Psammocora contigua

Psammocora contigua builds semi-massive colonies made of flattened branches, short columns and irregular knobs. Its surface is covered with very small, star-shaped corallites and resembles sandpaper. Its colors are plain; gray, brown, green and bluish tones are seen. In stores it is sometimes sold mistaken for Porites. Because it is not picky about light and flow, it is among the easiest stony corals. Trade in stony corals is subject to CITES Appendix II; choose an aquacultured frag.

• Light: Moderate light; roughly 100–200 PAR. It also adapts to strong light, but a sudden increase bleaches it.
• Flow: Moderate flow that changes direction. If detritus builds up in the corallite pits, the tissue recedes from that spot.
• Placement: The middle part of the rockwork, with 5–8 cm of space around it.
• Water parameters: Salinity 1.025–1.026, KH 7–9 dKH, calcium 400–450 mg/L, magnesium 1250–1350 mg/L, nitrate 2–10 mg/L, phosphate 0.02–0.08 mg/L. Branching forms can lose tissue at the tips when KH swings by more than 1 dKH in 24 hours.

It is photosynthetic; no extra feeding is needed for its health. Fine zooplankton-type foods can speed up growth somewhat; if you want to feed, reduce the flow for a few minutes.

It is a peaceful coral, but over time it can spread and reach the bases of neighboring corals. Keep it away from aggressive LPS and corals that extend sweeper tentacles. Dwarf angelfish may pick at the polyps; no common pest specific to this species is known.