How do I tell the difference between Favites and Favia corals?

Favites corals share common walls between their individual corallites, creating a seamless honeycomb appearance. In contrast, Favia corals have separate, distinct walls for each corallite, giving them a more spaced-out look.

Why is my Favites coral losing its colour?

Colour loss, known as bleaching, is typically caused by stressful conditions such as unstable water parameters, sudden spikes in temperature, or excessively intense lighting. Ensure you maintain stable chemistry and always acclimatise new corals to your lighting slowly.

Do I need to feed my Favites coral?

While they derive the majority of their energy from photosynthesis via symbiotic algae, target feeding them meaty foods once or twice a week at night significantly boosts their growth rate and overall health.

Where is the best place to position my Favites coral?

Place them in the lower to middle sections of the aquarium under moderate lighting and moderate water flow. Crucially, leave plenty of space around them to prevent their long sweeper tentacles from stinging neighbouring corals.

Why are there long, clear tentacles extending from my coral at night?

Those are sweeper tentacles. The coral uses these specialised, venomous appendages defensively and offensively to sting nearby corals, ensuring it has enough room to grow without being overshadowed.

A colourful Favites Brain Coral showing its characteristic honeycomb pattern with glowing green and red polyps. — AI-generated illustration for OneShoal

MarineCoralsIntermediate

Favites Coral

Favites spp.

The Favites Coral is a spectacular, moderately aggressive Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral, beloved for its vibrant, honeycomb-like patterns.

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Ideal Conditions

Temperature: 24 – 26 °C
pH range: 8.1 – 8.4
Hardness: 14 – 20 dGH
Salinity: 1.024 – 1.026 SG
Adult size: 10 – 30 cm
100L+: 100 litres+
Lifespan: 10 – 50 years
Diet: Photosynthetic; heavily benefits from target feeding with zooplankton, mysis shrimp, and LPS coral pellets.
Water flow: Low to moderate
Preferred setup: Established marine reef aquarium with stable parameters and mature live rock.

About the Favites Coral

Favites Corals, commonly referred to as Pineapple, Brain, or Honeycomb corals, are stunning Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals native to the Indo-Pacific. They are easily distinguished from closely related Favia corals by their shared corallite walls, which create a seamless honeycomb aesthetic. Available in an incredible array of fluorescent colours, they are highly sought after by reef enthusiasts. Despite their stationary nature, they are highly active at night, extending both feeding tentacles to capture prey and aggressive sweeper tentacles to defend their territory.

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Is it right for your tank?

Check Favites Coral against a habitat you already keep. We compare water type, temperature, pH, adult size, group needs and everything living there.

Where Favites Coral comes from

Native range

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea

Countries / regions

Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Philippines

Habitat

Shallow reef slopes, rocky foreshores, and lagoons with moderate water movement.

Widely distributed across tropical reefs, often found dominating hard substrates in shallow, sunlit waters.

Similar species

Favia Coral
Favia spp.
Micromussa Lordhowensis
Micromussa lordhowensis
Goniastrea Coral
Goniastrea spp.

We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.

Compatible tank mates

Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.

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Ocellaris Clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Peaceful, reef-safe fish that will not bother the coral and add lively movement to the aquarium.
Great
Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
An excellent herbivore that grazes on nuisance algae without harming stony corals.
Great
Peppermint Shrimp
Lysmata wurdemanni
Generally reef-safe and useful for Aiptasia control, but hungry individuals may occasionally pick at the fleshy polyps of LPS corals.
Compatible with caution
Torch Coral
Euphyllia glabrescens
Highly aggressive LPS coral; if placed too close, both corals will engage in chemical warfare and stinging, resulting in tissue necrosis.
Not recommended
Emperor Angelfish
Pomacanthus imperator
Large angelfish are notorious for nipping at and consuming the fleshy mantles of Large Polyp Stony corals.
Not recommended

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