Knob Coral

About

Knob Coral (Favites rotundata) is a large polyp stony coral found across a broad sweep of the Indo-West Pacific, from the East African coast all the way out to the central Pacific. In the wild it turns up on reef flats and slopes anywhere from the shallows down to around 40 meters, which hints at its adaptability to varying light conditions. Like other favitid corals, it forms a solid, encrusting to dome-shaped colony built from closely packed corallites. The individual skeletal cups that house each polyp. The rounded, raised corallites give the colony a bumpy, knobbed texture that distinguishes it from flatter-faced brain corals at a glance. Coloration tends toward earthy greens and browns, though brighter morphs do exist depending on the zooxanthellae present and the light environment. In the aquarium, Knob Coral is considered an intermediate-level keeper. Not the most demanding large polyp stony coral you can take on, but it does expect stable water chemistry and reasonably consistent conditions to thrive long-term. Moderate lighting and moderate flow suit it well, and as a true reef-safe coral it poses no particular threat to neighboring colonies when given adequate space. A solid choice for a hobbyist ready to move beyond the easiest soft corals.