Space needed for plate coral

[Baronen]

I love plate corals but only have a 20 gallon with maybe 3 inches of sand space before rock. Would a small plate coral start bumping into the rocks and glass and get upset?

 

[fishski13]

Personally, I wouldn't add one. 3 inches isn't too much space for a plate coral. They are a bit hard to find in small version like an inch or so but putting that size in a 3-inch area is a bit too much. 3-inch diameter turns into about 1 inch left around a plate if you get one around 1-2 inches. So doesn't leave much room for it to grow.

Alongside this, if you have snails and hermits, they will most likely be strolling on the sand and get to the plate coral and have no space to go around it and end up going over it which may irritate it.

 

[Baronen]

Personally, I wouldn't add one. 3 inches isn't too much space for a plate coral. They are a bit hard to find in small version like an inch or so but putting that size in a 3-inch area is a bit too much. 3-inch diameter turns into about 1 inch left around a plate if you get one around 1-2 inches. So doesn't leave much room for it to grow.

Alongside this, if you have snails and hermits, they will most likely be strolling on the sand and get to the plate coral and have no space to go around it and end up going over it which may irritate it.

Yeah I’ve got this pitho crab too that is pretty darn big and it buries indiscriminately during the day so I will pass :/

 

[Baronen]

Okay looking at the tank again I could move a shell that has gsp on it and open about a six inch radius for it. I guess the only problem is it would be somewhat close to a really extended alveopora. Would this give me enough room. They are so fun to feed last I had one