand outward as they encrust.
Fragging
Colonies are fragged by cutting or cracking the shared skeleton between corallites with a bandsaw, angle grinder, or bone shears, ideally leaving several polyps per fragment for faster recovery. Cut fragments should be given time to heal on a stable surface with gentle flow before returning to normal placement. Fragging is most successful when done on healthy, well-fed colonies rather than stressed or recently acquired specimens.
Pests & problems
Tissue recession or bleaching usually points to excessive light or unstable water chemistry rather than disease. Brown jelly infection can take hold quickly if tissue is damaged by pests, stinging neighbors, or physical injury during handling, so any wounded areas should be watched closely. Flatworms and Acropora-eating flatworm relatives occasionally target favia colonies, and a dip after acquiring frags helps catch hitchhikers early.
Sources
Varieties in the catalog
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