What are scoly corals?
A scoly is a single large polyp stony coral that grows as one massive, disc-shaped polyp rather than a branching or encrusting colony. The tissue is pleated into radial folds around a central mouth, and in the best specimens those folds carry concentric bands of contrasting color. The hobby name covers true Scolymia from the Atlantic and Homophyllia from Australian waters. Because each piece is a single polyp, scolys are sold as individual specimens rather than frags, and no two are alike.
Scoly coral care: light, flow, and placement
Low light and low flow, on a flat surface. Scolys naturally sit horizontally on rubble and sediment, so the sand bed or a level ledge on the lower rockwork suits them. Strong light bleaches the tissue and strong current abrades it, and both problems show up as receding flesh at the edge of the skeleton. Review your reef lighting before placing one, and keep alkalinity and salinity steady with reliable water testing equipment. Feed small meaty foods once or twice a week in the evening.
Master, ultra, and bleeding apple morphs
Scolys are graded on color pattern and contrast rather than species:
- Master scoly — the trade term for a specimen with multiple concentric color bands and high contrast between the rings and the mouth.
- Bleeding apple — a deep red body with a contrasting centre, one of the most recognizable and consistently sought patterns.
- Rainbow and warpaint morphs — pieces carrying three or more colors in irregular radial streaks, usually the most expensive in any shipment.
- Ultra and single-color specimens — saturated one or two tone polyps, a strong value entry into the group.
Caring for a thin-tissue centerpiece
The practical risk with a scoly is mechanical damage rather than water chemistry. Make sure the polyp rests level and cannot tip or roll, keep it away from powerhead outflow, and discourage hermit crabs and large snails from crossing it. If the tissue begins receding from the skeletal edge, move the coral to calmer, dimmer water immediately and consider a coral dip; recession caught early usually reverses, while recession left alone rarely does.
Where scolys fit in a reef
Scolys are bottom-of-the-tank centerpieces, and they pair naturally with other low-light, calm-water LPS that occupy the same zone. Compare acan corals and chalice corals for the same shelf, browse the full range of live corals for sale, or look through one-off specimens in WYSIWYG corals.
