Blue Cyphastrea

Cyphastrea is a classic encrusting coral that has been a staple in the reef hobby for years. As a member of the family Merulinidae, it shares traits with more familiar chalice corals but forms its own distinct, bumpy colonies with small, evenly spaced corallites. This particular variety has a deep blue base tissue that offers a cool contrast to the brighter polyps.

In a home reef, Blue Cyphastrea grows as an encrusting sheet, covering rockwork and conforming to the shape of the hardscape. The base tissue is a rich blue, while the individual polyps are typically a contrasting colour, often red or orange, creating a striking pattern across the colony's surface. Under lower light, the polyps will extend further, giving the coral a slightly fluffier look. It is a peaceful coral, but it grows steadily and will encrust over anything in its path.

Care for Cyphastrea is straightforward, making it a good candidate for those new to LPS corals. It prefers lower to moderate lighting, somewhere in the 75-150 PAR range, as intense light can cause the tissue to fade. Flow should be moderate and indirect to keep the surface clean without stressing the polyps. It can be placed on lower rockwork or even on the sandbed if it's attached to a plug or rubble. While it gets most of its nutrition from its zooxanthellae, it will benefit from occasional spot-feeding with fine coral foods. Maintain stable water parameters with calcium around 420-440 ppm, alkalinity at 8-9 dKH, and magnesium at 1300-1400 ppm. Because it's an encruster, give it space to grow away from other corals to avoid territorial battles.

Blue Cyphastrea is an excellent choice for adding a splash of cool colour to the lower and middle regions of a mixed reef tank. Its steady but manageable growth rate means it can cover bare rock areas or frag plugs with a unique texture and pattern. Provided it has its own space and stable conditions, it will thrive and become a permanent feature of the aquascape.

This is a WYSIWYG item, so you'll receive the exact specimen pictured.

We take livestock seriously. That's why we don't sell anything we wouldn't be comfortable putting in our own tank.

As we are direct from source, we import and sell direct to the public. This means you can buy with confidence knowing EMA prides itself on excellent handling and conditioning protocols.

Fish

All our fish held in a quarantine system for a minimum of 3 weeks. During this time, regular water changes are performed, and twice daily (or sometimes more) feedings are performed.

Copper is dosed and checked twice a day for ich and velvet.

During this treatment fish are given formalin baths for brooklynella and a minimum of 3 praziquantel doses is performed for flukes.

Coral

Our coral is quarantined for a minimum of 3 weeks, just like fish. During this time, regular water changes are performed, water testing done, and once a month a Fauna Marin ICP Total is performed.

Corals are inspected for pests/general health and are provided with a pest dip once a week for at least 3 weeks.

If we see signs of pests, the quarantine period is extended and/or additional dips are performed

If coral is bleached/unhealthy, it will remain in quarantine until healthy enough to sell.