Why do the “red eyes” on my Red Eye Favia Coral fade or shift color?

Color shifts usually follow light spectrum and nutrient balance. Keep PAR moderate (80–150), favor blue/violet channels, and reduce excess white intensity. Maintain stable alk 8–9 dKH, Ca 420–450 ppm, Mg 1300–1400 ppm, with NO3 ~5–10 ppm and PO4 0.03–0.08 ppm. Avoid rapid changes. Night feeding with fine meaty foods 1–2x weekly often deepens reds. If fading persists, check for shading by film algae in valleys and increase gentle flow.

How aggressive are its sweepers, and how do I prevent stings on neighbors?

At night, sweepers can extend 2–4 inches. Give a wide buffer and place it on an isolated “island” rock to limit reach. Provide moderate, cross-flow so tentacles don’t drape onto adjacent corals. Target-feed lightly after lights out; a well-fed colony is less likely to extend extreme sweepers. Run fresh activated carbon to reduce chemical warfare, and avoid placing fleshy LPS or encrusting SPS within range.

What growth pattern should I expect, and how can I keep the valleys clean?

Favia favus builds thick walls with distinct valleys, often forming a dome from an initial encrust. It prefers indirect, moderate flow that keeps detritus and film algae from settling in the valleys without lifting tissue. Position slightly off-axis from pumps and avoid hard, sharp edges beneath the tissue. A turkey baster blast during maintenance helps. Stable alkalinity and gently rising PAR over weeks improve calcification without stressing the polyps.

My colony is receding from a few mouths—how do I stop the loss?

First, rule out vermetid snails, filament algae, or cyanobacteria irritating the valleys. Increase gentle flow, baste debris, and consider an iodine/Lugol’s dip if brown jelly is present. If recession is localized, use a diamond saw to cut 5–10 mm into healthy skeleton around the affected section and discard it. Re-mount the healthy piece with reef-safe epoxy, keep light slightly reduced for a week, and resume small, frequent feedings to speed recovery.

Red Eye Favia Coral

Favia

Overview

Red Eye Favia Coral shows rounded corallites with bright red centers and contrasting green to brown rims. Favia favus is a stony, dome-forming coral that prefers moderate light and gentle to moderate water flow. It relies on symbiotic algae for energy but benefits from occasional small meaty foods, which can boost growth and color. Place on stable rock or sand with space around it, as nighttime sweepers can sting nearby corals.

Quick Facts

Care Easy

Lighting Low–Moderate

Flow Moderate

Placement Low–Mid

Temperament Semi-aggressive (3–6 inches spacing; long night sweepers)

Recommended Parameters

Temp 76–80°F

pH 8.1–8.4

Salinity 1.025–1.026

Calcium 400–450 ppm

AlkAlkalinity 8–9.5 dKH

Magnesium 1280–1350 ppm

Feeding photosynthetic, mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped seafood, copepods, zooplankton, microplankton, coral-specific powdered foods

Care & Placement

Red Eye Favia Coral (Favia favus) thrives under stable, clean conditions with moderate light and flow. Aim for PAR 80–150; start low and increase gradually to prevent bleaching. Provide indirect, moderate flow to keep debris from settling while avoiding tissue whip. Target feed 1–2 times weekly after lights out with small meaty foods (mysis, chopped krill, reef pellets) to boost growth and coloration. Maintain temperature 76–80°F, salinity 1.025–1.026 (use a refractometer and auto top-off), pH 8.1–8.4, alkalinity 8.0–9.5 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1250–1350 ppm, nitrate 2–10 ppm, and phosphate 0.03–0.08 ppm. Test weekly and correct slowly; this coral is sensitive to rapid swings, especially in salinity and alkalinity.Place low to mid in the tank on stable rock, not directly on sand where tissue can abrade. Leave 3–6 inches of space; Favia extends long nighttime sweeper tentacles and is semi-aggressive. Compatible with most peaceful LPS/soft corals if spaced well; avoid fast-growing stingers nearby. Acclimate by dripping 30–45 minutes and light-acclimating with reduced intensity or shade screens. Mount with epoxy or gel and keep detritus and algae off the skeleton. Watch for tissue recession (often from unstable parameters or too little food), bleaching (too much light), and brown jelly; use iodine/coral dips for pests and improve flow and stability. If colors fade, slightly increase feeding and nutrients within the ranges above; if tissue lifts, reduce flow or adjust placement.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Red Eye Favia Coral

Why do the “red eyes” on my Red Eye Favia Coral fade or shift color?

Color shifts usually follow light spectrum and nutrient balance. Keep PAR moderate (80–150), favor blue/violet channels, and reduce excess white intensity. Maintain stable alk 8–9 dKH, Ca 420–450 ppm, Mg 1300–1400 ppm, with NO3 ~5–10 ppm and PO4 0.03–0.08 ppm. Avoid rapid changes. Night feeding with fine meaty foods 1–2x weekly often deepens reds. If fading persists, check for shading by film algae in valleys and increase gentle flow.
How aggressive are its sweepers, and how do I prevent stings on neighbors?

At night, sweepers can extend 2–4 inches. Give a wide buffer and place it on an isolated “island” rock to limit reach. Provide moderate, cross-flow so tentacles don’t drape onto adjacent corals. Target-feed lightly after lights out; a well-fed colony is less likely to extend extreme sweepers. Run fresh activated carbon to reduce chemical warfare, and avoid placing fleshy LPS or encrusting SPS within range.
What growth pattern should I expect, and how can I keep the valleys clean?

Favia favus builds thick walls with distinct valleys, often forming a dome from an initial encrust. It prefers indirect, moderate flow that keeps detritus and film algae from settling in the valleys without lifting tissue. Position slightly off-axis from pumps and avoid hard, sharp edges beneath the tissue. A turkey baster blast during maintenance helps. Stable alkalinity and gently rising PAR over weeks improve calcification without stressing the polyps.
My colony is receding from a few mouths—how do I stop the loss?

First, rule out vermetid snails, filament algae, or cyanobacteria irritating the valleys. Increase gentle flow, baste debris, and consider an iodine/Lugol’s dip if brown jelly is present. If recession is localized, use a diamond saw to cut 5–10 mm into healthy skeleton around the affected section and discard it. Re-mount the healthy piece with reef-safe epoxy, keep light slightly reduced for a week, and resume small, frequent feedings to speed recovery.