Cyphastrea. Meteor Shower or Superman

[oddballs]

The coral refered to as a superman cyphastrea is a meteor shower.It came from my mother colony that I got from ming at Atlantis about 4 years ago.I have 6 types of Cyphastrea and have never seen or heard of a superman morph of it.This is one of my fave family of corals in the ocean,they have really nice colors and are usually really easy to keep.Also they are one of the fastest growing corals that I have ever owned.I have only found one species that did not fare well and grow like a weed in aquariums.It was a red based with blue polyps Cyphastrea Ocelina and I got it about 2 years ago.I do not remember where I got it from,somewhere off the net.I do not know why it did not prosper compared to its other family members?It has struggled for a long time and as I lookes at it today it looks like it may be on it's last leg?


As for the Cyphastrea species that are seen in the aquarium trade there is not a ton to speak of I am in no way the authority on them but I can at least list the ones I have.

Cyphastrea Ocellina Atlantis original,usally has a darker forest green color with brick red polyps that have a yellow spot in the center of it.This one is a fast grower for sure!

Cyphastrea Ocellina Meteor shower,This species has a light mint/teal green base
with light pink to light red polyps,this one also grows VERY fast.This is the one I see getting called superman once and a while?

Minefield Cypastrea Sp.This one has been identified as C. Macrothalmus(spelling?).This one has a baby blue base once it gets to about 1 inch or bigger in size.The polyps are a bright emerald green color.This is yet another of these that grows very rapidly.Imo this one looks acts and grows the same as the C. Ocellinas.

Cypastria Japonica purple and green eyes,as the name desribes this coral has a purple base(sometimes has a blue tint)and bright green polyps.This is a fast grower also.This one looks alot like the above mentioned species but the polyps are not as big and pronounced as the above,and the polyps are spaced further apart.

Cyphastria Decadia red base with pink red polyps .This is one of the more common but also cooler species of Cyphastria that gets imported once and a while.This species grows like a Acropora as it grows into small branching colonies.This species comes in as Maricultered colonys that do great in captivity.

Cyphastrea Ocellina red with blue polyps.This is the only species of Cyphastrea that I have not had any luck with.It looks like a C Ocellina but has never really done well.It seems to grow really slow if any at all.I split a frags cost with a buddy and we grew it out and split it,it took 5 or 6 months to get it big enough to cut,Since then mine has actually started to have some tissue recession?Has anyone else had this one,and had any luck with it?

I have seen a couple of other species that I need to get to add to my colloction,I love that ppe one!And the red on red I want a frag of to!

Thanks Scott T

[chi3f]

i have a Cypastria Japonica that is completly green green base green polyps like the plant is there diff variations of this?

[chi3f]

and i have the common meteor shower w/green flesh and pink eyse/ mouths the flesh shocked out in tank tranfer? how do i get it back?

[gbcichlids]

Thanks Scott T for that. Have you noticed better coloring in more direct lighting(i.e. placing higher in the tank for more light) or vise versa? I have had meteor shower over a month and the base is still tannish/beige. I have twin 150 watt halides(check sig).
Randy

[SoonerReefer]

Here is my piece of Meteor Shower its about 6 inches in diameter...




Donny
OMAS

[gbcichlids]

Donny, That piece is INCREDIBLE! BEAUTY!

[roshi719]

I have the original Cyphastrea occelina, the Original meteor shower, and the Tyree Japonica. All three are growing well for me.

[gbcichlids]

Morgan,
very nice!

[roblack]

Interesting development in my tank. I have the blue base red polyp MS, and some new growth that jumped on liverock has bright green base with red polyps. Wish I could get decent pic, too far back behind curved glass, but has me thinking.

[oddballs]

The meteor shower and the atlantis original Cyphastrea Occelina both take on a wide variety of colors under various lighting.My sister and brother in law(sooner reefer) have 8 tubes of t-5s on there tank ,and there meteor shower is a lighter base and polyp color compared to the momma it came from.I have seen the base on the m s be a light blue to a light green to emerald green.I have seen the original do the same when it comes to higher or lower amounts lighting on them.

[gbcichlids]

Yourreef.com has cyphastea listed as a sps but I believe they fall into the lps category.
Some cypha have polyps barely coming out of the base where as others have polyps sticking out a half inch or more. which is which?

[OG GHOST]

Here's my green base with orange polyps.

[gbcichlids]

Very nice "XMAS CYPHASTREA"

[oddballs]

There is a "ppe"Cyphastrea that is purple and green and has been on the scene for about 5 months(to my knowledge?)does anyone have or know anyone who has this coral,and if so how fast of a grower is it?The reason I ask is that all of the species of this coral have done great in exception to the red and blue one I got from atlantis a yearor 2 ago.I want to buy the ppe one but want to be sure that it is not gonna be like the red and blue one and die!

[BullDZR]

Originally posted by oddballs
There is a "ppe"Cyphastrea that is purple and green and has been on the scene for about 5 months(to my knowledge?)does anyone have or know anyone who has this coral,and if so how fast of a grower is it?The reason I ask is that all of the species of this coral have done great in exception to the red and blue one I got from atlantis a yearor 2 ago.I want to buy the ppe one but want to be sure that it is not gonna be like the red and blue one and die!

]

I jsut got one from WWC.

I am not sure how it grows or what lighting to put it in, but I am gonna def enjoy learning about it!!!

Here is a pic of the frag I got. The pic really does not do it justice.

[roblack]

I have 2 nice pieces of the PPE. It grows fast like the MS.
Here's an old pic of one of the pieces.

[sjfishguy]

So what are the care requirements of these?

[gbcichlids]

Pretty hardy. Medium to moderate light and flow. Grow relatively fast.
I have two frags. one meteor shower and one japonica.

[evojoe67]

WOW!!!! You guys have created a monster as i am addicted to these bad boys!!!!
How can i get my hands on some of these?

[gbcichlids]

Google them. Several sites sell frags.

[blindsider]

Originally Posted by roblack

Check this one out. Jason Fox's PPE Cyphastrea. Just colored back up for me.

amazing!

[knockout]

let me revive this awesome thread... cyphastrea is one of my favorites, I have 6 or 7 different ones or at least they seem different, here are a couple of pics I have in photobucket, I can post the others when I get home tonight!!!


This one is branching and this is how it looked when I first got it, the color has shifted dramatically since and now is more of a cream vase with the red tips


MS


LE Blood Red Eye Cyphastrea

[Sheol]

What the... All the photobucket pics got deleted. I can't see 75% of the pics in the thread!

Matthew

[SDguy]

They work for me

[knockout]

couple more:

this one has a darker green base and red polyps


japonica


this is the same coral as on my second picture on the previous post


and don't worry I never delete my pics of photobucket!