Meteor shower coral
Cyphastrea serailia
Also known as Cyphastrea, Lesser Knob Coral, Knob Coral
SaltwaterCoral
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 9.8 in
- 25 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Photosynthetic
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Breeding
- Easy
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Merulinidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific and Red Sea reef flats, lagoons, and turbid inshore reefs
Overview
The meteor shower coral is an easygoing stony coral, often recommended as a first stony coral for someone moving up from soft corals.
Did you know
The meteor shower coral is named for its pattern, small bright red or orange polyps scattered across a dark blue-to-black base. The polyps read like streaks of light against a night sky.
Caring for the meteor shower coral
The meteor shower coral does best in low to medium light. Start it under 100 PAR and raise intensity slowly, if at all, since that tends to bring out better color than strong reef lighting. It is one of the few stony corals suited to shadier, lower spots, where most SPS would turn pale and stressed. It holds its color even in the low-light corners of a tank.
Give it gentle to moderate, indirect flow, just enough to keep detritus from settling on the colony. Buildup underneath can kill tissue over time. Its tolerance for variable conditions in the wild carries over into the aquarium.
It needs a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It draws most of its energy from its zooxanthellae and does not need target feeding, though it will take phytoplankton if offered. A colony that arrives pale or brown often recolors within a few weeks of settling in.
It is generally easygoing but still throws sweeper tentacles at night. Leave 2 to 3 inches of clearance from its neighbors. It is a fast, easy grower.
Good to know
Cyphastrea belongs to the family Merulinidae, the same family as the brain corals in the genus Favia. It builds a dense, encrusting-to-knobby skeleton studded with small, closely packed corallites. Only some Cyphastrea serailia colonies show the meteor shower pattern, and color shifts with lighting and nutrient levels.
In the wild
Cyphastrea serailia is widespread across the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. It grows on reef flats, lagoons and turbid inshore reefs, where light and water quality swing more than on a pristine outer reef.
Common questions
What size tank does a meteor shower coral need?
A meteor shower coral needs at least 20 gal (75 L).
What temperature and pH does a meteor shower coral need?
A meteor shower coral is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a meteor shower coral eat?
A meteor shower coral draws most of its energy from its zooxanthellae, so it does not need target feeding. It will take phytoplankton if offered.
How big does a meteor shower coral get?
An adult meteor shower coral reaches about 9.8 in (25 cm).
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