This guide is structured for reef keepers who want the husbandry targets first, then the inventory. Use it to decide whether the coral fits your system before you buy or move it.
What this coral wants
Birdsnest corals reward clean, high-turnover water and stable SPS chemistry, but they are less about extreme PAR than about full-branch flow and repeatable system control. The colony should stay ventilated all the way through.
At a glance
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Coral Type: SPS
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Scientific Name: Seriatopora spp.
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Care Level: Moderate to advanced
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Light: 180 to 280 PAR
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Flow: Strong, turbulent flow
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Placement: Mid to upper rockwork with full branch turnover
Target water chemistry
These are Lunar Tide Aquatics holding targets for stability, then cross-checked against peer-reviewed coral physiology literature on flow, calcification, feeding, and nutrient stress.
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Temperature: 77 to 78.5 F
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Salinity: 1.025 to 1.026 specific gravity
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Alkalinity: 7.8 to 8.6 dKH
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Calcium: 420 to 460 ppm
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Magnesium: 1300 to 1400 ppm
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Nitrate: 2 to 10 ppm
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Phosphate: 0.02 to 0.08 ppm
Light, flow, and placement
Light: 180 to 280 PAR. Flow: Strong, turbulent flow. Placement: Mid to upper rockwork with full branch turnover.
Place birdsnest where turbulent flow can move through the branches and prevent detritus pockets from forming inside the colony. A coral that looks great on the outside can still decline from stagnant interior zones if turnover is weak.
Watch the tips closely during acclimation. Stable alkalinity and gradual energy changes keep growth clean and help the colony color up without brittle stress responses.
Feeding and acclimation
Feeding: Stable dissolved nutrients with occasional fine broadcast feeding.
Acclimation: Increase PAR gradually and make sure flow reaches through the colony, not just across the outside.
What to watch
Stability target: Consistent alkalinity and strong gas exchange keep tips healthy.
Watch for: Dead spots inside the colony, brittle branches, and rapid chemistry swings.
How Lunar Tide uses this guide
We use these ranges as decision support, not as random numbers to chase. Stable chemistry, predictable placement, and consistent observation usually outperform aggressive adjustments after a coral lands.
If you are ready to compare this husbandry target against what is currently available, browse the current SPS Corals. There are currently 12 pieces in that group.
Scientific references
- Jokiel PL (1978), Effects of water motion on reef corals
- Anthony KRN and Fabricius KE (2000), Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energetics under varying turbidity
- Houlbrèque F and Ferrier-Pagès C (2009), Heterotrophy in tropical scleractinian corals
- Holcomb M, Tambutté E, Allemand D and Tambutté S (2014), Light enhanced calcification in Stylophora pistillata
- Jokiel PL (2013), Coral reef calcification: carbonate, bicarbonate and proton flux under conditions of increasing ocean acidification
- Page TM, D'Angelo C, Wiedenmann J and Foster GL (2025), Changes in host gene expression patterns underpin responses of the coral Stylophora pistillata to nutrient stress
Current availability
Use this guide against live inventory
The care guidance lives here. When you're ready to compare it against the corals currently available from Lunar Tide, jump straight into the matching collection.
