IRA Meteor shower Cyphastrea (WYSIWYG) (Cyphastrea sp.)

The ACI Meteor shower Cyphastrea is a colorful encrusting LPS/SPS-type reef coral prized for its dense coverage of small, vividly contrasting corallites. The coral develops a rich base color covered with bright fluorescent polyps, creating a distinctive “starfield” appearance as the colony spreads. Under blue-heavy reef lighting, the fluorescent pigments can become especially prominent, giving the polyps excellent contrast against the darker underlying tissue.

Cyphastrea is generally a steady-growing coral that gradually encrusts rockwork, frag plugs, and other hard surfaces. As the colony expands, it develops a highly textured surface with tightly packed corallites. Its relatively compact growth habit makes it a versatile choice for filling open areas of rockwork and adding color without the larger space requirements of many branching or fleshy corals. This WYSIWYG specimen is the exact coral pictured, so customers can see its current size, coloration, and development before purchase.

Recommended Care

• Scientific Name: Cyphastrea sp.
• Common Name: Meteor shower Cyphastrea
• Care Level: Easy to Moderate
• Lighting: Low to Moderate, approximately 50–150 PAR
• Water Flow: Moderate; provide gentle to variable flow that moves across the colony without blasting the tissue
• Placement: Lower to Middle aquarium
• Temperament: Peaceful
• Growth Form: Encrusting
• Feeding: Primarily photosynthetic; supplemental feeding can be beneficial

Placement & Flow

Place the ACI Meteor shower Cyphastrea in an area with gentle to moderate, indirect water movement. Flow should be strong enough to prevent detritus from settling on the coral while avoiding a concentrated stream that could continually irritate the tissue.

Cyphastrea is an excellent encrusting coral for covering exposed rock and frag plugs. Give it room to expand across the surrounding surface, particularly when placing it near other encrusting corals. Although it is generally peaceful and does not typically produce long sweeper tentacles, maintaining reasonable spacing from neighboring corals is recommended as colonies mature.

Because Cyphastrea generally prefers lower light than many SPS corals, avoid immediately placing it directly beneath an intense light source. A shaded or lower-light portion of the reef can often be a better starting location.

Lighting

Meteor shower Cyphastrea generally performs well under approximately 50–150 PAR, making it a useful option for areas of the aquarium where higher-light SPS corals may not perform as well.

If the coral has been maintained under lower-intensity lighting, acclimate it gradually when moving it into a brighter aquarium. Excessive light can cause stress or loss of coloration, so there is usually little benefit to pushing this coral into very high PAR.

Blue-heavy reef lighting can enhance the fluorescent appearance of the polyps and increase the visual contrast across the colony. A balanced reef spectrum will provide a more natural representation of its overall coloration.

Feeding

Cyphastrea contains symbiotic algae and is primarily photosynthetic, but it can also utilize nutrients and small food particles from the water column.

For additional nutrition, occasional feeding with fine coral foods, powdered reef foods, phytoplankton, or very small zooplankton-based foods can be beneficial. Feed lightly and allow the coral to capture food naturally rather than heavily coating the colony.

Maintaining stable alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, and nutrient levels is also important for consistent skeletal growth and coloration.

IRA Meteor shower Cyphastrea is an excellent choice for reef keepers looking for a colorful, low-light-friendly encrusting coral that can gradually develop into a vibrant carpet of contrasting polyps. Its compact growth form, fluorescent appearance under blue lighting, and ability to thrive in lower areas of the reef make it a versatile addition to both beginner-friendly and established reef aquariums.