Cyphastrea Cherry Bomb

The Cyphastrea Cherry Bomb is an encrusting SPS coral with a bright green/teal base mat and bright red to cherry-red polyps—precisely the high-contrast look the Cherry Bomb is known for...

The Cyphastrea Cherry Bomb is an encrusting SPS coral with a bright green/teal base mat and bright red to cherry-red polyps—precisely the high-contrast look the Cherry Bomb is known for. Its fine polyp texture allows it to "carpet" tightly over rock and frag plugs, beautifully finishing edges, transitions, and shadow areas in your reef.

Why Cherry Bomb?

• Spectacular red polyp “pop” on a cool green base, maximised under blue light.
• Forgiving SPS that also performs well in lower PAR zones.
• Natural encrusting growth for a neat, modern reefscape.

Care & placement

• Light : Low to medium (PAR ~50–120). Start lower and photo-acclimatize to prevent bleaching.
• Flow : Light to moderate, preferably diffuse; avoid direct, hard jets on tissue.
• Diet : Primarily light-dependent; benefits from fine (micro)plankton/LPS food 1–2× p/w for increased polyp development.
• Position : Lower to mid-zone; does well in partial shade and can grow beautifully over adjacent rocks.

Recommended water values

• Temperature : 24–26 °C
• Salinity : 1.025
• KH : 7.5–9 dKH
• Calcium : 420–450 ppm
• Magnesium : 1300–1400 ppm
• Nitrate/Phosphate: low but measurable (NO₃ 2–15 ppm, PO₄ 0.03–0.08 ppm)

Tips & details

• Color retention : stable parameters + gentle, constant flow keep the green base and red polyps at their best.
• Spacing : Relatively peaceful, but can slowly overgrow neighbors — leave a few inches clear.
• Light rendering : maximum fluorescence under actinic/blue LED spectrum (±14–20K).