Symphyllia

Symphyllia brain corals are hardy and visually striking, with their deep meandering valleys creating bold colour contrasts between the ridges and grooves. Place them in the lower to mid sections of your tank under moderate PAR (75–150 PAR) with gentle flow. Like most brain corals, they inflate their tissue substantially during the day, and strong direct current prevents this natural expansion.

Keep water parameters stable at standard reef levels: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Symphyllia respond well to target feeding with meaty foods — place small pieces of mysis or chopped prawn into the valleys once or twice weekly. The feeding tentacles emerge primarily at night, so evening feeding is most effective. Regular feeding promotes tissue health and can intensify the contrast between valley and ridge colours.

Symphyllia extend sweeper tentacles at night that can be surprisingly long, so provide adequate clearance from neighbouring corals. They can be fragged by cutting between valleys with a band saw, though this is a more advanced technique. Australian-sourced Symphyllia display excellent colour variety and are well-suited to local water temperatures. These are reliable, long-lived corals that can become established centrepieces in a mixed reef tank for many years.