Cyphastrea

Cyphastrea, often sold as Meteor Shower coral, is arguably the easiest SPS genus to keep and an outstanding choice for beginners wanting to try their first stony coral. It grows in an encrusting form with small, raised polyps that give it a distinctive bumpy texture. Maintain calcium at 400–440 ppm and alkalinity at 7.5–9 dKH, though Cyphastrea tolerate wider swings than most SPS. Temperature stability between 25–27°C is ideal but they handle brief fluctuations well.

Unlike most SPS, Cyphastrea actually prefer lower light and shaded placement. Position them in the bottom to middle sections of your tank with PAR of 50–150 and moderate flow. Placing them under overhangs, on cave ceilings, or in shadowed areas allows them to thrive where other SPS cannot. They come in a wonderful range of colours — the classic Meteor Shower morph features orange polyps on a green base, but red, pink, purple, and multi-coloured varieties are all available from Australian coral vendors.

Cyphastrea grow at a moderate pace, encrusting steadily across rockwork. Fragging is simple — use bone cutters or a Dremel to separate pieces of the encrusting base, and they will quickly re-encrust onto new surfaces. Their hardiness, low-light tolerance, and peaceful temperament make them ideal tankmates for LPS and soft corals in a mixed reef. For Aussie reefers just starting their SPS journey, Cyphastrea are the perfect confidence builder before progressing to more demanding genera.