Branching Frogspawn Care Guide
Branching Frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa) is a LPS coral. Care covers 75-175 PAR, medium flow, reef parameters and feeding; intermediate level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Branching Frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa) is a LPS coral in the family Euphylliidae. Branching frogspawn relative with thicker stalks and shorter tentacle tips. Often confused with E. divisa.
Taxonomy
- Family: Euphylliidae
- Genus: Euphyllia
- Scientific name: Euphyllia paradivisa
- Common synonyms: Octospawn, Branching Octospawn
Habitat
In the wild, Euphyllia paradivisa is reported from Indo-Pacific, where it occupies mid to lower reef slopes and lagoons (typically 5-30 m). The species adopts a branching growth form on hard substrate within zooxanthellate reef communities.
Tank requirements
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.024-1.026
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-11
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.03 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 5 ppm
- Minimum system age: 3 months
Placement and lighting
- PAR (placement zone): 75-175 PAR
- Water flow: medium
Mount this LPS coral on the lower or mid rockwork or on the sand bed (for free-living forms) where light is moderate. Strong direct flow can damage the fleshy tissue; aim for indirect, varied movement.
Feeding
Euphyllia paradivisa hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae and derives most of its energy through photosynthesis. Supplemental target feeding accelerates growth and supports colouration; commonly accepted items include mysis, reef-roids, amino-acids. Feed once or twice per week after lights-out, when polyps are extended.
Compatibility
This coral is moderately aggressive toward neighbours. It extends sweeper tentacles capable of stinging adjacent corals, so leave generous spacing (10-20 cm) between colonies. Reef-safe with most fish and invertebrates.
Care notes
Difficulty level: intermediate. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.3-0.7 cm/month. Propagation by fragmentation is straightforward for branching colonies — separate branches or polyps with a bone cutter, glue to plug, allow 1-2 weeks for healing. Maintain stable alkalinity (avoid swings above ±0.5 dKH per day) to preserve tissue health.
Propagating Branching Frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa)
Overview
Branching frogspawn, Euphyllia paradivisa (Veron, 1990), is a large-polyped stony coral of the family Euphylliidae, also called branching octospawn. It is distinguished from Euphyllia divisa by its tree-like branching skeleton of separate corallites rather than a continuous wall. It is native to the Indo-Pacific, mainly the Coral Triangle, favoring reef environments protected from surface wave action, and its zooxanthellae give it blue-light fluorescence.
Reproductive Mode
The species reproduces sexually in the wild and asexually by colony division. Its branching architecture, with each head sitting on its own corallite, makes it one of the more straightforward Euphyllia to propagate, because heads can be separated along the branches.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Because Euphyllia paradivisa grows as branching, separate corallites, fragging is done by cutting between heads along the branch, which usually avoids slicing through living flesh. Each frag keeps a head on its own piece of skeleton, and after dipping and mounting it heals and resumes growth on the new base.
- Use sterile bone cutters or a rotary tool, with gloves and eye protection.
- Cut between heads along the skeletal branch, keeping skeleton under each head.
- Avoid cutting into the polyp flesh wherever possible.
- Dip and mount the frags, then place them in adequate flow to heal.
Conditions for Propagation
Branching frogspawn frags recover under moderate lighting and moderate flow, with stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium and low nutrients. Mirroring the wild preference for areas sheltered from strong wave action, keep fresh frags out of harsh direct current until they have attached.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction in Euphyllia is broadcast spawning, with gametes released into the water for external fertilization around lunar cues. This wild route is not practical for aquarium propagation, so branching frogspawn is multiplied in captivity exclusively by fragging.
Common Challenges
Euphyllia deploy long sweeper tentacles armed with stinging cnidocytes, so frags must be spaced away from other corals they could reach. The most serious post-fragging risk is brown jelly disease, which can kill a colony within weeks and spread to neighbors; never frag or place a specimen already showing a brown gel-like coating.