Spearmint Goniopora

Spearmint Goniopora

Spearmint Goniopora is a striking coral when it’s thriving — rich magenta stalks topped with clusters of daisy-like polyps in vivid green with electric blue centres, all swaying gently in flow like a field of tiny flowers. It’s genuinely one of the more visually rewarding LPS corals going, but it comes with a fair warning: Goniopora 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.

Goniopora and Alvepora corals are particularly sensitive to sudden changes in water parameters, especially phosphate swings, so stability matters more here than with most corals on this site. They feed on planktonic foods and rotifers rather than the larger meaty foods many LPS take, so regular fine feeding is worth planning for rather than treating as optional.

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.
• 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.