Why is my Cyphastrea turning pale or white?

This is almost always a sign of bleaching caused by too much light. Cyphastrea prefer lower lighting conditions; move the coral to a shaded area or lower in the tank immediately.

Where is the best place to position Cyphastrea in my tank?

Place them in the lower third of the aquarium, on vertical rock walls, or in partially shaded areas. They need a solid surface to encrust over and require moderate, indirect water flow to keep their surface clean.

Does Cyphastrea need to be fed?

While they can survive entirely on light via their symbiotic algae, feeding them micro-plankton or powdered coral foods once or twice a week will dramatically improve their growth speed and colour.

Will Cyphastrea sting my other corals?

They have a very weak sting and extremely short sweeper tentacles, so they won't actively reach out and attack neighbours. However, they will continuously encrust outward and can eventually overgrow and smother adjacent corals.

Can I keep Cyphastrea in a nano reef tank?

Yes, they are excellent for nano reefs. Because they encrust over surfaces, they take up very little vertical swimming space, and they can be easily pruned or fragged if they begin to spread too far.

MarineCoralsBeginner

Cyphastrea

Cyphastrea spp.

A hardy, encrusting stony coral renowned for its striking contrast between base and polyp colours, ideal for filling low-light areas of the reef aquarium.

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Ideal Conditions

Temperature: 24 – 26 °C
pH range: 8.1 – 8.4
Hardness: 8 – 12 dGH
Salinity: 1.024 – 1.026 SG
Adult size: 5 – 50 cm
Nano reef or larger: 30 litres+
Lifespan: 10 – 50 years
Diet: Photosynthetic and filter feeding
Water flow: Moderate, indirect

About the Cyphastrea

Cyphastrea is a genus of encrusting or massive stony corals widely popular for their mesmerising colour combinations, such as the famous 'Meteor Shower' morph. While technically an LPS (Large Polyp Stony) coral belonging to the family Merulinidae, their polyps are relatively small and tightly clustered. They are highly sought after by both beginners and advanced reef keepers for their exceptional ability to thrive in shaded areas where other photosynthetic corals might struggle to survive.

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Is it right for your tank?

Check Cyphastrea against a habitat you already keep. We compare water type, temperature, pH, adult size, group needs and everything living there.

Where Cyphastrea comes from

Native range

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef

Countries / regions

Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Egypt

Habitat

Turbid lagoons, reef slopes, and shaded overhangs where light intensity is naturally reduced.

Similar species

Leptastrea
Leptastrea spp.
Montipora (Encrusting)
Montipora spp.
Favites
Favites spp.

We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.

Compatible tank mates

Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.

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Ocellaris Clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Peaceful reef-safe fish that will completely ignore the coral, leaving it to grow undisturbed.
Great
Neon Blue Goby
Elacatinus oceanops
A small, peaceful species that perches safely on rockwork without damaging coral tissue.
Great
Torch Coral
Euphyllia glabrescens
Torch corals possess long, potent sweeper tentacles that can severely sting and kill neighbouring Cyphastrea if placed too closely.
Compatible with caution
Peppermint Angelfish
Paracentropyge boylei
Many angelfish, including dwarf species, are prone to nipping at the fleshy polyps of LPS corals like Cyphastrea.
Not recommended
Bicolor Parrotfish
Cetoscarus bicolor
Parrotfish actively bite and consume stony corals as a primary part of their natural diet.
Not recommended

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