Meteor shower cyphastrea coral

[Kalido]

I just scored a sweet frag of a meteor shower cyphastrea - the one with that gorgeous bright blue background and red polyps.

It was under halides in the original owner's tank and I've got it under T5's now. So far, so good, but the polyp extension isn't quite as impressive as it was in the other guy's tank.

What are the ideal conditions for this coral under T5's? Should I keep it on the sand or higher up in the tank? And what about flow - does it prefer a lot or a little?

I'd really appreciate some advice here. I've always wanted one of these corals and it's my girlfriend's favorite too, so I'd hate to lose it.

[rivernut]

I've had my meteor shower cyphastrea in the lower portion of my tank, it's on the rocks and seems to be thriving. Medium flow is working well for me. I did notice it took a bit of time for the polyps to fully extend, but they're looking great now.

[brookbait]

Low light conditions seem to work well for mine. Medium flow isn't necessary, I've found it does just fine in low flow areas. I also don't bother feeding it, seems to get what it needs on its own. I've noticed it does love a bit of shade, might be its best friend in the tank.

[Kalido]

Appreciate the input, I was actually thinking it needed more light, so I'll give moving it down a shot and see how it does. Thanks for the advice, I'm hoping it'll make a difference.

[RiverBite3]

I'd definitely recommend shading it. I had my meteor shower cyphastrea right in the middle of the tank under halides for months, and it just didn't do much of anything. But as soon as I moved it to the side, it really started to thrive. It's in a low flow area now too.

[FableRex]

I'd definitely keep it on its own rock, low light seems to be the way to go. In my experience, they can become invasive if not kept in check, so it's best to give it its own space.

[riverbank4]

Definitely low light, I just visited a guy with a massive 1500 gallon frag system and he keeps his cyphastrea in the corners, away from direct lighting. I've seen firsthand how high light can cause them to lose their vibrant colors.

[brookbend]

I'd definitely keep it on its own rock, low light seems to be the way to go. In my experience, they can become invasive if not kept in check, so it's best to give it its own space.

This coral's got some serious spreading power. I snapped this pic about 8 months ago, and now it's completely overrun the entire frag rack.

[bellamy]

I'm with you on the low light and low flow. And definitely not in the sand - they seem to really dislike it. From my experience, sand can cause some serious damage to the tissue, so I'd keep it away from that for sure.

[troutlet]

Glad I stumbled upon this thread, it's been a lifesaver. I've had my cyphastrea for months now, but it's been struggling - color loss on top and poor polyp extension. The overall color is really washed out too.

I was under the impression that there was some debate about whether these corals are LPS or SPS. To me, it looked like SPS with that solid mass of bone in the middle and tiny polyps. I've got it in a 29g tank with 175w 14k halide and dual PC 65w actinics. My lighting schedule is pretty straightforward - PC lights on for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening, with the 175w 14k halide running for about 8 hours during the day.

I thought this coral needed high light, so I had it smack in the middle of the sand bed, directly under the halide. It's mounted on a small rock, about the size of a lemon, and the coral itself is half that size. I'm going to move it to a shadier spot, off to the side, where it won't be directly under the halide.