Mycedium elephantotus (Elephant Skin Coral) Care Guide

Mycedium elephantotus is a laminar Indo-Pacific chalice coral with outward-pointing, nose-shaped corallites; common on sheltered reefs.

Overview

Mycedium elephantotus is a colonial stony coral grouped by aquarists among the chalice corals. Colonies are laminar or encrusting and bear nose-shaped corallites up to about 15 mm in diameter that point outward toward the colony perimeter, an arrangement that gives the surface its elephant-ear appearance. Costae form radiating ribs across the plate, and corallites can become elongate at the colony margins.

Taxonomy

Family: Merulinidae
Genus: Mycedium
Scientific name: Mycedium elephantotus
Authority: (Pallas, 1766)

Habitat

The species inhabits most reef environments protected from strong wave action across the Indo-Pacific and is reported as common. Coloration is typically uniform brown, grey, green or pink, with oral discs that may be green, white or red and distinctively coloured colony margins.

Aquarium care

Temperature: 24-26 degrees C (75-79 degrees F)
pH: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
Alkalinity (KH): 8-11 dKH
Calcium: 400-450 ppm
Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
Difficulty: intermediate
Minimum tank maturity: about 3 months

Lighting and flow

As a chalice-type coral, Mycedium is kept under lower to moderate light, around 50-150 PAR; deeper-water forms tolerate even lower intensity, and direct high-intensity light should be avoided to prevent bleaching. Moderate to low, indirect flow keeps the plate clean while avoiding tissue recession caused by strong direct currents.

Feeding

Mycedium is primarily photosynthetic through its zooxanthellae. Its tentacles are typically extended only at night, when colonies can be target-fed small meaty foods such as mysis; chalice corals are slow eaters.

Compatibility

Chalice corals can be aggressive, deploying long sweeper tentacles that sting nearby corals, so colonies should be spaced well away from neighbours. The species is reported as reef-safe with fish and shrimp.