Daisy Polyps (Pachyclavularia violacea) Care Guide
Pachyclavularia violacea, sold as daisy polyps, is a fast-spreading encrusting octocoral now treated as a synonym of Briareum violaceum.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Pachyclavularia violacea, sold as daisy polyps, is an encrusting soft coral with a mat base and bright star-shaped polyps, closely resembling green star polyps but typically with a purple base. It is beginner-friendly and a fast spreader.
Taxonomy
- Family: Briareidae
- Order: Scleralcyonacea
- Class: Octocorallia
- Scientific name (trade): Pachyclavularia violacea
- Note: WoRMS lists Pachyclavularia violacea as a synonym of Briareum violaceum (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833); the genus Pachyclavularia has been subsumed into Briareum.
Habitat
Specimens in the trade originate from the Indo-Pacific, where these encrusting octocorals cover hard reef substrate. Hobby labels overlap heavily, and many corals sold as Pachyclavularia, Briareum or green star polyps are the same or closely related taxa.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 C (75-79 F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Calcium: 380-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Lighting: ~50-200 PAR (medium)
- Flow: medium
- Minimum tank maturity: 3 months
Feeding
It is photosynthetic, deriving most nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae and absorbing dissolved nutrients from the water. Target feeding is not required.
Compatibility
It is passive and reef-safe with fish and shrimp. Given its rapid growth, isolate it on its own rock to prevent it from overgrowing slower corals.
Pachyclavularia violacea (Daisy Polyps) Propagation Guide
Overview
Pachyclavularia violacea is an encrusting mat-forming soft coral closely tied to the star polyps of the genus Briareum in the family Briareidae. The name Pachyclavularia violacea is in fact a marketing label that is commonly applied to diverse Briareum specimens, so identification in the trade is unreliable and the genus requires extensive examination to separate species.
Reproductive Mode
Like the star polyps it is sold alongside, this coral forms an encrusting purple mat that spreads over rock, and propagation is asexual by dividing that mat.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
A frag is produced by cutting the encrusting mat between groups of polyps, or by cutting the rock the mat has grown over, and securing the piece to a clean plug or rock until it re-attaches and resumes spreading.
Conditions for Propagation
As a hardy, fast-spreading encrusting coral of the Briareidae, frags settle readily under the lighting, flow and water parameters recorded for this species in the knowledge base, with the polyps reopening over the mat once the piece attaches.
Common Challenges
Vigorous encrusting growth lets the mat overrun neighbouring corals, so placement should allow the mat to be contained. Because the name covers several distinct specimens, two corals sold under it can look and behave differently.