Who likes to gaze at a reef tank containing SPS with bright and vivid colors? I do. Of course there are some best practices one can follow to achieve great colors but SPS coral selection plays a key role. Selection is very personal and there are many, many options out there for reefkeepers to craft a unique piece of reef tank art.
I love solid, contrasting colors in my reef and Stylophoras fit the bill, with colors ranging from purple, bright pink to electric green. Typically, the pink and purple varieties can do well in the upper, middle or lower part of a tank under strong lighting. They are adaptable to different types of lighting and most grow relatively fast, although there are some varieties that grow slow such as this bright pink beauty below.
The electric green version also does well under many different types of lights but it seems to color up the most when exposed to less light in the lower part of the tank. This one can grow really fast when it is happy so I recommend giving it a wide berth when placing it next to other corals.
Stylophoras, commonly known as Cat’s Paw corals, are not only colorful but they are hardy as well. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to add one as one of the first SPS to a newborn reef. So if you want to add a splash of color to your tank then look no further then the blunt tip, finger like Stylophora coral. They are typically much less expensive then designer corals and can be just as colorful. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well 🙂 Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.
