Is this really a pavona?

[PghReef]

Found this frag listed as a stray voltage pavona. Hard to tell from a small frag but it looks to be more of an encruster than a regular shapeshifting grower like a typical pavona. Also color is different than any pavona I've seen.

 

[DSC reef]

Looks like a pavona to me. Frags can be hard to distinguish.

 

[PghReef]

Looks like a pavona to me. Frags can be hard to distinguish.

Are there different color variants of pavona? I've only seen the regular mint green ones never one that looked so bright before. It's from one of our sponsors that's pictures are pretty true to color and not crazy saturated. Couldn't find much when I googled stray voltage pavona

 

[DSC reef]

Looks more like a leptoseris with the coloration but the leptoseris I've owned weren't hairy. Pavona and leptoseris are confusing.

 

[C. Eymann]

There are like 12 different species in the Pavona genus, and they can definitely be confusing, some pavona species even grow similarly to pachyseris and lithophyton.

Pavona gigantea or decussata would be my guess?

 

[DSC reef]

There are like 12 different species in the Pavona genus, and they can definitely be confusing, some pavona species even grow similarly to pachyseris and lithophyton.

Pavona gigantea or decussata would be my guess?

This is one coral that is extremely confusing and mistakenly identified. I agree

 

[vetteguy53081]

gigantea is closest but pic is not typical of such. Confusing- yes

 

[PghReef]

So what should I expectfor growth rate, shape etc? Care would be similar to any pavona and itd be considered tough as nails asany pavona?

 

[DSC reef]

So what should I expectfor growth rate, shape etc? Care would be similar to any pavona and itd be considered tough as nails asany pavona?

Similar to other pavona/leptoseris. IME low in the tank with moderate indirect flow. Grew well on the bare bottom.

 

[C. Eymann]

+1^^

Might be biased because of its sentimentalism to me, Pavona decussata was the first SPS coral I kept almost 20 years ago.

Sure its not "melt your face off colorful" like some coral out there, but I love the the growth form some species can have, decussata is my favorite as it forms thick pillars with blade leaf like lobes.

P. maldivinesis can have some pretty great orange coloration too, but mostly just encrusts or forms small mounds - thick rounded branches