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
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
Stylophora care and ID profile for thick rounded branches, dense fuzzy polyps, paling, base recession, or lost polyp extension, and practical placement decisions for mixed reef compatibility.
Compare thick rounded 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
- Moderate
- 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: Tappinen
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: User:Haplochromis
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Ratha Grimes
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 Stylophora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Stylophora 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
- thick rounded branches
- dense fuzzy polyps
- compact colony
Common colors
- Pink
- Purple
- Green
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Stylophora branches are usually thicker and smoother than Birdsnest, with a compact fuzzy look. When Stylophora is confused with Birdsnest Coral and Pocillopora, the useful clues are thick rounded branches, dense fuzzy polyps, and compact colony. Color is secondary; structure, expansion pattern, and the first place tissue irritation appears are more reliable. 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.
Stylophora 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
- Stylophora 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 Stylophora
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Stylophora 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 Stylophora before confirming thick rounded branches and its spacing needs
- using Stylophora color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Birdsnest Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Stylophora looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Stylophora
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
Birdsnest Coral
Seriatopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Pocillopora
Pocillopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Montipora Digitata
Montipora digitata
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Stylophora beginner friendly?
Stylophora is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Stylophora be placed?
Start Stylophora 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 Stylophora need coral food or mainly stability?
Stylophora 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 Stylophora near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Stylophora about 3 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Acropora and Montipora Capricornis. 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 Stylophora looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Stylophora, polyps retract, color washes out, or tissue fades at the base and Stylophora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Stylophora 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 Stylophora. Start with these database checks: check Stylophora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Stylophora?
For Stylophora, 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
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