False Pillow Coral

About

False Pillow Coral (Pseudosiderastrea tayamai) is a small, slow-growing stony coral found across the Indo-West Pacific, typically in very shallow reef zones where it anchors itself directly to bare rock. Colonies tend to stay low and encrusting, occasionally mounding into a gentle dome shape, and rarely exceed about six inches across even in mature specimens. Up close, the structure is quite detailed: tightly packed polygonal corallites sit wall-to-wall in a cerioid arrangement, each measuring just a few millimeters across, with evenly spaced septa that curve together in fan-like groupings and carry fine serrated edges. The columella at the center of each corallite is modest, consisting of just a handful of small pinnules. Coloration varies by region. Colonies from Indo-Pacific waters tend toward pale grey with noticeably bright white corallite walls that give the surface a geometric, almost tiled look, while specimens from the western Indian Ocean are generally a more uniform brown. In the aquarium, this coral suits intermediate keepers comfortable with managing consistent high light and moderate water movement. It is reef safe and poses no threat to neighboring corals, though like most small-polyp stony corals it rewards stable water chemistry and a patient approach to placement.