Orange Plate Coral
Commonly mistaken in the coral world as an anemone, Orange Plate Coral consists of rounded flat skeletal disk with short tentacles extending from the top. These tentacles are sometimes brown or green in color, with occasional orange variations as well. It is a Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral, and is often referred to as Heliofungia Plate, Mushroom, or Disk Coral, and is closely related to the Fungia family.
Orange Plate Coral Care
Orange Plate Coral is considered to be fairly delicate, and care must be taken when aquarists attempt to successfully keep it in a captive reef. This type of coral prefer low to moderate water flow, with optimum being enough to lightly wave its tentacles. This type of coral seems to be more rare and difficult to find in the trade due to its strict care requirements.
Orange Plate Coral Characteristics
Orange Plate Coral polyps are solitary, free-living (except for juveniles) and flat with a central mouth. Their polyps are amongst the largest of all corals. Tentacles are generally extended day and night and are shorter in this species as compared to other plate corals. The color ranges from a pale orange to brilliant orange.
Orange Plate Coral Aggressiveness
Orange Plate coral is actually categorized as a highly aggressive type of coral. This type of coral packs quite a powerful sting similar to an anemone, and this is aggravated by the fact that it has a habit of moving itself around the aquarium. The best way to force the plate coral to stay in one place is to use small rocks to prevent its wandering, as it can and will sting other creatures within the tank.
Orange Plate Coral Feeding
Orange Plate Coral is completely photosynthetic and requires no direct feeding in the captive environment. However, aquarists have found that it does react to the occasional feeding of shrimp or other meaty bits. The plate coral mouth can open wide to allow it to consume surprisingly large prey organisms if they are present in the water. Shorter tentacle length makes this species slightly harder to care for.
Orange Plate Coral Tank Placement
Orange Plate Coral should be place at the bottom of the tank in the sandy substrate. Penning with rocks is a good idea to prevent it from inflating its tissues and moving freely about the tank and stinging its fellow reef mates. Maintaining the correct calcium levels in the marine tank is very important for skeletal development.
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