Field Notes
97This is probably the most indestructible coral in my tank. It's survived every mistake I've ever made including a three-day power outage that killed most of my other corals.
I love the sculptural look of this coral. It grows in these beautiful undulating plates that catch the flow and sway slightly.
This was the coral that convinced me I could keep SPS. It's forgiving, fast-growing, and has a natural bushiness that fills gaps beautifully.
My Porites boulder is the oldest coral in my system at four years. It grows maybe a centimeter per year but it is rock solid and never causes any issues.
The columns on this coral give my tank such a sculptural reef-flat look. My six-line wrasse loves darting between the branches.
I keep mine in the lower third of the tank and it thrives. The coloration shifts from tan to green depending on how I adjust my spectrum.
My Turbinaria reniformis has developed into a beautiful wide cup shape. It actually does well in my lower-light mid-tank placement where Acroporas would struggle.
My candy cane colony started as five heads and is now at thirty-plus. It's one of the most rewarding corals to watch multiply over time.
I love how different my three Favites colonies look from one another despite being the same species. The color variance in this genus is remarkable.
I keep my Leptoseris on the shaded underside of a rock overhang and it seems to love it there. I've noticed new growth along the edges after six months.
Merulina is one of the most underrated SPS in the hobby. The ridged plate structure is unlike anything else in my tank and it handles my flow well.
This coral has been bulletproof in my system. It survived a chiller failure that stressed most of my other LPS and came back without any lasting damage.
The tiny pearl-like bubbles on this coral catch the light beautifully. I think it's more delicate looking than the standard bubble coral and I love how it photographs.
I got this coral confused with B. wellsi for months — the polyps are noticeably smaller and rounder. Easy keeper and a great addition to shaded lower rockwork.
I treat my Alveopora exactly like my Goniopora — daily phyto dosing and very low nitrates. It has been open and healthy for over a year now.
My Nephthea tree has become one of the most striking focal points in my tank. It waves dramatically in the flow and the polyp extension under blue light is spectacular.
This coral sat in my tank doing nothing for six months before I discovered it preferred a shaded spot. Once I moved it lower and out of direct flow it started visibly growing.
I snagged a beautiful two-tone green and red Oxypora frag at a local frag swap. It has been encrusting steadily but I have to watch it doesn't creep into my neighbor corals.
My EchinoPhyllia frag came as a one-inch piece and has already encrusted over a three-inch area. The colors are wild — pink rim with green body under actinic.
My rainbow Acan lordhowensis is the most expensive coral I own and worth every penny. The colors look different depending on the angle and lighting.
I have a small colony of R. yuma in different colors on a dedicated mushroom frag rack. They reproduce slowly by fission but the offspring are just as colorful.
Anacropora is one of those corals that most reefers have never seen in person. I tracked down a small colony at a specialty coral shop and it's been a conversation starter ever since.
I keep both Galaxea species in my tank on opposite ends, completely isolated. Both are beautiful but they are among the most aggressive corals I've ever kept.
I have about six different color morphs of this species displayed together as a rainbow wall. The contrast between them is stunning when the polyps are all fully extended.
My clownfish host in my torch coral and it's one of the most natural-looking clownfish interactions I've seen outside of anemones.
I started my SPS journey with digitata Montipora and have zero regrets. It grew so fast I had frags to trade within six months.
The skeleton on this coral is absolutely striking — bright red tubes with white polyps. It's a demanding coral but the visual impact is unmatched.
I accidentally brushed my wrist against a fire coral colony while fragging and had a red welt for three days. Always gloves when working with this one.
This species thrives right under my T5 bulbs where the PAR exceeds 400. It's a fat, stocky Acropora that I'd recommend to someone stepping up from beginner SPS.
My green caliendrum is a faster grower than my hystrix and fills in gaps in my SPS garden beautifully. It has a lighter, brighter green color that stands out.
The green coloring on my H. rigida is unlike anything else in my tank — almost neon under blue light. Extremely aggressive though, I had to move several corals after placing it.
I love the visible polyp extension on T. stellulata — when they open up the colony looks fuzzy and alive in a way that most plating SPS don't.
My dragon eye colony spread from a single three-polyp frag to a mat of over fifty polyps in under a year. They color up beautifully under blue-heavy lighting.
The tentacles on this coral extend so long it genuinely looks like an anemone at first glance. My dragonet fish weave around it constantly without disturbing it.
I have this in a lower shadier corner of my tank and it has been thriving for over a year. The polyps are always puffed up during the light period.
I spotted this at a local fish store mislabeled as A. latistella. Once I identified it properly and dialed in its placement, it started extending beautiful polyps.
This is my fastest growing Acropora in the high flow zone near my powerheads. It puts on almost an inch of new growth per month.
My A. humilis is one of the trickier Acropora I've kept — it pouts whenever alkalinity dips below 8. But when conditions are perfect the blue tips are absolutely electric.
The spiky radiating corallites on this coral are unlike any other Acropora in my collection. I keep it near the top of my tank where it gets maximum light and flow.
I picked up A. florida specifically because I read it handles slightly lower flow than most Acroporas. It's been growing well in the midground of my tank where crest species struggled.
My red Cynarina fully inflates to the size of a tennis ball. I target feed it a small silverside once a week and it rewards me with explosive puffiness.
I've had better success with Goniopora by adding a refugium and culturing rotifers. The polyps now stay extended around the clock instead of retracting during the night.
My orange and blue Ricordea florida is my most-commented-on coral at club swaps. Caribbean morphs have such incredible color variance.
My millepora colony doubled in size within four months once I dialed in my alkalinity to 8.3 dKH. The colors really pop under blue actinic LEDs.
I've had my blastomussa colony for three years and it has never given me trouble. It's great for filling in lower shaded areas of the tank.
This was the first SPS I ever kept successfully. It took off quickly once I raised my flow and started keeping alkalinity stable.
My pink Stylophora is one of the fastest growers in my SPS tank. It has encrusted the plug base and started spreading onto the rock.
I learned the hard way that this coral's sweeper tentacles are brutal at night — it burned my torch coral which was six inches away.
Mine has actually relocated itself twice in the tank — it used its tentacles to slowly slide off a ledge and onto the sand. Fascinating behavior.
This coral is absolutely gorgeous but I have to target feed it every two days or it starts receding. Not for the casual reefer.
I always wear nitrile gloves and safety glasses when fragging these. Palytoxin is no joke — I splashed my eye once and it was a scary 20 minutes.
I underestimated this coral's reach and it torched my hammer within two nights. Stunning coral but you really have to isolate it.
I've kept mine alive for 18 months by dosing phytoplankton twice weekly and maintaining near-zero nitrates. Patience is key with this species.
I run activated carbon whenever my toadstool goes through its shedding cycle. It opens back up within a week looking cleaner than ever.
This coral doubled in size in under a year in my display tank. It's one of those set-it-and-forget-it corals that makes the tank look lush with minimal effort.
I made the mistake of placing my Hydnophora too close to an Acropora and the Acro started receding within a week. Give this coral plenty of space.
Came in on live rock during my early days. Became a bit aggressive when nutrients were high but became manageable once I got phosphates under 0.05 ppm. Now I leave the small clumps as they provide great micro-habitat for my cleaner shrimp.
My rocks went from grey to purple-pink within 3 months of dialing in my two-part dosing. The CCA seemed to really accelerate once I reduced my photoperiod slightly — less competition from nuisance algae.
Found this spreading across my overflow box walls and I left it there intentionally. It seems to compete well against green algae and has kept the overflow looking clean without any scraping needed.
Took about 4 months for CCA to really take off after seeding my tank with a few pieces of established live rock. Keeping calcium at 430 and alk at 9 dKH made a big difference — once parameters stabilized the purple spread noticeably within 2 weeks.
This showed up during a nutrient spike after I overfed for a few weeks. Took 3 months to fully eradicate — added 10 Astrea snails and a sea urchin and they made short work of it once I also addressed the root cause with a refugium upgrade.
My tangs go absolutely crazy for Gracilaria. I keep a clump in the refugium and clip a handful into a lettuce clip in the display tank twice a week. Great way to keep tangs healthy and reduce aggression at feeding time.
This arrived on a rock and I nearly removed it thinking it was a pest. Left it alone and it has stayed as a beautiful compact cluster for over a year. One of the nicest surprise additions to my tank. Completely non-invasive.
Nightmare algae to deal with. Came in on a coral frag and established itself before I noticed. No herbivores would touch it. Eventually got it under control by blacking out the tank for 4 days combined with manual removal and a carbon dosing strategy.
Very demanding algae to keep long term. Mine looked great for 3 months under my radion then slowly declined. I suspect it needs more intense lighting than I can provide. Would try again with metal halide or a much higher-powered LED.
Fascinating species but very tricky to keep. I managed about 5 months before mine gradually declined. It needs very strong flow and intense lighting. My pipefish loved sheltering in it while it lasted. Recommend only for advanced setups.
Grew this in my refugium to feed my tang. It grows faster than Gracilaria in my setup and my scopas tang absolutely devours it. I harvest about a cup per week and throw it directly into the display — gone within minutes.
Beautiful compact algae that stays in a tidy clump. Had it for 10 months, barely spread. Sits in a low-flow spot in my refugium. None of my fish touch it. More ornamental than functional, but it adds great colour contrast to the red macroalgae section.
Placed this directly in my sand bed near the back of the tank. It is slow growing but the fan shape is gorgeous. My clownfish occasionally uses it as a resting spot. Needs gentle flow — strong returns knocked it over before I repositioned it.
Super slow grower — mine barely changed in 6 months. But it is one of the most unique-looking things in my tank. Hermit crabs occasionally climb it but never seem to damage it. Needs very stable parameters to maintain its calcified texture.
Had this in my refugium for 8 months. It does not grow as fast as Caulerpa but it is stable and never went sexual on me. Great option if you want a macroalgae that does not require constant vigilance.
Came in as a hitchhiker and took off in my sump. Incredible nutrient exporter but needs harvesting every 3–4 days or it gets out of hand. My tangs eat it readily when I clip some into the display tank.
Beautiful in the display tank. My kole tang grazes the tips lightly which keeps it from going too dense. Had it go pale on me once — pulled the whole section immediately and the rest of the tank was fine. Now I check it weekly.
Popped one by accident early on and massively regretted it — the infestation spread everywhere. Second time around I carefully removed each bubble intact using tweezers while keeping a bag around the rock. Emerald crabs finished the rest off.
My mandarin dragonets seem to enjoy picking around the base of the sea grape clusters, likely hunting copepods that shelter there. The plant itself stays compact and has not caused any issues in 8 months.
These are a favourite food of my blue tang — I can barely keep up with how fast he eats them. Growing a large clump in the refugium to supply the display tank. Also looks great as a standalone display piece before the tang finds it.
Fast grower — had to trim weekly to keep it from taking over. Sent a runner under a rock and started growing on the other side before I noticed. Now I keep it in the refugium only. Excellent phosphate reducer though, my levels dropped noticeably.
The flow movement of this algae is mesmerising — I positioned it in front of a powerhead so it sways constantly. Has been in my tank for 6 months with no issues. None of my fish eat it and it has not spread aggressively.
Keep this only in my refugium with the pump exhausts sealed — will never risk releasing it into the ocean. Great nutrient exporter but I treat every harvest like biohazard disposal. Not recommended unless you are very disciplined about containment.
Had a sexual event after 4 months — woke up to milky white tank water and a dying clump. Lost two corals before I figured out what happened. Now I only keep Chaeto and Gracilaria. Feather Caulerpa is beautiful but the risk is real.
The white calcium "snow" from dying Halimeda segments actually gave my sandbed a beautiful bright-white look over time. Growth is slow but it fills in nicely over months. My tuxedo urchin leaves it completely alone unlike my softer macroalgae.
My sea lettuce grows incredibly fast — I harvest a handful every 4–5 days. My tangs and rabbitfish go crazy for fresh cuttings clipped into the display tank. It gets a bit stringy if left too long, so frequent harvesting keeps it looking tidy.
Lost my first one after about 4 months when it started to bleach — I think it ran out of nutrients in my low-nutrient system. Second attempt I target-feed it occasionally near the base. Going strong at 7 months now.
This is a slow grower but incredibly striking. Mine has been in the tank for over a year and roughly doubled in size. Fish completely ignore it. I wedge it in a rock crevice with low-medium flow and it seems happy.
This came in on live rock. Moderate nuisance in my high-nutrient period but became quite ornamental once I got nitrates under 10 ppm. The concentric rings are really striking under white light. My tangs graze around it but mostly leave it alone.
Picked up a small clump hitchhiking on a frag plug. It has slowly spread to adjacent rocks over 6 months. It is very brittle — lost a few branches moving rocks around. Worth the effort though, looks stunning under blue light.
Running Chaeto in my refugium for 6 months — it doubled in size within the first 3 weeks under a cheap LED grow light. I harvest a golf ball-sized clump every Sunday and my nitrates dropped from 20ppm to under 5ppm. Key tip: give it a gentle tumble with a small powerhead so all sides get light.
a hardy, fast-growing green macroalgae widely used in saltwater aquariums, especially in refugiums, to naturally control nitrates and phosphates by consuming them as food, improving water quality, and providing a habitat for beneficial microfauna like copepods.
Prone to infection
Likes low light
Have been observed to eat zoanthids
Very Slow grower.
Can be invasive. Grows quickly and encrust over everything.
Aquaculture ready
Color improve with better care
Can be temperamental, will retract polyp if unhappy. Was able to resolve by moving it to a different aquarium.
Prefer lower light, can be fast growing