Guttatus Birdsnest Coral

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Moderate   • Temperament: Peaceful   • Waterflow: Medium to Strong
• Placement: Middle to Top   • Lighting: High   • Color Form: Orange, Green
 • Supplements: Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Trace Elements   • Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
• Origin: Indo-Pacific   • Family: Pocilloporidae   • Species: SPS Hard Corals

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The Guttatus Birdsnest Coral (Seriatopora guttatus) is a truly beautiful coral that combines contrasting colors between the coral body and polyps. The main body of the coral is a deep orange color, that when contrasted with the neon teal green of the polyps makes for an amazing contrast in colors. It is this contrast in colors that give the coral it's scientific name of "Guttatus" which is Latin for "speckled". Guttatus Birdsnest Corals are considered to be fast growers (even by SPS standards) that when provided with strong lighting and moderate turbulent or intermittent water flow will grow rapidly in an established reef aquarium.

Hobbyists should place this coral in an upper portion of the reef that allows plenty of room for future growth; as well as, to allow for plenty of water flow to pass over the coral. Substantial turbulent water flow is critical to SPS hard coral species as it moves waste products generated from the coral away, so as to allow the coral to grow and maintain good health.

Like other SPS corals, the Guttatus Birdsnest Coral does best when kept in an established reef aquarium with stable consistent water parameters. They need strong quality lighting that is designed for the marine reef aquarium. Suitable lighting systems include: Metal Halides, High Intensity LED's, Power Compact fluorescent and T-5 fluorescent.

Proper lighting systems should consist of 10k to 20k lighting mixed with actinic blue lighting in order to provide a full lighting spectrum at multiple aquarium depths. The Guttatus Birdsnest Coral should be placed high on the reef if kept with fluorescent lighting or within a deeper aquarium, while they can be placed in the middle portion of the reef when kept with Metal Halides, High Intensity LED's or if kept in a more shallow aquarium. In order for the Guttatus Birdsnest Coral to thrive and grow, it must be provided moderate to strong varied water flow in order to both remove waste products from the coral and to bring micro-planktonic food items in contact with the coral for supplemental feeding opportunities.

It is best to provide turbulent water flow via multiple water flow sources intersecting near the coral or through the use of a wave maker or similar water flow controller and pumps. Lastly, the coral should be placed in a location on the reef where it will have room to grow and will not come in contact with sweeper tentacles or polyps of more aggressive coral species.

Guttatus Birdsnest Corals receive most of their nutritional from photosynthesis, via photosynthetic symbiotic zooxanthellae algae hosted within its body. They will also benefit from micro-planktonic foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates, that they can filter from the water column. Hobbyists should provide weekly supplemental feedings of phytoplankton, zooplankton or equivalent foods to the Coral in order to provide them a complete nutritional diet for improved health, coloration and growth rate.