Once thought to be impossible to keep, Acropora are now one of the most common corals in the industry, and possibly the easiest to propagate.

Indo-Pacific - Islands of the Indopacific including Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Medium to high lighting would serve this species well. Acropora can be kept under high output fluorescent bulbs, but may benefit from more intense lighting. It will likely change its coloration depending on the lighting provided. Acropora may require a longer acclimation period to intense lighting such as metal halides.

Strong water movement is recommended.

Like most coral, Acropora rely to a large extent on the products of their zooxanthellae, however, in our experience, they also benefit from direct feeding. There are a variety of frozen fish foods available that make outstanding meals for Acropora. We like to feed a mixture of meaty foods such as shrimp, fish, and squid with vitamin additives and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). The size of the food must be small enough that the polyp can fully ingest it.

Acropora spp. are some of the most common and prolific stony corals found on the reef. They are found in almost every kind of reef habitat and are highly adaptive. They can take on completely different shapes and colors depending on their location on the reef. You would think that they are extremely hardy and can be tossed into any reef setup, but that is not the case. They are sensitive to water quality, suceptible to infections such as rapid tissue necrosis (RTN), and require plenty of light and water flow. If provided favorable conditions though, Acropora will reward the aquarist with beautiful color and rapid growth.

This genus for the most part has been propagated extensively in captivity and is an excellent candidate for aquaculture. It is reasonable to believe that a sustainable harvest can be achieved in time.