Finger Coral

About

Found across a broad sweep of Indo-West Pacific reef environments, Stylophora subseriata is a small-polyp stony coral that forms colonies of thin, irregular branches, typically no more than five millimeters across, with blunt, rounded tips. What sets it apart from some close relatives is the way those branches frequently fuse and interconnect as the colony grows, creating a loosely tangled, almost bushy structure. The corallites themselves are noticeable on the branch surface but lack the pronounced hoods seen in some other stylophoras, and the surface between them has a fine, slightly rough texture from tiny spinules covering the coenosteum. Coloration tends toward creamy white or soft pink, with the occasional colony leaning greenish. One appealing trait is that the polyps will often extend their tentacles during daylight hours, giving the colony a fuller, more active look than many SPS corals that only feed at night. In the wild it turns up across a wide depth range and tolerates most reef zone conditions, which hints at some adaptability. In the aquarium it falls into the intermediate care bracket. It wants strong, consistent lighting and good water movement, and keeping water chemistry stable is important, as with any SPS coral. A reasonable choice for a reef keeper ready to move beyond beginner territory.