Guttatus birdsnest coral (Seriatopora guttatus) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Thick birdsnest, Green birdsnest coral
Family
Pocilloporidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from the Indian Ocean to the western and central Pacific
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–9.5
Care level
intermediate
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
Moderate to high; about PAR 250–350
Flow
Strong, random and turbulent

Care

Seriatopora guttatus is a small-polyp stony (SPS) coral that grows as a bushy mass of branches. Compared with the more common Seriatopora hystrix, its branches are thicker and blunter and often fuse into a lattice-like clump. It is traded in green, pink, orange and cream forms. Place it high in the rockwork in a strong, random flow path, but not under a direct jet, which can strip tissue. Top Shelf rates it moderate in care and suggests about PAR 250–350, raising light over 1–2 weeks. LiveAquaria lists birdsnest corals as moderate, with high light, middle-to-top placement and medium to strong flow. Water: LiveAquaria gives dKH 8–12, pH 8.1–8.4 and 22–26 °C; Top Shelf gives 24–27 °C, calcium 420–460 ppm, alkalinity dKH 8–9.5 and magnesium 1280–1400 ppm, and warns that it is sensitive to quick alkalinity swings. Growth is fast in stable water. The branches are brittle, so handle it by the plug. Aquacultured and maricultured birdsnest corals are widely available. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/birdsnest-coral); Top Shelf Aquatics (topshelfaquatics.com/pages/corals/green-birdsnest-coral). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Mostly photosynthetic. Top Shelf suggests small particulate foods such as microplankton, rotifers or copepod nauplii once or twice a week; LiveAquaria notes it does not need extra feeding.

Breeding

One of the easiest SPS to frag: snap or snip a branch, glue it to a plug with cyanoacrylate gel, and it heals within days. Broken branches that fall onto rock in the tank often reattach and grow on their own.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful, but it can sting by contact. Leave 8–10 cm around it and keep it well away from torches, hammers and favites, whose sweepers burn it. Heavy crabs can break the branches, and coral-nipping angelfish and butterflyfish should be avoided. Trapezia crabs often live in the branches.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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