Neogoniolithon

Neogoniolithon · also called Staghorn Coralline

Neogoniolithon is a hard, heavily calcified coralline red alga. N. strictum forms rigid, lavender-purple branches that look more like a stony coral than a seaweed, and it builds carbonate mounds in the Florida Keys. It deposits calcium carbonate, so it draws down calcium and alkalinity.

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Quick facts

Category	Marine & Algae
Family	Spongitidaceae
Native origin	Mainly tropical and subtropical seas; N. strictum builds mounds in the Florida Keys
Care difficulty	Intermediate
Light	Medium light
Pet toxicity	Toxicity unknown

Light

No lighting data exists for this species in tanks, so use general coralline guidance: moderate reef light, with keepers often finding corallines favor blue-rich actinic light over harsh white light. Wild N. strictum grows in shallow water, but raise a new piece to brighter light slowly.

Water

Standard reef parameters: 23-27 C (74-80 F), salinity ~1.025 SG, pH 8.1-8.4. Heavily calcified, so it needs well-maintained calcium (~400-450 ppm), alkalinity (8-11 dKH) and magnesium (~1300 ppm), and it competes with corals for them. Stability counts for more than high numbers.

Soil & potting

A rigid branching alga that lives on hard bottom rather than in sand. Seat a piece firmly on rock or wedge it into rubble so it cannot rock in the flow. Its hard skeleton can be handled much like a stony coral fragment, so a small amount of reef-safe glue is an option if needed.

Environment — humidity, temperature, placement

In the Florida Keys it dominates windward shallow subtidal and intertidal zones, so it is used to moving water. Moderate to strong flow in a display at standard reef temperature, 23-27 C (74-80 F), is a sensible start. Keep sand from settling on the branches.

Propagation

Coralline algae grow slowly and can take many months to show any change. Spores carried in the flow can seed nearby rock. Branches can be broken off and set on rock much like a stony coral fragment, but keepers have little specific record of doing this with N. strictum.

Toxicity detail

No toxicity data for tank animals was found, so the rating stays unknown. Its heavily calcified tissue protects it from nearly all fish and invertebrates, though sea urchins may graze it, so keep them apart. It is not known to harm or smother corals, though its slow growth means this is rarely tested.

Varieties & cultivars

Natural forms are the wild species; cultivars are selectively-bred colour or variegation forms of the same plant.

Natural forms1

Staghorn Coralline

Neogoniolithon strictum. A heavily calcified coralline with lavender-purple branches that look more like an SPS coral than a seaweed. Its antler-like form explains the name.

Its hard skeleton protects it from almost all fish and invertebrates, though sea urchins will graze it, so keep them apart.