Pavona decussata Propagation Guide

Propagating the vertical-plate coral Pavona decussata by cutting plates and gluing them, with the genus's spawning, asexual spread, and frag-care notes.

Overview

Pavona decussata is a colonial stony coral in the family Agariciidae that grows as vertical, two-sided plates. As with other Pavona, its form can vary with current, wave action, lighting and depth. It is zooxanthellate and largely autotrophic, drawing much of its nutrition from symbiotic algae, with polyps that extend at night.

Reproductive Mode

Like the rest of the genus, Pavona decussata reproduces sexually by releasing gametes into the sea, where fertilisation yields a planula larva that settles and buds into a colony. It can also propagate asexually when a broken fragment becomes wedged in a suitable spot and continues growing and budding into a new colony.

Fragging / Asexual Propagation

Cut a section of plate from the colony, then mount it on a frag plug or rock. Dry the base of the cutting and the plug so the glue holds, apply a couple of dabs of cyanoacrylate, secure the plate, and return it to low flow until the bond cures. The frag heals along the cut edge and grows outward as new bifacial plates.

Conditions for Propagation

A decussata frag needs stable reef parameters, moderate to high light, and good flow around the plates. Because the species is largely autotrophic, strong lighting is the main driver of recovery, with supplemental feeding playing a secondary role. Frags from healthy plates re-establish reliably.

Sexual Reproduction

Sexual reproduction through gamete release and planktonic larvae occurs in nature but is impractical in the home aquarium, where the larvae are hard to capture and rear. Hobby propagation therefore relies on cutting and re-attaching plate frags, echoing the genus's natural spread by wedged fragments.