Pavona clavus Care Guide
Pavona clavus is a hardy columnar stony coral that forms knobby pillars and large stands on Indo-Pacific reefs, kept as an intermediate-level SPS.
Overview
Pavona clavus is a colonial stony coral of the family Agariciidae, described by Dana in 1846. It typically forms columnar or club-shaped colonies of smooth, uniform columns up to about 20 cm tall and 3-5 cm in diameter, and may also form flattened plates. Colonies range from 10 cm to over 10 m across and can build single-species stands. The corallites are circular, 2.5-3.5 mm in diameter, with thick well-defined walls. Colour is cream, yellow, brown or pale grey.
Taxonomy
- Family: Agariciidae
- Order: Scleractinia
- Genus: Pavona
- Scientific name: Pavona clavus
- Authority: Dana, 1846
Habitat
The species is distributed widely across the Indo-Pacific, the South China Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, extending to the eastern Pacific. It is found at depths of 2-40 m in protected or semi-protected habitats, often on slopes in current-exposed areas, and is absent from shallow, high-energy reef platforms. Its skeletal growth rate in the wild is about 0.9-1.3 cm per year.
Reef parameters
- Type: SPS (small-polyp stony) coral, columnar growth
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.025-1.026
- Alkalinity (KH): 7.5-9 dKH
- Calcium: 420-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1300-1400 ppm
- Lighting: 200-300 PAR (medium-high)
- Flow: medium-high
Feeding
Pavona clavus is a zooxanthellate, reef-building coral that obtains its energy primarily from the photosynthesis of its symbiotic algae. In the aquarium it is treated as photosynthetic; stable lighting and calcification chemistry (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium) drive skeletal growth. Amino acid dosing can support colour but is optional.
Compatibility
The coral is passive toward neighbours and is reef-safe with fish and shrimp. As with other SPS species it does best in a mature, stable system and benefits from consistent flow to keep its surfaces clear of detritus.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. The species is also listed on CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade in stony corals.