SERIATOPORA ("Birds Nest") CARE OVERVIEW
LIGHT: Moderate-High 200-400 par Lighting we find best. SPS Corals tend to like light and bird's nest can easily handle 300-400 par but will still do well as low as 200 par. You can learn more about Lighting and it's overall impact on your reef tank in our article Lighting and your Reef Tank
FOOD: Seriatopora Corals are SPS corals but their polyps are larger and more prominent then acropora typically although they may not extend as much. They will capture small food particles in the water so feeding a dynamic range of food particle sizes is best. They like to capture nutrients from the water column and will do best when supplied a healthy amount of food. Our method is high import, high export. You can learn more about Feeding and Filtration in our article Feeding, Filtration and your Reef Tank.
FLOW: HIGH. Seriatopora corals have many tight-nit branches which is why they are referred to as bird's nests due to their unique growth patterns. Because of this growth pattern, and especially as the colony grows larger, you have to be sure to supply it with high flow. It's almost difficult to give them too much flow, but it is possible. Aim for high indirect flow rather than directly in front of a pump (most corals don't like to be right in front of the pump). Too much flow, especially direct flow, can cause damage to the corals tissue or an inability to capture food. You can read more about Flow and its overall impact on your reef tank in our article Flow and your Reef Tank
DIFFICULTY: BEGINNER. Seriatopora corals do great in captivity and their are many aquacultured varieties available. These are very fast growing species and are considered 'beginner' SPS corals as they are much easier to grow and keep then Acropora.
PRICE: LOW-MODERATE. Like most corals, depending on size and coloration they can be valuable but because of their incredible growth speed and ease of cultivation they tend to be on the lower end of the pricing spectrum.
COLLECTION ZONE: Indo-Pacific
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Seriatopora
AGGRESSION: Not aggressive, just don't let them touch other corals.
NATURAL TEMPERATURE: 82 °F / 28 °C although most corals can adapt and survive in temps as low as 77 degrees and as high as 84 degrees. You can read more about temperature and how it affects your reef tank in our article Temperature and your Reef Tank.
PH: Recommend 8.1-8.6, we tend to run an average of 8.4 over 24 hours with lows like 8.2 and highs like 8.5 or 8.6You can read more about pH in our article pH and your Reef Tank
NITRATE: 10-25, try to keep stable. You can read more about nitrate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank
PHOSPHATE: 0.1-0.2, try to keep stable. You can read more about Phosphate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank
ALKALINITY: Recommend 8-9 dKh. You can read more about how we maintain our alkalinity in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
CALCIUM: Recommend 430-460. You can read more about how we maintain our calcium in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
More About Seriatopora Corals
Seriatopora corals require high lighting. We recommend 300-400 PAR. Bear in mind that most corals can be gradually adapted to lighting conditions outside of their normal preferences. Seriatopora corals also prefer moderately strong water flow in which the flow path is alternating.
Through their symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive many of their nutrients. Seriatopora corals may benefit from targeted feeding with rotifers and vitamins. To maintain good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be monitored and added as needed.
When placing your Birds Nest coral, please remember that these corals aren't aggressive and have no real defense against other corals. Be sure to provide enough personal space for your Seriatopora corals to grow and thrive.