The Scolymia Coral is an LPS coral that is also known as the Doughnut Coral, Disk Coral or simply as a Scoly. It is a solitary coral that grows as a single round specimen. It has a single oral opening in the centre and does not split or multiply. It comes in an almost endless number of colour morphs with two of the most common being “Bleeding Apple” and “War Paint”. It can double in size during the day, so it is important that it is given plenty of space.
Scolymia are found predominantly on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. It is generally found on reef slopes in protected environments with moderate levels of water movement. It is commonly found in waters as deep as 40m, often under overhangs. In a home aquarium, they are almost always placed on the substrate, although they can be placed on a flat piece of rockwork in the bottom of the tank. They should not, however, be glued to the rockwork.
Scolymia corals do best in areas of the tank with moderate levels of light and flow. For the most part, they can tolerate a wide variety of lighting conditions, except for very intense lighting or total shadow. Due to the fact that Scolymia are generally placed on the substrate, flow should be sufficient to prevent the buildup of detritus on the coral but not so strong that the flesh of the coral is folded over or blown about aggressively.
Like the vast majority of LPS corals, Scolymia are photosynthetic and are able to use aquarium lighting to meet their energy needs. They can, however, be spot fed if desired and many hobbyists believe that feeding is necessary to maintain their good health long term. They can be fed a number of different types of food, but one good choice is Vitalis LPS Pellets, which allow for precise spot feeding. Fragging Scolymia is not recommended for hobbyists as they do not branch or split. Therefore, fragging requires cutting through the flesh of the coral, which often damages the coral.
For adding a splash of colour to the substrate nothing can match a Scolymia.
