Milka stylo

Milka stylo is a purple form of Stylophora, listed as Stylophora sp and traded from the Stylophora pistillata group. Stylophora grows thick, blunt branches with rounded tips, often called cat's paw or club finger coral, and the branches carry dense small polyps that give a settled colony a plush, fuzzy surface. The Milka name follows the deep purple body color this morph is selected for, a violet tone long associated with the chocolate brand of the same name, with paler polyps showing across the purple tissue on a healthy piece.

The entry lists intermediate care, high light, high flow, top placement, peaceful behavior, and moderate growth. Intermediate reflects the settling period and the chemistry stability this SPS expects. Place the frag high on the rockwork on a firm mount, with the branches facing open water. High light holds the purple at full strength. A piece kept too low often fades toward lavender or brown, while a sudden jump into the brightest spot can pale the branch tips, so raise the light in steps and let tip color guide the pace.

High flow keeps this coral at its best. The thick branches sit close together, and waste settles between them wherever flow runs weak. Strong, varied movement clears the gaps, keeps algae from taking hold inside the colony, and supports even polyp extension across every branch. Flow that blasts one side from close range can keep that side bare, so broad flow that wraps the colony works better than a fixed jet.

Feeding is indirect. The polyps capture fine particulate food from regular broadcast feeding, and light supplies most of the energy. Stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium carry the growth, because the dense skeleton builds steadily under the tissue. Stylophora shows an alkalinity swing early, often as tip recession or a colony that closes for a day, so small steady values matter more than any feeding routine.

This coral is listed as peaceful, with no sweeper reach. Spacing is about growth, light, and contact. The base encrusts widely before the branches rise, and a settled colony will claim the rock it touches and shade a small neighbor at its margin. Leave a border of bare rock around the mount, keep LPS sweepers well away, and mount the frag firmly, since Stylophora branches are heavy for their size and a toppled piece loses tissue on the buried side.

Growth is moderate. The base spreads over the mount, branches thicken, and new blunt tips push out along the upper faces over months. Pale, fast-growing tips that color up behind the growth point, plus full daytime polyp extension, mark a settled colony. Tips that recede, branches that stay smooth and closed, or a base that pales from the center outward call for a check of alkalinity stability, flow between the branches, and light level.

Common pitfalls include keeping the frag low and wondering why the purple fades, placing it where detritus collects between the branches, and moving it repeatedly while chasing deeper color. Set it high, give it strong changing flow, and judge the color over weeks rather than days.

Field notes — what keepers report

- Color reports divide by light. Keepers in high placements describe a deep, even purple held across the branches, while keepers who kept the morph lower describe softer lavender or brown-leaning tissue that purpled again after a slow move up. Reports agree the shift runs over weeks, in both directions.

- Growth-form reports track flow. Keepers under strong, varied flow describe compact colonies with thick, tight branches, while keepers in gentler flow describe longer, more open branching. Both forms get described as healthy when the tips stay pale and active.

- Hardiness reports split down the middle. Some keepers rank Stylophora among the forgiving SPS and describe colonies shrugging off small swings, while others describe tip loss after a single alkalinity jump or a rough shipment. The shared advice is a settled, undisturbed mount and steady chemistry through the first month.