Coral Species Guide

SPS

Anacropora

Anacropora

Acroporidae

moderate High High

Delicate branching SPS. Similar care to Montipora but slower. Nice accent coral.

172 cards WoRMS

SPS

Montipora spongodes

Encrusting Monti

Acroporidae

moderate Med-Hi Med-Hi

Encrusting form with porous texture. Spreads across rock — easy starter SPS.

2 cards WoRMS

SPS

Montipora foliosa

Plating Monti

Acroporidae

moderate Med-Hi Med-Hi

Thin leaf-like plates. Delicate edges but fast growth compensates.

WoRMS

SPS

Montipora setosa

Setosa Monti

Acroporidae

moderate High Low

Hairy/fuzzy polyps give soft appearance. Encrusting to plating growth.

49 cards WoRMS

SPS

Montipora digitata

Branching Monti

Acroporidae

moderate High Low

Finger-like branches. Very fast growing — great for filling upper rockwork.

27 cards WoRMS

SPS

Montipora capricornis

Plating Monti

Acroporidae

moderate Med-Hi Med-Hi

Swirling plating growth. Can shade corals below — plan placement carefully.

148 cards WoRMS

SPS

Montipora

Montipora

Acroporidae

moderate High Low

Beginner SPS. Encrusting, plating, or branching. Much more forgiving than Acropora.

2168 cards WoRMS

SPS

Acropora tortuosa

Oregon Tort

Acroporidae

expert High High

Deep blue/purple. "Oregon Tort" morph is one of the most famous named corals.

220 cards WoRMS

SPS

Acropora yongei

Green Bali Slimer

Acroporidae

moderate High High

Neon green fast grower with heavy slime coat. Best beginner acro.

116 cards WoRMS

SPS

Acropora valida

Tricolor Acro

Acroporidae

expert High High

Three-tone: blue base, green body, purple tips. Iconic collector acro.

WoRMS

SPS

Acropora cervicornis

Staghorn Coral

Acroporidae

expert High High

Fast-growing staghorn. Endangered in the wild. One of the fastest acros in captivity.

41 cards WoRMS

SPS

Acropora horrida

Parilis Acropora

Acroporidae

difficult High Med-Hi

King of SPS. Demands pristine water, high light, strong flow. Prone to STN/RTN.

WoRMS

SPS

Acropora selago

Selago Acropora

Acroporidae

difficult High Med-Hi

Bushy branching acro. More forgiving than tenuis/millepora. Good intermediate.

WoRMS

SPS

Acropora millepora

Millepora

Acroporidae

expert High High

Short fuzzy polyps, berry-tipped corallites. One of the most colourful acros.

222 cards WoRMS

SPS

Acropora tenuis

Tenuis Acropora

Acroporidae

expert High High

Thin-branched table acro. Intense colour under high PAR. Very sensitive to alk swings.

197 cards WoRMS

LPS

Alveopora gigas

Daisy Coral

Acroporidae

moderate Med Med

Large-polyp alveopora. More forgiving than Goniopora — good stepping stone.

WoRMS

LPS

Alveopora tizardi

Daisy Coral

Acroporidae

moderate Med Med

Daisy-like polyps on porous skeleton. Lighter skeleton, easier to frag.

WoRMS

LPS

Alveopora

Alveopora

Acroporidae

moderate High Med-Hi

Like Goniopora but 12 tentacles per polyp (vs 24). Generally hardier.

387 cards WoRMS