Maze Brain Coral care guide
Maze Brain Coral (Platygyra daedalea) — reef coral, 24-26 °C, PAR 75-175, salinity 1.024-1.026.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Platygyra daedalea is a maze-pattern brain coral with tightly meandering valleys across the corallite surface. It is hardy and beginner-friendly, making it a popular choice for newer reef tanks.
Taxonomy
- Family: Merulinidae
- Genus: Platygyra
- Scientific name: Platygyra daedalea
- Common synonyms: Worm Coral, Platygyra
Habitat
Widespread across the tropical Indo-Pacific. Colonies are common on reef flats, slopes and lagoonal pinnacles at moderate depth.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- Salinity (SG): 1.024-1.026
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Alkalinity (dKH): 8-11
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.03 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 5 ppm
Placement and lighting
- Lighting (PAR): 75-175 PAR
- Flow: medium
- Recommended tank age: 3 months
- Growth rate: 0.2-0.5 cm/mo
Mount on rockwork in the middle of the aquarium at moderate light. Medium flow keeps the surface clean and prevents detritus accumulation in the meandering valleys.
Feeding
Photosynthetic with periodic benefit from spot-feeding. Mysis or reef-roids one to two times per week is sufficient for steady growth.
Compatibility
Moderately aggressive — short sweeper tentacles can extend at night. Allow a buffer of a few centimetres around the colony. Reef-safe with shrimp and fish.
Care notes
Hardy and reliable for tanks that have completed cycling. Periodic gentle blowing with a turkey baster keeps the maze valleys free of detritus.
Platygyra daedalea (Maze Brain Coral) Propagation Guide
Overview
Platygyra daedalea is a maze brain coral in the family Merulinidae, recognised by meandering valleys with low, often perforated walls running across a single skeleton. It typically forms massive dome or boulder-shaped colonies that can reach a metre or more across, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. As a continuous colony, it is propagated by dividing the skeleton rather than by separating heads.
Reproductive Mode
The colony enlarges asexually as polyps bud along the meandering valleys, extending tissue over fresh skeleton. Platygyra is also a hermaphrodite that reproduces sexually by broadcast spawning; studies note it can even self-fertilise as a reproductive assurance during smaller spawning events. Hobby propagation uses the asexual route, dividing the existing colony.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
- Select a well-coloured colony with extended polyps and identify a low valley wall as a cut line.
- Saw cleanly through the skeleton with a band saw so each frag keeps continuous valleys and polyps.
- Rinse off skeletal debris and glue each frag skeleton-side down to a plug or rock.
- Recover in moderate flow under reduced light until the cut edge tissues over.
Conditions for Propagation
- Stable alkalinity and calcium for skeletal regrowth at the cut.
- Clean, moderate flow over the fresh edge.
- Subdued lighting immediately after fragging.
- Low nutrients to keep exposed skeleton free of nuisance algae.
Sexual Reproduction
On reefs, Platygyra participates in synchronised mass spawning, releasing gametes into the water column over one or two nights per year for external fertilisation. The resulting larvae settle to found genetically new colonies. This is not a routine aquarium propagation pathway.
Common Challenges
Maze brains are among the hardier brain corals, but exposed skeleton after a cut is vulnerable to algae and tissue recession if flow or water quality lapse. Crushing rather than slicing the skeleton damages the bordering polyps, so use a saw rather than blunt cutters.