Aussie Pink Tree Coral (Stereonephthya cundabiluensis) Care Guide
Stereonephthya cundabiluensis is a bright pink Australian tree soft coral of the family Nephtheidae; photosynthetic but benefiting from heavy phytoplankton feeding.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Stereonephthya cundabiluensis is a bright pink Australian tree soft coral of the family Nephtheidae, marketed among the carnation tree corals. According to Reef Builders, Stereonephthya are photosynthetic, but their tissue is not particularly well populated with zooxanthellae, so they appreciate a generous amount of food captured from the water column.
Taxonomy
- Class: Octocorallia
- Family: Nephtheidae
- Genus: Stereonephthya
- Scientific name: Stereonephthya cundabiluensis
- Authority: Verseveldt, 1965 (WoRMS)
Habitat
Per Reef Builders, this pink Nephtheid originates from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and reached the aquarium trade in only small quantities. It is part of the Indo-Pacific Nephtheidae fauna of reef slopes and current-swept zones.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- dKH: 8-11
- Calcium: 380-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Nitrate: below 15 ppm; Phosphate: below 0.1 ppm
- Lighting: 50-150 PAR (moderate; Reef Builders notes it is undemanding of light levels)
- Flow: medium
- Minimum tank age: 6 months
Feeding
It hosts symbiotic algae but, per Reef Builders, is not heavily populated with zooxanthellae and does not grow fast. A more nutrient-rich aquarium with regular feeding of phytoplankton and small zooplankton encourages better, faster growth, so frequent target feeding is recommended.
Compatibility
Passive and reef-safe with no stinging tentacles, safe with fish and shrimp. It is best added to a mature, nutrient-rich system; place it where it receives steady flow to keep the polyps clean and extended.
Propagation
As a Nephtheid tree coral it can be propagated by cutting a branch and attaching the fragment to rock, though slow growth means propagation is gradual.
Stereonephthya cundabiluensis Propagation Guide
Overview
Stereonephthya cundabiluensis is a tree-like soft coral in the family Nephtheidae, the group also known as carnation corals, tree corals or colt soft corals. Members of this family are arborescent, carrying small knobs at the ends of rubbery branches, and span rich and pastel colours including reds, pinks, yellows and purples. In this genus the polyps tend to retract during the day and emerge at night to extend their tentacles and feed.
Reproductive Mode
Like other Nephtheidae soft corals, this species can be increased asexually by fragmentation, taking advantage of the colony's branching, rubbery structure to produce daughter pieces that regrow into new colonies.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Propagation relies on cutting a healthy branch from the arborescent body and securing the cutting to a clean plug or piece of rock until the base attaches. Because the tissue is rubbery and the branches carry small terminal knobs, individual limbs lend themselves to clean separation from the parent colony.
Conditions for Propagation
Stereonephthya is closely related to Dendronephthya, a genus that is notoriously difficult to keep because it requires a near-constant supply of small foods such as phytoplankton. Successful propagation of tree corals in this family therefore depends on steady particulate feeding alongside the water parameters logged for this species in the knowledge base.
Common Challenges
The chief difficulty is nutrition: members closely allied to this coral lean toward planktivorous feeding rather than relying on light alone, so frags can starve without regular small foods. Polyps in this family also retract by day, which can make a healthy frag appear closed until night-time feeding.