The Frogspawn Coral is a type of large-polyp stony coral. It’s also known by its scientific name, Fimbriaphyllia divisa, though it was once referred to as Euphyllia divisa.
Frogspawn Coral is a popular species among marine aquarium hobbyists due to its unique appearance and hardy nature.
What Does the Frogspawn Coral Look Like?
Frogspawn Coral has a corallite skeleton with a flabello-meandroid ‘wall’ structure. This gives it a distinctive look, different from its relative, the Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa, which has a tree-like branching structure.
The Frogspawn Coral’s long, fleshy polyps are usually pale brown or green with the tips of the polyps a bright green or light brown color.
Where Is the Frogspawn Coral Found?
Frogspawn Coral is native to the Indo-Pacific region. It’s commonly found in Australia, Southeast Asia, the Ryukyu Islands, the East China Sea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Palau.
The Frogspawn Coral inhabits protected, somewhat murky mid-level slopes and is usually seen at depths between 15 to 65 feet (5 – 20 m).
How Is the Frogspawn Coral Cared for In Aquariums?
While the Frogspawn Coral is photosynthetic, it benefits from occasional hand feedings of meaty foodstuffs.
Suitable foods include fortified brine shrimp, mysis, rotifers, and products containing Cyclop-eeze or similar foodstuffs. The coral will accept these foods day or night.
Avoid placing the Frogspawn Coral in areas with strong direct light or forceful water flow, as this could damage its polyps and lead to rapid tissue necrosis (RTN) and ultimately its death.
During the day, the Frogspawn Coral’s polyps are fully extended and partially retracted at night. At night, long sweeper tentacles are displayed as the coral attempts to clear a path for colony expansion.
What Are Some Considerations when Selecting a Frogspawn Coral for Aquariums?
When selecting a Frogspawn Coral for aquariums, avoid specimens with any kind of algal growth on its exposed skeleton surface.
Also, don’t remove a Frogspawn Coral specimen with highly inflated tissue areas from the water as this could damage or tear its flesh from its skeleton.
What Are the Ideal Conditions for Keeping Frogspawn Coral in Aquariums?
Frogspawn Coral requires specific conditions for optimal growth and health.
The following list provides the ideal conditions for Frogspawn Coral:
| Condition | Value |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 72°F to 82°F (22°C to 27°C) |
| Minimum Tank Size | 30 gallons |
| Lighting | PAR 250 to 300 |
| Water Movement | WM 1 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.023 to 1.025 |
| pH | 8.0 to 8.4 |
These conditions need to be monitored regularly to ensure the Frogspawn Coral’s health and well-being.
Additionally, trace elements such as Calcium, Alkalinity, Phosphate, Magnesium, and Strontium need to be maintained at appropriate levels.
What Is the Behavior of Frogspawn Coral?
Frogspawn Coral is an aggressive species. Its tentacles ‘will’ kill or greatly injure most other corals that it touches, therefore, sufficient space should be left downstream from it.
However, Frogspawn Coral can co-mingle without any tissue damage with E. ancora, another species of coral.
Frogspawn Coral Characteristics
| Temperament: | Aggressive |
| Care Level: | Moderate |
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Euphylliidae |
| Genus: | Euphyllia |
| Scientific Name: | Euphyllia divisa |
| Also Known As: | Frogspawn Coral |
| Conservation Status: | Near Threatened |