Birdsnest Coral

About

Birdsnest coral (Seriatopora caliendrum) is one of those small-polyp stony corals that looks almost impossibly fine-boned in person, with thin branches that extend without tapering into an open, shrubby form that can range from loosely spaced to quite dense depending on where the colony originated. It's worth knowing this species shows considerable variation across its range throughout the Indo-West Pacific, which means two frags sold under the same name can look noticeably different. In the wild it's most commonly found on upper reef slopes at depths from just a few meters down to around 35 meters. Coloration tends to be modest, creams and browns, but the texture more than makes up for it, with corallites arranged in rows along the branches and small hoods reminiscent of Stylophora. One thing many reefers enjoy is that the polyps frequently extend during daylight hours, giving the colony a fuzzy, soft look that's easy to miss in some other SPS corals. In the aquarium it needs strong light and solid water movement to thrive. It's generally categorized as intermediate in difficulty. More demanding than soft corals or LPS, but a reasonable stepping stone for a reefer ready to move into the SPS world with good water quality discipline.