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Favites sp.
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The Favia and Favites
When it comes to diversity, it's hard to think of a more visually diverse group of corals than the Favias and Favites. These brain-shaped corals develop multiple growth forms and come in almost every color and pattern imaginable.
See below for additional care tips for Favias and Favites
Localization
Favitas are found on the islands of the Indo-Pacific, including Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.
Lighting
Medium to high lighting would do just fine. Favites do not change color much with the intensity and type of lighting provided, unlike many other LPS corals. However, they may require a longer acclimatization period to bright lighting.
dim light |
Dim light is between 30 - 50 PAR per unit area |
medium light |
Average light is between 50 - 150 PAR per unit area |
|
Heavy light |
Intense light is above 150 PAR per unit area |
Water flux
We recommend keeping coral in a relatively low-flow area of the aquarium. Too much flow can cause this species to become stressed and not fully stretch.
Food
Like most corals, favias and favites are largely dependent on their zooxanthellae, but in our experience, they also benefit from direct feeding. There are a variety of frozen fish foods available that are excellent meals for Favias. We like to feed a mixture of meaty foods like shrimp, fish and squid with vitamin additives and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). The size of the food must be small enough for the polyp to fully ingest it. Favites generally have smaller mouths than Favias.
Alert
Favites are one of the corals that extend long tentacles. In fact, Favites can behave more aggressively than larger Favias. Tentacles of those that are often used as a means of defense against other invading coral colonies. The white tips contain a concentration of nematicists that can damage more delicate corals. Most of the time, this isn't a big problem, but to be on the safe side, we recommend placing it away from other corals initially.
