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

💡 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

✅ Quick Summary

🌈 Popular Cyphastrea Morphs

🌿 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.