Fungia

Fungia plate corals are fascinating free-living LPS that sit unattached on the sand bed. Never glue them to rockwork — they need to be able to reposition themselves, and they will slowly move across the substrate to find their preferred spot. Provide moderate PAR (75–150 PAR) and gentle flow. Strong current can flip them over, and while they can right themselves over time using tissue inflation, it stresses the coral unnecessarily.

Maintain standard reef parameters: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Fungia are enthusiastic feeders that inflate dramatically to capture food — target feed with mysis, brine shrimp, or small pellets once or twice weekly. The feeding response is impressive to watch as the entire disc inflates and tentacles emerge to engulf the food.

Fungia are found throughout the Indo-Pacific, including Australian waters, and locally sourced specimens adapt well to captive conditions. They reproduce by budding — small daughter discs form on the parent and eventually detach to become independent corals, which is a delightful process to witness in the home aquarium. Fungia have short sweeper tentacles that can sting close neighbours, so give them adequate clearance on the sand bed. They tolerate a surprisingly wide range of conditions, making them one of the more forgiving sand-dwelling LPS.