One of the most amazing aspects of reef keeping is that there are nearly endless combinations of color and shape/growth forms we can use to create our ideal and individualized home reef. The plating corals are particularly useful in creating a focus point among all the branching sticks in a reef tank with Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals.
This article is loaded with great pictures of all different types of plating corals, so you can get a sense for what both smaller and larger colonies might look in your tank.
What are plating corals?
Plating corals are generally Small polyp stony (SPS) or Large polyp stony (LPS) corals that tend to grow out horizontally, as they grow older, in flat, plate-shaped discs, rather than in branches up towards the light.
Why do some corals grow in plating forms?
The end result of the growth form of a coral—whether plating, branching, or encrusting—is not determined solely by genetics. Environmental factors such as light intensity, water flow, and competition for space play a major role in shaping how a coral grows. Plating forms often develop in environments where spreading horizontally helps the coral maximize light capture, especially in areas with moderate to low light or where vertical space is limited by competition. In the wild, corals may shift between growth forms depending on their surroundings. In aquariums, you may also see a coral change its growth pattern in response to the available light, flow, and space. Understanding these drivers can help you anticipate and even influence how your corals will develop over time.
Most popular type of plating coral
By far, the most popular and common type of plating coral is the Montipora capricornis. It is the OG, when it comes to plating coral types.
If you are patient and selective, you can find it in color variations that span the rainbow, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.
You can see where the name plating coral comes from. These corals grow out in a horizontal growth formation, also sometimes called scrolling or cup. They can add interesting texture and focal points to a mixed reef tank.
Coral growth forms: comparison and implications
The stony corals have a variety of growth forms, colors and growth rates, which is an aspect that makes creating your own slice of the reef such an interesting hobby. Understanding these forms helps you plan your aquascape and anticipate how your reef will mature. Here’s a comparison of the most common coral growth forms and what they mean for your tank:
| Growth Form | Description | Common Species | Implications for Aquascaping & Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plating | Flat, horizontal plates or discs that may layer over time | Montipora capricornis, Turbinaria, Pachyseris, Chalices | Maximizes light capture; can shade corals below; needs space to spread horizontally |
| Cup | Plates that curve upward, forming a cup or bowl shape | Pagoda cup (Turbinaria), some chalices | Similar to plating, but with more vertical relief; can trap detritus in the cup |
| Scroll | Plates that grow vertically in tight, zig-zag or spiral formations | Some Montipora, Turbinaria | Creates complex structures; may create low-flow zones; needs room for vertical expansion |
| Encrusting | Grows tightly along rock surfaces, forming a thin layer | Encrusting Montipora, Leptoseris | Excellent for covering rockwork; can form plates at edges if conditions allow |
| Table | Branching corals that flatten out into a table-like structure as they mature | Acropora (tabling types) | Needs significant horizontal space; can shade large areas below |
| Branching | Vertical or angled branches extending from a base | Acropora, Stylophora, Pocillopora | Grows upwards; less shading of lower areas; often more space-efficient vertically |
Some corals can shift between these forms depending on environmental conditions, so expect some variability in your tank.
Where to place a plating coral?
When deciding where to place plating corals in your tank, I recommend you consider at least three important factors:
- Placement during the acclimation period vs. for the long term
- Ideal locations to meet the care needs of the coral
- Relative distance from other coral – giving them room to grow
- The shade they will provide once they start growing out
Placement during acclimation
Aquarium Corals can bleach in an instant, if they are stressed out. This can commonly occur if they are introduced to your bright-hot aquarium lights too quickly. Particularly if they just spent a day or two in a dark container trying to reach your home. By comparison, starvation, due to the lights being too dim or being too far away from the lights tends to happen over weeks or even months. So the best word of advice when acclimating new corals to your home is to start low and go slow.
Consider starting in an area with around ~100-150 PAR as your acclimation starting point. For many of us, that will mean starting in the middle-to-lower regions of your tanks and gradually move them up and into the ‘spotlight’ and their final destination.
Ideal locations to meet the care needs of the coral
Most plating corals do best, over the long term, in moderately high lighting and water flow environments. That means a ‘final’ PAR in the 225-300 range. By ‘final’ I mean once acclimation is completed.
They also do well with moderately high water flow.
I’m basing this primarily on Montipora capricornis but please research the individual care needs of the specific coral you have to double-check that this is still sound advice.
Relative placement compared with other corals
Most of the plating coral types described in this article are peaceful (not aggressive or semi-aggressive). So, on one-hand, you could make the argument that they could be placed nearby other peaceful corals without risk of starting a coral war.
However, that logic certainly maximizes your coral density options now, but it doesn’t properly account for the space the coral needs to grow out, over time. Because plating corals grow out in a scrolling pattern mostly horizontally, they may actually take up more space than some of the branching coral types that prefer to grow vertically, towards the light.
So your best bet is to allow for that natural plating growth pattern to occur and give them a wide berth around where you attach the frag.
Please also consider the fact that once the plates start extending out, those plates become ‘light hogs’. The plating coral will create a shelf that extends out and shades the area underneath. So the ideal placement of a plating coral takes that natural growth pattern into consideration and creates shade for lower-light corals.
Another option would be to place the plating corals in the mid level (assuming your lights are appropriately strong) so that you could place the most light-thirsty corals above it.
Either way, it would be a bad day if you placed your Montipora plating corals in a spot where it would shade out the life-sustaining (and expensive) light you’re generating, from other corals that need it, like Mr. Burns did on the Simpsons.
Operational consequences of poor placement
Common pitfalls of improper plating coral placement:
- Shading out other corals: Plating corals can quickly overgrow and block light from reaching corals below, leading to poor health or loss of those shaded species.
- Creating low-flow or dead zones: Large plates can disrupt water movement, causing detritus to accumulate underneath or behind the coral, which can lead to algae growth or tissue recession.
- Maintenance challenges: As plates expand, they may make it difficult to access or clean areas of your tank, or to remove detritus and pests from shaded spots.
- Coral warfare as colonies expand: Even peaceful plating corals can eventually encroach on neighbors, leading to competition for space or unintentional contact with more aggressive species.
Practical tips: Before final placement, visualize the coral at 2-3 times its current size. Leave extra space around the frag, avoid placing sensitive or light-hungry corals directly below, and ensure good water flow can reach all sides. Periodically check for detritus buildup and be prepared to adjust placement or prune as needed.
How long does it take a plating coral to grow?
Any coral you add to your tank will take a little time to acclimate and build up strength/energy during a settling in period, when first added to the tank. That settling in period can be anywhere from about a month to a few years (in extreme cases). But once the coral has settled in, it’s off to the races.
Most plating coral species are relatively fast-growers, by stony coral standards, which means you can expect an appreciable, but small amount of growth about every month. We’re talking fractions of inches. But those fractions of inches build up over time.
Be sure to take photos periodically to watch the growth for yourself. In such a way, a tiny frag will grow into an interesting and impressive colony over a period of a few years.
What affects plating coral growth rates?
Growth speed can vary significantly based on several factors:
- Lighting and water flow: Insufficient or excessive light and flow can slow growth or cause stress.
- Nutrient levels and water quality: Stable parameters (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, nitrate, phosphate) support steady growth; instability or deficiencies can stall it.
- Competition and space: Overcrowding or shading from other corals can inhibit expansion.
- Genetics: Some strains simply grow faster than others.
- Stress events: Pests, disease, or sudden changes in environment can halt or reverse growth.
If your plating coral isn’t growing as expected, check:
- PAR and flow at the coral’s location
- Water parameters (especially calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium)
- Signs of pests, tissue loss, or algae overgrowth
- Whether the coral is shaded or crowded by neighbors
- Recent changes or stress events in the tank
Addressing these factors can often restore healthy growth.
What is the difference between Plate corals vs. Plating corals?
A plating coral is a stony coral species that sends growth out horizontally in the water column. The thin, horizontal growth looks a bit like a plate, scroll or cup. A plate coral is an unrelated Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral that belongs to the Fungia family and generally lives on the substrate.
You can see an example of a plating coral (left) and a plate coral (right) in the image below.
Key care and placement differences:
Plate corals (Fungia and relatives) are typically placed on the substrate and can move slightly or right themselves if flipped. They often require more space on the sand and can be sensitive to debris settling on their surface. Plating corals, by contrast, are fixed to rockwork and need room to expand horizontally. Confusing the two can lead to improper placement and care, so be sure to identify your coral correctly before adding it to your tank.
What is a grafted plating coral?
A grafted plating coral looks like a single piece or frag or coral, but it is actually made by cutting and attaching two different colonies together. This is done to create and accentuate color combinations that are often even more beautiful (to the buyer) than the naturally occurring varieties.
Special considerations for grafted plating corals:
While grafted corals can be stunning, they do come with unique risks. The graft site can be more fragile than the rest of the coral and may be prone to tissue recession or even rejection between the two types. Monitor the join for signs of stress or separation, and avoid placing the coral where it could be bumped or subjected to excessive flow directly on the graft. Not all grafts are equally stable, so be prepared for the possibility that one color may eventually overgrow the other or that the graft may not persist long-term.
What to read next?
Check out these other great articles to dive deeper into the world of aquarium corals:
- 14 best LPS corals for beginners
- All about zoanthids coral care and zoanthid gardens
- Get started fragging corals
How to frag corals
Learning how to frag corals is one of the most fulfilling things I have learned and experienced in this hobby. At its simplest level, fragging corals is a fundamental skill to help ensure your coral is growing properly in the available space in your tank. But it is also a way to multiply the number of colonies in your tank, to help you achieve the reef tank of your dreams, and it can also be a fun way to trade and share colonies with other aquarium owners in your area, or even a way to make a few dollars and offset some of your costs.
Once you get started fragging corals, it can be hard to stop.
Unique tips for fragging plating corals:
- Plating corals are often thin and brittle, so use a sharp coral saw or bone cutters to minimize cracking and tissue tearing.
- Handle frags gently to avoid breaking the plate or damaging the tissue at the edges.
- Allow frags to heal in moderate flow and stable water conditions to reduce the risk of infection or tissue loss.
- Inspect for pests or algae on the cut edges, as these can quickly take hold on exposed skeleton.
For more advanced techniques, see dedicated fragging guides for plating corals.