Tan Pavona
Tan Pavona is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
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Pavona cactus
Coral Overview
Tan Pavona brings warm tan colour and thin, upright plates to the reef. Often called Cactus Coral, its folded growth creates shape and texture among branching or fleshy corals. It is an approachable SPS option once established, provided you can maintain stable water chemistry and leave room for its expanding structure.
Photos are representative; individual frags vary, and colour depends on lighting and aquarium conditions.
Care Requirements
- Difficulty: Moderate; generally more forgiving than Acropora, while still needing consistent reef conditions.
- Lighting: Moderate to high, introduced gradually. Start with moderate exposure rather than immediately choosing the brightest position.
- Flow: Strong, random currents that reach between plates and prevent debris from settling.
- Placement: Middle to upper rockwork, adjusted to the actual light and flow at that location.
Keep alkalinity stable and maintain appropriate calcium and magnesium for skeletal growth. Check consumption as the colony develops and adjust dosing gradually. Leave open rock around the encrusting base and space above and beside the plates.
Feeding & Nutrition
Tan Pavona receives much of its energy from photosynthetic symbionts. It can also capture suitably small meaty foods from the water, including fine zooplankton. Supplemental feeding is optional in a regularly fed reef; use modest amounts and keep nutrient export balanced with feeding.
Known Sensitivities
Pavona can sting neighbouring corals and compete for space as it encrusts and plates. Keep a clear gap around the colony, and consider which corals its plates could shade later. Avoid placing it where it will quickly grow into a prized neighbour.
The thin skeleton is brittle, so handle the plug or base rather than gripping the plates. Abrupt lighting increases, chemistry swings and trapped detritus can damage tissue.
Shipping & Arrival Guarantee
Review our Shipping information for delivery details and our Arrive Alive Guarantee for eligibility, terms and arrival reporting requirements.
Our Water Parameters
Our Water Parameters
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-78 °F)
- Salinity: 1.026 SG, 35 ppt
- PH: 8.1-8.4
- Ammonia: 0 ppm
- Nitrite: 0 ppb
- Nitrate: 3-15ppm
- Phosphate: 0.03-0.15 ppm
- Alkalinity: 8 dKH
- Calcium: 440 ppm
- Magnesium: 1320 ppm
Acclimation
Acclimation
Temperature Match
Float the sealed bag containing the coral in your tank for 15-20 minutes. This allows the coral to gradually reach the same temperature as your aquarium, minimizing temperature-related stress.
Prepare and Dip Coral
To ensure the health and safety of your new coral, prepare a dip solution using tank water and a coral dip product, following the dip’s instructions for dosage and timing. This precautionary dip helps protect your tank by eliminating any potential hitchhikers. Keep an eye on the coral during the process to confirm it’s responding well.
Rinse in Tank Water
After the dip, rinse the coral thoroughly in a separate container filled with clean tank water. This step removes any residual dip solution, preventing it from entering your display tank and ensuring the coral is safe to be introduced.
Introduce Coral
Carefully position the coral in your tank, ideally on a rock or suitable location based on the coral’s needs. Make sure the placement allows proper flow and lighting according to the coral species. Monitor the coral for the next few hours to ensure it adjusts well.
How We Pack Livestock
How We Pack Livestock
At New Dawn Aquaculture, we take every step to ensure your marine life arrives alive and thriving!
Carefully Packed for a Safe Journey
- Livestock is hand-packed in sealed oxygen-filled bags with fresh saltwater.
- Insulated coolers with heat or ice packs keep conditions stable, regardless of weather.
- Built to handle up to 48 hours in transit.
Fast Delivery, Every Time
We ship livestock overnight, Monday to Wednesday only, so your marine life arrives the next morning and never sits in a warehouse over a weekend, reducing stress and maximizing health.
Our Promise
Healthy, vibrant marine life delivered to your door, guaranteed. Shop with peace of mind—your aquarium deserves the best!
Arrive Alive Guarantee Policy
Arrive Alive Guarantee Policy
Every shipped livestock order is covered by our Arrive Alive Guarantee. Report any issue within 48 hours of delivery so our team can review the claim and make it right. Read the full Arrive Alive Guarantee
Tan Pavona is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Our Daily Dose: How We Keep Our Corals Thriving
Our Daily Dose: How We Keep Our Corals Thriving
Our Daily Dose: How We Keep Our Corals Thriving
At New Dawn Aquaculture, every coral system runs on precision, consistency, and the right balance of chemistry and nutrition. Gone are the days of dosing generic off-the-shelf products. Today, every coral system on our farm is dosed with our own Reef Charge line.
This page outlines exactly what we dose, why we dose it, and the levels we hold on our coral flats.
The Foundation: Hydroshock 3-Part System
Our Hydroshock 3-Part System is the backbone of every coral system. Corals use up calcium, alkalinity and magnesium every day as they build skeleton. The three parts replace what they use, so we can hold these levels steady:
- Alkalinity: 8 dKH
- Calcium: 450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1350 ppm
Supplies calcium, with small amounts of strontium, potassium, manganese and zinc, formulated to keep ionic ratios close to natural seawater.
Hydroshock Alkalinity | Part 2
Replaces the carbonate alkalinity used by coral growth. Includes boron, which adds to the water's buffering capacity.
Replaces magnesium, with potassium, sulfate and iodide, so the three parts dosed together keep the major ions close to natural seawater ratios.
Why It Matters: Calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are used up every day in a growing reef. Dosing replaces what is used so the levels stay steady. Stability matters more than any particular number: if your tank is stable at different levels, keep doing what works.
Ammplify: Feeding Corals and Microbial Life
A reef-safe ammonia source for the beneficial bacteria in very lean systems.
Why We Dose It: Our coral systems run on very low nutrients. Ammplify keeps a small, steady supply available without heavy feeding.
Balancing Nutrients: Nitrify & Phosphorize
Even with Ammplify, our coral systems can run extremely lean. When nitrate or phosphate levels drop too low, we carefully dose Nitrify and Phosphorize to bring nutrient levels back into balance.
A liquid nitrate supplement we dose when testing shows nitrate has fallen below our target.
A phosphate supplement we dose when testing shows phosphate has fallen below our target.
Our Approach: We only dose these when testing shows a deficiency.
The Result: Stable Coral Flats
By combining the Hydroshock 3-Part System, Ammplify, and occasional nutrient supplements, we keep our chemistry stable and our nutrients controlled across all systems. Every coral you see from New Dawn Aquaculture is grown under this routine.
Learn More
Visit our Reef Charge product line to explore the additives we use daily, and use the dosing calculator there to work out your own daily dose. Test first, and never mix the parts.
What We Feed Our Corals
What We Feed Our Corals
At New Dawn Aquaculture, our corals are sustained on a natural diet built around living micro-organisms produced through our Planktura brand. Rather than relying on powdered or preserved foods, we focus on providing live nutrition that supports both coral health and the overall microbiome of our reef systems.
Live Phytoplankton
Every coral system receives daily doses of live phytoplankton grown in-house at Planktura. Each strain offers unique nutritional benefits that contribute to coral health, coloration, and nutrient balance.
Nannochloropsis Live Phytoplankton
A dense, single-celled green phyto high in omega-3 fatty acids. Excellent for maintaining water clarity and supporting filter feeders. Helps stabilize nutrient export and feeds bacterial populations.
A brown-gold flagellate rich in DHA and carotenoids. Great for feeding zooplankton and enhancing coral coloration, especially for LPS and soft corals. Encourages polyp extension and natural feeding behavior.
A deep red cryptophyte high in natural pigments and fatty acids. Promotes vivid coral coloration and benefits filter feeders and non-photosynthetic corals through its balanced nutrient content.
Tetraselmis Live Phytoplankton
A highly active green phyto rich in amino acids and lipids. Supports coral tissue repair and boosts beneficial bacterial growth. Excellent for mixed reefs with both SPS and LPS species.
Live phytoplankton feeds corals directly while sustaining copepods, rotifers, and beneficial bacteria. It creates a balanced, living food web that mirrors the natural reef ecosystem.
Live Bacteria Cultures
In addition to phytoplankton, our systems are dosed with live bacteria from Planktura’s microbial culture line to maintain water quality and microbial diversity.
Palustris Live Bacteria – Bacto Fuel
A concentrated culture of Rhodopseudomonas palustris, a purple non-sulfur bacterium that enhances nutrient cycling and water clarity. It helps reduce nitrate and phosphate while providing a bioavailable nitrogen source for corals.
This live bacterial supplement supports a healthy microbiome, aids in organic waste breakdown, and helps maintain balanced nutrient levels. The result is improved coral health, color, and system stability.
Natural Feeding Philosophy
Our approach to coral feeding mirrors the reef ecosystem itself. Instead of relying on heavy particulate feeding, we cultivate a continuous supply of live micro-organisms that nourish the entire food web, from bacteria and plankton to the corals themselves.
This natural method produces cleaner systems, stronger coral tissue, and long-term stability. Every coral we sell has been grown and colored under these same feeding conditions.
Learn More
Explore the Planktura product line to learn more about our live phytoplankton and bacterial cultures, and how you can feed your reef the same way we do at New Dawn Aquaculture.
Understanding the Different Types of Corals
Understanding the Different Types of Corals
Corals come in many shapes, sizes, and growth styles. To make choosing and caring for them easier, we group them into four main categories: SPS, LPS, Soft Corals, and Zoanthids and Mushrooms. Each group has its own care requirements, growth habits, and visual appeal.
SPS Corals (Small Polyp Stony)
SPS corals build rigid calcium skeletons and have very small polyps that extend slightly from their surface. They are known for their incredible structure and vivid coloration but require precise water chemistry and high-intensity lighting. Stability is everything with SPS systems.
- Care Level: Advanced
- Lighting: High
- Flow: Strong, turbulent
- Examples: Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora
SPS thrive in environments with consistent alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium levels. Dosing and nutrient control are essential for maintaining color and growth.
LPS Corals (Large Polyp Stony)
LPS corals have larger, fleshy polyps that sway in the water and give them a more dynamic appearance. They are generally hardier than SPS and can tolerate slightly higher nutrient levels. Their skeletons are still calcium-based but less dense and faster-growing.
- Care Level: Intermediate
- Lighting: Moderate to high
- Flow: Moderate and indirect
- Examples: Hammer, Torch, Frogspawn, Acan, Candy Cane
LPS corals appreciate regular feeding with fine particulate foods and benefit from balanced nutrients supported by products like Hydroshock and Ammplify.
Soft Corals
Soft corals lack a hard skeleton and instead have flexible, leathery bodies that bend with the current. They are some of the most forgiving and beginner-friendly corals and adapt well to a range of lighting and nutrient levels.
- Care Level: Beginner
- Lighting: Low to moderate
- Flow: Moderate to strong
- Examples: Kenya Tree, Leather Corals, Xenia, Clove Polyps
Soft corals grow quickly and can help stabilize new tanks by naturally absorbing nutrients. They are ideal for newer reef systems or as fillers between larger LPS colonies.
Zoanthids and Mushrooms
Zoanthids and Mushroom corals are some of the most colorful and resilient species in the reef aquarium hobby. They spread across rockwork and create vibrant carpets of texture and color.
- Care Level: Beginner
- Lighting: Low to moderate
- Flow: Gentle to moderate
- Examples: Zoanthus, Palythoa, Ricordea, Discosoma
These corals tolerate a wide range of conditions, making them perfect for mixed reefs. Stable nutrients and trace element dosing help maintain their color intensity and growth rate.
Choosing the Right Coral for Your System
When building a reef, match your coral choices to your equipment, experience level, and maintenance routine. SPS corals reward precision, LPS corals add movement and variety, Soft corals bring growth and coverage, and Zoanthids and Mushrooms fill in color and texture.
Every coral grown at New Dawn Aquaculture is cultivated under stable, nutrient-balanced conditions using our Reef Charge product line. Whether you are setting up your first reef or expanding an established one, our systems and products provide the foundation for success.
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Inputs we use in our coral systems
Foods we use in our coral systems
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