CB Alien Eye Alveopora

CB Alien Eye Alveopora

CB Alien Eye Alveopora is a genuinely delicate-looking coral — pale green, daisy-like polyps open out on long stalks, each one centred with a soft salmon-pink “eye” that gives the whole piece its name. In flow, the polyps sway gently and catch the light in a way that makes this one of the more mesmerising corals to watch in a tank.

Like its close relative Goniopora, Alveopora has a reputation in the hobby for being harder to keep long-term than most LPS, and this is a medium-to-advanced coral rather than a beginner one — worth knowing before adding it to a newer setup.

Care basics

• Care level: Medium to advanced. Not recommended as a first LPS coral.
• Lighting: Medium.
• Flow: Low to moderate, random rather than direct.
• Water chemistry: Sensitive to sudden changes, particularly in phosphate levels. Stable, gradually-adjusted parameters matter more than with most corals. Trace additions of molybdenum and manganese can help growth, though aren’t essential.
• Temperature: 25°C.
• Feeding: Planktivorous — benefits from regular feeding of rotifers or similarly fine planktonic foods, unlike most LPS which can go without.

Supplied as rested frags on 2cm plugs.