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16 High Light Corals For Your Reef Tank!

The majority of people who get into reef tank keeping or just adding a coral to their marine tank will usually start with a low or moderate lighting coral as they tend to be easier to care for while also being cheaper.

As people progress with their aquarium setups, they tend to want to try other types of coral and high light corals are very popular right now with a number going viral on social media within the fish keeping community due to their beautiful looks.

Now, before we go any further, we just want to say that different people have their own definition of what a high light coral actually is. For this article, we are going with corals that can thrive with a lighting of over 250 PAR.

As we work our way through our list of high light corals, we will provide the ball park PAR light recommendations for it but it is still important that you do your own research on to the specific coral and as its placement in your tank can adjust its lighting requirements.

Purple Stylophora Coral

Purple Stylophora Coral has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and just like the other variants of Stylophora on our list, it has a beautiful look with its deep purple coloration with the coral being great in higher light reef tanks.

True Forest Fire Montipora Digitata

True Forest Fire Montipora Digitata coral has a PAR recommendation of 300-450 and as you can probably guess from its name, this coral is a very bright and vibrant red color with bright green areas on it too.

Screaming Green Birdsnest Coral

Screaming Green Birdsnest Coral has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and is another unique looking high light coral where it can look like fingers reaching out from the initial growth spot of the frag.

As you can probably guess from the name, Screaming Green Birdsnest Coral has a beautiful green color to it but simply just calling it green really doesn’t do its shade justice.

Green Seriatopora Guttatus Coral

Green Seriatopora Guttatus Coral has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and has a green/blue color too it with a similar finger like appearance to some of the other corals featured above.

Red Cap Montipora Coral

Red Cap Montipora Coral has a recommended PAR 200-400 requirement and has a beautiful deep shade of red to it. The flat, wide surface area of the coral offers a unique look compared to some of the other corals on this list helping it score points for its uniqueness.

Red Rose Stylophora Coral

Red Rose Stylophora Coral has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and is a beautiful coral that has a very distinct look about it. It’s tall and slender shape almost looks like a piece of red or purple candy floss with its finger like tentacles extending into the water of your aquarium but other colors are available.

Green Pavona Maldivensis Coral

Green Pavona Maldivensis coral has a PAR requirement of 250-350 and is a beautiful coral that has a very distinct look about it. It’s tall and slender shape almost looks like a piece of candy floss with its finger like tentacles extending into the water of your aquarium

Pavona Maldivensis Coral can be found in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and off the coast of East Africa. They are a very slow-growing coral and will do best in a reef tank that has plenty of space for them to grow into as they can reach up to 20 cm in height.

Gold Rush Montipora

Gold Rush Montipora coral has a PAR requirement of 250-450 and is one of the most popular corals in the high light coral category due to its beautiful coloration.

This coral is a vibrant yellow color with green highlights and will add a real splash of color to your reef tank. Gold Rush Montipora is a fast-growing coral and is very easy to care for, making it a great coral for beginner reef keepers.

Metallic Green Fibre Optic Stylophora

Metallic Green Fibre Optic Stylophora coral has a recommended PAR of 300-450 and is one of the most popular corals in the high light coral category due to its beautiful, bright green coloration.

This coral is a vibrant green color with blue highlights and will add a real splash of color to your reef tank.

Bird of Paradise Seriatopora

Bird of Paradise Seriatopora has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and is a difficult coral to find in some areas and if you are lucky enough to find it in your local area, there is a good chance that it will be relatively expensive compared to some of the other corals on our list but its unique look can make up for it.

Purple Rim Undata Montipora Coral

Purple Rim Undata Montipora coral has a recommended PAR 250-450 requirement with its flat, spreading surface area offering a unique texture and look compared to some of the other suitable high light corals.

Yellow Branching Cylindrica Porites

Yellow Branching Cylindrica Porites has a recommended PAR 250-350 requirement and is a beautiful coral that has a very distinct look about it.

Some people tend to avoid Yellow Branching Cylindrica Porites due to its relatively boring yellow look compared to some other high light corals but it can contrast well with other corals to offer a great overall look to your tank.

Blue Polyp Purple Digitata Montipora

Blue Polyp Purple Digitata Montipora has a recommended PAR 300-450 requirement and is actually our favorite high light coral on our list with a beautiful blue and purple look but it can be expensive in some areas due to being very difficult to find.

The Grinch Porites

The Grinch Porites has a recommended PAR 250-350 requirement and has a beautiful, unique red and green spotted look to it. There are other variants of the coral available in other colors too if you need something to fit your tank better.

Medusa Montipora Hirsuta

Medusa Montipora Hirsuta has a recommended PAR 250-400 requirement and is available in a range of colors. You can use Medusa Montipora Hirsuta as a high light coral option to fill areas of your tank where other corals may not be able to offer a suitable color.

Here Is A Quick Summary Of Our High Light Corals!

  • Green Pavona Maldivensis Coral
  • Gold Rush Montipora
  • True Forest Fire Montipora Digitata
  • Metallic Green Fibre Optic Stylophora
  • Red Rose Stylophora Coral
  • Bird of Paradise Seriatopora
  • Purple Rim Undata Montipora Coral
  • Purple Stylophora Coral
  • Yellow Branching Cylindrica Porites
  • Blue Polyp Purple Digitata Montipora
  • The Grinch Porites
  • Screaming Green Birdsnest Coral
  • Medusa Montipora Hirsuta
  • Green Seriatopora Guttatus Coral
  • Red Cap Montipora Coral