Lesser Knob Coral

About

The Lesser Knob Coral (Cyphastrea serailia) is a widely distributed Indo-Pacific species that turns up across virtually every reef environment it inhabits, from shallow surge zones down to around 36 meters. Its range spans an enormous stretch of tropical ocean, making it one of the more adaptable small-polyp stony corals you're likely to encounter. Colonies grow in a few different ways, encrusting across rock or substrate, building into mounded masses, or occasionally forming short columns, and the surface has a characteristic texture that ranges from relatively smooth to gently lumpy. The corallites themselves are rounded and fairly uniform in size, each carrying 12 primary septa, which gives the coral a neat, repeating pattern up close. Coloration is on the understated side: most specimens run through shades of grey, brown, and cream, sometimes in a uniform wash, sometimes in mottled patches. It's not a coral people typically buy for bold color, but the texture and form hold their own in a mixed reef display. Care sits comfortably at an intermediate level. Moderate lighting and flow suit it well, and its tolerance of varied reef conditions in the wild suggests reasonable flexibility in the aquarium. A solid choice for a hobbyist moving beyond beginner-level SPS keeping.