Plate Coral - Fungia species - Short Tentacle Plate Coral - Disc Coral - Fungus Coral - Mushroom Coral

Plate Coral is not a much sought out coral for marine aquarium because of limited information about it. This coral, however, can be an interesting proposition for your marine aquarium. The article informs you about the various aspects of Plate Coral.

Taxonomy: Plate Coral belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Cnidaria and Genus Fungia.

Scientific names: The scientific name of Plate Coral is Fungia species.

Other common names: Plate Coral is also commonly called as Disk Coral and Mushroom Coral.

Coral Type: Plate Coral is a Hard Coral.

Origin or natural range: The Fungia species originates from the Indo-Pacific region including Tonga, Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea, Eastern Africa, Palau, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

Size: Plate Coral measures around two hundred and eighty millimeters in diameter.

Color: The Fungia species occurs in red, purple, pink, green, brown, tan, blue, orange and yellow colors.

Compatibility: Plate Coral is non-aggressive towards the other marine aquarium invertebrates.

Habit & Habitat:

• The Fungia species settles down solitarily on reef slopes or lagoons.
• Plate Coral is nocturnal in habit and extends its tentacles at night.
• The Fungia species moves to a distance of about thirty centimeters per day and flips.
• The depth level of the existence of a Plate Coral is directly proportional to the size and the age of the polyp.

Morphology:

• Plate Coral has a saucer shaped or a disc shaped, oval polyp with dents.
• The tentacles of the Fungia species are short and pointed.
• Plate Coral has a stalk which is anchored to a hard surface.
• After maturity, the Fungia species detaches itself from the stalk and moves away.
• The stalk may continue its production of newer polyps.

Breeding:

• Plate Coral reproduces sexually through spawning in which eggs and sperms are released in water.
• Asexual reproduction in Plate Coral happens through budding.

Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium:

• Temperature of water: Seventy-four to eighty-three degrees Fahrenheit or twenty-three to twenty-seven degrees Celsius.
• Specific gravity of water: 1.023 to 1.025.
• pH of water: 8.10 to 8.40.
• Water flow in the aquarium: Plate Coral needs moderate water flow in the marine aquarium it hosts.
• Illumination:
• The Fungia species requires moderate to high intensity lighting in the marine aquarium it inhabits.
• Fluorescent lighting is fine but, higher intensity lighting is better.
• Plate Coral may take some time in adjusting to Metal Halide lighting.
• Great if the Fungia species can receive some direct sunlight.
• The color of Plate Coral may be guided by the intensity of lighting it receives.
• Habit & habitat:
• Place the Fungia species at the bottom of your marine aquarium, on sand or on any other soft substrate.
• Keep the Plate Coral away from the other marine aquarium invertebrates so that it can expand itself fully.
• Feeding & Nutrition:
• The Fungia species derives its nutrition chiefly through photosynthesis which is performed by zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga living symbiotically within the Plate Coral.
• Plate Coral is Carnivorous in its feeding habit and may feed around twice per week, when open.
• The Fungia species may feed upon zooplankton, phytoplankton, acellular marine invertebrates and meaty bits of raw shrimp, Silver Side and Mysis Shrimp.
• Convert the food of Plate Coral in the form of paste.
• Add Calcium, Strontium and trace elements as dietary supplements for the Fungia species.
• Breeding: Plate Coral does not breed effectively in a marine aquarium.

Care:

• Plate Coral needs moderate care.
• Don’t place the Fungia species on a hard surface as it may erode the coral’s soft bottom and may eventually lead to its demise.

FREE SHIPPING on order over $500 on all Fish, Corals, Inverts, Package Deals, and Live Reptiles excluding Live Rock, Sand, and Natural Sea Water! If order under $500 Shipping Charge will be calculated base on the actual shipping weight. All livestock orders are shipped via Next Day Air. If other shipping method is chosen we will modify the shipping method. Live Rock and Sand are ship using 2nd day service. Dry goods, Aquarium Supplies, and Reptile supplies are ship using ground service unless Specified. All livestock orders must be shipped overnight via UPS or FEDEX Priority Overnight to reduce transit time. Orders generally ship within 1-2 business shipping days. All LiveStock are shipped Wednesday and will be deliver Thursday Morning. You will receive a confirmation email with your tracking number when your order has shipped. How much is Saturday delivery? Saturday delivery must be made by special request by email or phone. Saturday delivery is an extra $26 charge. Availability In the interest of meeting your schedule, if 70% of your order is in stock, it will be shipped. Any missing items or substitutions will be marked on your order and your total will be adjusted accordingly. If you would prefer to be contacted if we are missing items, please let us know when placing your order in the comment field. However, this may delay your order. Due to the nature of our products, we cannot backorder live animals. SHIPPING AND BILLING ADDRESSES: If your shipping address is different from your credit card billing address, please make sure your card issuer has listed this shipping address as an "authorized" address. We verify all addresses with VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Signature Required UPS generally requires a signature for delivery. You or someone authorized by you, must be present to sign for a shipment if you choose to have it delivered to your home or office. Arrive Alive Guarantee Under the following circumstances we WILL NOT be able to honor our warranty:

• Orders not received on the first delivery attempt.
• Orders not held for pick up at the FEDEX/UPS facility when temperatures are greater than 90 degrees or lower than 40 degrees.
• Orders placed during extreme weather will not be cover under our alive arrive guarenteed.
• If the weather delay a flight, or closes an airport, you live stock will be delayed. Fedex has no control over the weather, nor does Freshmarine.com.
• If your Live Stock is delay, Damaged, or Never Delivered due to severe weather condition, Fedex will not honor GUARANTEES, and therefore neither can Freshmarine.com.

FreshMarine.com only ships within the continental U.S. excludes Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico