Lesser Valley Coral

About

The lesser valley coral (Platygyra carnosa) is a brain-style stony coral whose surface is covered in the characteristic winding valleys and ridges that define the Platygyra group. The valleys tend to be broad and fleshy in appearance, giving this species a softer, more rounded look compared to some of its close relatives. It's found across a wide stretch of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and Madagascar in the west all the way to Indonesia in the east, growing in shallow to moderately deep reef environments down to around 30 meters. In the wild it's a sessile, colonial coral that attaches to hard substrate and slowly builds its distinctive maze-like skeleton over time. In a reef tank, Platygyra carnosa is considered an intermediate-level coral. Not the most demanding LPS you can keep, but it rewards keepers who pay attention to flow and placement. Moderate water movement and moderate lighting seem to suit it well. Like other Platygyra, it can extend sweeper tentacles at night, so give it some room between neighbors. For a hobbyist moving past the most beginner-friendly corals and looking to add textural variety to a mixed reef, this is a worthwhile species to consider.