Golf Ball Coral

About

Golf ball coral (Favia fragum) is one of the few reef-building corals native to the Atlantic Ocean, which immediately sets it apart from the Indo-Pacific dominated selection most hobbyists are used to seeing. In the wild it turns up in shallow rock pools and reef environments from the surface down to around 30 meters, spanning subtropical Atlantic and Caribbean waters. The colonies are small by coral standards, rarely exceeding about 50 mm across, and typically grow into neat hemispherical or encrusting mounds. That compact, rounded shape is exactly what earns it the common name. Coloration is generally tan to light orange-brown, often with pale green tentacles, and the walls and skeletal ridges sometimes show contrasting tones that give the surface a patterned look. Corallite form varies quite a bit depending on growing conditions: in open water with room to spread, colonies tend to develop more tubular corallites, while intertidal specimens can look almost maze-like. In the aquarium, this species is genuinely approachable for newer reef keepers. It asks for moderate light and moderate flow, does not pick fights with neighbors when given reasonable space, and its small footprint makes it easy to place in most reef setups.