The Green Birdsnest Coral is a fast growing coral that is often one of the first SPS corals that reefers will choose to keep. It is relatively hardy and is more tolerant of less than ideal water conditions than most other SPS corals. The Green Birdsnest Coral grows in a branching pattern and it gets its name from the fact that the branches will often change direction and grow in an overlapping fashion, giving it the appearance of a bird’s nest. The tips of its branches are rounded, as opposed to the pointy ends of its Seriatopora Hystrix cousins. It has green polyps covering its entire skeleton which gives it a fuzzy appearance.
The Green Birdsnest coral is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, from Africa to Australia. It is found on reef slopes in areas of fairly high light and water movement at depths of between 1 and 30 meters. However, due to their speed of growth and popularity there is a thriving aquaculture industry and much of what is available for sale is captive grown. In a home aquarium, they are generally placed on an exposed piece of rockwork in the upper third of the tank. Since they are an SPS coral, they require moderate to high levels of light and flow, although they are not as light demanding as many other types of SPS corals such as acropora. A coral that is receiving too little light may begin to turn brown, whereas one that is receiving too much light may bleach or turn white. Flow should be sufficient to keep the polyps in motion and encourage their extension.
Green Birdsnest Corals are photosynthetic and are able to use aquarium lighting to meet their energy needs. They can be target fed an SPS specific coral food, but this is generally not necessary. Due to their speed of growth they are ideal candidates for fragging and a branch can easily be cut with a pair of coral cutters and glued to a frag plug.
Due to their vibrant green colour and relative hardniness they are a popular choice among both new and experienced hobbyists.
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