ORA Ponape Birdsnest Coral

Quick facts

Handling caution: Short stinging sweeper tentacles; branches are sharp and brittle and can cut skin.

Identity

Also known as

Ponape birdsnest; Green birdsnest coral

Synonyms

Seriatopora angulata; Seriatopora dentritica

Environment

Saltwater

Native to

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Shallow reef flats, lagoons and intertidal reef terraces with high light and variable water motion; grows thicker branches in high wave energy and finer branches in sheltered areas.

Sourcing

Both

Conservation

Near Threatened

Care

Care level

Moderate

Coral type

SPS

Temperament

Semi-Aggressive

Growth form

Branching

Adult size

2 – 8 in (5.1 – 20 cm)

Spread

12 in (30 cm)

Growth rate

Fast

Placement

Middle, High

Water

Temperature

75 – 80 °F (24 – 27 °C)

pH

8.1 – 8.4

dKH

8 – 9.5 dKH

Salinity

1.025 – 1.026 SG

PAR

200 – 350 PAR

Flow

Moderate-High

Light

High

Reef care

Nutrient preference

Low

Alk/Ca uptake

High

Target feeding

Beneficial

Give it room

3 in (7.6 cm)

Colors

Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, Cream, Multicolor

Feeding & breeding

Diet

Photosynthetic

Foods

Frozen, Zooplankton, Phytoplankton, Coral food

Propagation

Fragging

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Care guide

Overview

Light green branches tipped in pink form a compact, densely packed colony typical of this aquacultured strain. Growth is fast for a birdsnest coral and it tolerates a range of lighting, often deepening its green tone when light intensity is kept moderate rather than intense. Best sited with clearance from neighbors given its sweeper tentacles.

Care

This finely branched SPS forms dense, bushy colonies and colors up best under stable, moderate-to-high light with strong, turbulent flow reaching the inner branches. It is more sensitive to swings in alkalinity, temperature and nutrients than many other SPS, often responding to instability with tissue recession or branch tip bleaching. Because branches are thin and brittle, handle frags by the base or plug rather than the tips, and avoid placing new tanks under a year old before adding this species.

Placement & acclimation

Mount frags securely on rock or a plug in the upper-middle to high zone of the tank where strong, turbulent flow can reach between the branches. Acclimate new colonies to light gradually over one to three weeks, starting at lower intensity, since sudden increases can cause bleaching. Position with several inches of open space from other corals to avoid stinging contact and self-shading as the colony fills in.

Feeding

Most nutrition comes from photosynthesis via zooxanthellae, but growth and coloration benefit from occasional feeding of very fine particulate foods such as rotifers, copepod nauplii, phytoplankton or powdered coral foods. Because the polyps are small with limited prey-capture ability, larger frozen foods are not usable; keep feedings to fine particle sizes a few times a week. In a well-stocked, well-fed reef tank with good ambient plankton and dissolved organics, supplemental feeding is often unnecessary.

Neighbors

Give this coral several inches of clearance from neighbors, as its branches carry short stinging sweeper tentacles and can release chemical defenses to compete for space. It can hold its own against peaceful corals but may lose ground to more aggressive species with longer sweepers such as euphyllia or galaxea. As colonies enlarge, outer branches can shade or block flow to the interior, so periodic pruning or fragging helps maintain even growth and coloration.

Fragging

Fragging is done by cutting or snapping branches with bone shears and mounting the pieces on plugs or rubble; healed cuts regenerate quickly given stable conditions. Colonies can also reproduce via polyp bail-out under stress, where detached polyps drift and occasionally settle to form new colonies, though this is uncommon in captivity for this species.

Pests & problems

Watch for Seriatopora-eating nudibranchs and small crustacean pests that can hide deep within the branch clusters and cause tissue loss. Rapid changes in light, flow or water chemistry are the most common causes of paling, bleaching, or rapid/slow tissue necrosis (RTN/STN) in this species. Under very low nutrient conditions colonies can pale, while excess nutrients tend to cause browning, so stable, moderate nutrient levels are preferred.

Sources

1. Seriatopora hystrix – Korallen-Steckbrief | Toms Korallen
2. TSA Dragon Claw Birdsnest Coral – Top Shelf Aquatics
3. Pink Birdsnest Coral – Top Shelf Aquatics
4. The Bird’s Nest Corals: Species of the Genus Seriatopora

Varieties in the catalog

ORA Green Tip Pink Birdsnest CoralORA Hyacinth Birdsnest CoralORA Pink Birdsnest Coral