Birdsnest Corals

What is birdsnest coral?

Birdsnest coral is Seriatopora hystrix, a small polyp stony coral that grows a dense, interlocking tangle of thin branches tapering to fine needle-like tips. The common name comes from that structure, which really does resemble a woven nest. Colonies come in pink, green, teal, and purple, with the polyps often contrasting against the branch color. It is the most approachable of the commonly kept SPS corals and the usual first step beyond LPS.

Birdsnest morphs and named lineages

Birdsnest are traded by color and by the farm that established the line:

• ORA Ponape — a long-established aquacultured line with pink to salmon branches and contrasting polyps. One of the most reliably hardy birdsnest available.
• Bird of Paradise — green branches with purple polyps and tips, producing strong two-tone contrast as the colony fills in.
• Pink and classic morphs — the standard hobby birdsnest, fast growing and the best value entry into the group.
• Teal, jade, and fuzzy morphs — selected lines with unusual coloration or heavier polyp extension, which gives the colony a softer, fuzzier outline.

Birdsnest care: light, flow, and alkalinity

Moderate to high light and moderate to strong turbulent flow suit birdsnest best. Flow matters more here than with most SPS, because the dense branching traps detritus and stagnant centers rot from the inside. As a stony coral building skeleton continuously, it needs alkalinity and calcium held steady rather than merely high: track them with reliable water testing equipment and review your reef lighting coverage if branches brown out or pale. No feeding is required.

Fragging and aquascaping with birdsnest

Birdsnest is the easiest SPS to frag and one of the most useful for filling an aquascape. Branches snap cleanly with bone cutters or even by hand, and a broken tip glued to a plug will start encrusting within a week or two. Because colonies grow fast in every direction, most keepers prune regularly rather than letting a single colony dominate a rock. Use the trimmings to seed other areas of the tank or to practice fragging technique before working on more valuable corals.

Moving from LPS into SPS

Birdsnest and Cyphastrea are the two corals most worth trying first when stepping into SPS, since both tolerate the conditions a mixed reef actually runs at. Compare cyphastrea corals and montipora corals as companions, see the full group in SPS corals, or browse all live corals for sale.