Description

🧊 Cyphastrea Coral – Description & Care Guide

🪸 Description

Cyphastrea is a small polyp stony coral known for its encrusting growth and bright, often fluorescent colors. It forms a flat to irregular crust over rockwork or frag plugs and is loved for its textured, star-like polyps that pop against contrasting backgrounds.

Common Names: Meteor Shower Coral, War and Peace, Supernova, Tyree Cyphastrea

Key Features:

• Growth Form: Encrusting or plating (slow and low-growing)
• Polyp Shape: Tiny star-like polyps with high contrast to base color
• Colors: Orange, red, green, blue, pink, purple — often with glowing neon eyes
• Texture: Bumpy or dimpled surface with visible polyps

🧪 Tank Requirements

ParameterIdeal RangeLightingLow to moderate (PAR 50–150)FlowModerate, indirectTemperature75–80°F (24–27°C)Salinity1.025–1.026 SGAlkalinity8–10 dKHCalcium420–450 ppmMagnesium1250–1350 ppmNutrientsNitrate: 2–15 ppm; Phosphate: 0.03–0.1 ppm

💡 Lighting Tips

• Prefers lower light compared to other LPS corals.
• High light can cause bleaching or polyp retraction.
• Ideal for shaded areas or lower portions of rockwork.

🌊 Flow Requirements

• Moderate, indirect flow is best.
• Avoid strong, direct currents — it may cause polyp recession.
• Gentle flow keeps debris off the coral surface.

🍽️ Feeding

• Primarily photosynthetic, but can benefit from occasional feeding:
• Target foods: Reef-Roids, Coral Dust, powdered plankton
• Feeding Frequency: 1–2 times a week (optional)
• Feeding Time: Evening, when polyps may extend more

🧼 Care & Placement

• Aggression: Low — peaceful, doesn’t sting or release sweepers
• Placement: Ideal for low light areas, shaded spots, or vertical walls
• Fragging: Very easy — breaks or cuts cleanly with a bone cutter or tile saw

⚠️ Common Issues

ProblemCauseSolutionFading colorToo much light or low nutrientsMove to lower light; feed lightlyTissue loss/recessionPoor water qualityStabilize parametersNo growthUnstable tank or low nutrientsImprove stability, increase nutrients

✅ Quick Summary

TraitCyphastrea CoralCare LevelEasyAggressionPeacefulLightingLow to ModerateFlowModerateFeedingOptional but beneficialFraggingVery easyGrowth FormEncrustingBest PlacementShaded rocks, frag racks, walls

🌈 Popular Cyphastrea Morphs

NameColorsMeteor ShowerBright orange polyps, blue baseWar and PeaceRed polyps, green baseTyree PinkPink polyps, green baseSupernovaNeon polyps with mixed base

🌿 Tips for Success

• Great coral for low light tanks or filling shaded zones.
• Grows slowly but steadily once established.
• Very forgiving — perfect for beginners or nano reefs.
• Combine with other peaceful encrusters like Leptoseris or Montipora for colorful layering.