Acropora

Overview

Acropora is the summit of the reef hobby - the fast-growing, jaw-droppingly coloured branching and tabling SPS corals that build wild reefs and define a top-tier tank. They are also the most demanding corals most people keep, unforgiving of any instability, and firmly not a beginner coral. (Acropora species.)

Origin & Habitat

Indo-Pacific reefs, on bright, high-energy reef crests and slopes - the reef-building corals themselves.

Appearance

Branching, tabling, staghorn or bushy stony growth with a distinctive axial tip on each branch, in electric blues, greens, purples and reds with fine polyps.

Placement & Temperament

Fast-growing and needs open space and top billing in the tank. Not chemically aggressive, but it will outgrow and shade slower corals below it.

Tank & Water Conditions

⚠️ The most demanding common coral - salinity 1.025-1.026, 24-26°C, and rock-steady alkalinity 7.5-9 dKH, calcium 420-450, magnesium 1300-1350, plus very low, controlled nutrients. It needs a mature, months-stable tank and consistent dosing; a single parameter swing can trigger overnight tissue loss (RTN). This is an advanced-keeper coral.

Lighting & Flow

High light (about 200-400 PAR) and strong, turbulent flow.

Feeding

Mainly photosynthetic and fine-plankton feeding; ultra-stable, clean, well-lit water is what really keeps it alive and coloured.

Health & Growth

Beautiful but famously touchy: rapid tissue necrosis (RTN/STN) can strip a colony in hours after a parameter swing. Pests (red bugs, acro-eating flatworms) are common - always dip. Only attempt it in a stable, well-run system.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The pinnacle of reef colour and growth
• Fast-growing when thriving
• The reward for a mastered tank

Cons

• ⚠️ Extremely demanding and unforgiving
• Can die overnight from instability
• Multiple dedicated pests