Lighting
150-300 PAR is a working SPS starting range; raise light slowly and watch tips, color, and polyp extension rather than chasing PAR alone.
SPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Birdsnest Coral
Seriatopora spp.
Birdsnest Coral SPS guide for identifying thin sharp branches, choosing middle placement with high flow, and managing paling, base recession, or lost polyp extension when kept near Pocillopora and Stylophora.
Compare thin sharp branches, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Middle
- PAR range
- 150-300 PAR
- Flow
- High
- Aggression
- Low
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Minimum tank age
- 6 months
- Minimum tank size
- 30 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Faol
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Josuevg
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Will Thomas
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 7.5-9 dKH
- Calcium
- 420-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1280-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 1-12 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.02-0.08 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
high varied flow should keep the surface clean without blasting one side of the colony.
Stability
For Birdsnest Coral, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Birdsnest Coral requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- No
- Food types
- fish waste, fine suspended foods
- Frequency
- direct feeding not usually needed
ID
Identification
Key features
- thin sharp branches
- nest-like tangled growth
- small evenly spaced polyps
Common colors
- Pink
- Green
- Purple
- Cream
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Birdsnest branches are thin and pointed with a nest-like pattern; Stylophora is usually thicker and smoother. Birdsnest Coral is best separated from Pocillopora and Stylophora by weighing thin sharp branches, nest-like tangled growth, and small evenly spaced polyps. Look at branch shape, corallite texture, growth edge, and where paling starts; then compare that structure with where the coral expands, retracts, or shows early recession. Do not rely only on color under blue lighting. Use growth form, corallite texture, and polyp extension before trusting a trade name because color can shift with light and nutrients.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 3 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Birdsnest Coral paling, base recession, or lost polyp extensionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- polyps retract, color washes out, or tissue fades at the base
- Birdsnest Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- alkalinity instability, light changes, insufficient random flow, or pests
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Birdsnest Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Birdsnest Coral alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement
- inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light
- adjust light or flow gradually rather than making several corrections at once
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- track alkalinity and nutrients before changing SPS light or flow
- placing Birdsnest Coral before confirming thin sharp branches and its spacing needs
- using Birdsnest Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Pocillopora
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Birdsnest Coral looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Birdsnest Coral
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Montipora Digitata
Montipora digitata
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Montipora Capricornis
Montipora capricornis
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Birdsnest Coral beginner friendly?
Birdsnest Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Birdsnest Coral be placed?
Start Birdsnest Coral in the middle third with room to adjust up or down. Use 150-300 PAR and high flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Does Birdsnest Coral need coral food or mainly stability?
Birdsnest Coral may use fish waste and fine suspended foods, but the database feeding note is conservative: direct feeding not usually needed. For SPS-style care, stable light, flow, alkalinity, and nutrient trends usually matter more than heavy feeding.
How should I space Birdsnest Coral near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Birdsnest Coral about 3 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Acropora and Pocillopora. Avoid close placement with Torch Coral, Elegance Coral, and Chalice Coral. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Birdsnest Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Birdsnest Coral, polyps retract, color washes out, or tissue fades at the base and Birdsnest Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Birdsnest Coral paling, base recession, or lost polyp extension. Likely causes to check include alkalinity instability, light changes, insufficient random flow, or pests and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Birdsnest Coral. Start with these database checks: check Birdsnest Coral alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Birdsnest Coral?
For Birdsnest Coral, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers. The database lists 6 months as the minimum tank age and 30 gallons as the minimum tank size. For SPS-style care, avoid sudden corrections and check trends before moving the frag or changing light.
Coral Identifier
Identify Birdsnest Coral.
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Compare thin sharp branches, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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