Description
Acropora are found all over the Indo-Pacific, and some species can even be found in other oceans as well. They’re one of the most common corals on the reef and are essential for the structure of the reef. The frags sold here are maricultured by ORA in the Marshall Islands. Instead of being collected from the real reefs, they are grown on mariculture farms and then fragged to be sold to hobbyists such as yourself.
For a lot of hobbyists, keeping Acropora can be daunting, especially for new hobbyists. However, there are many hobbyists who keep Acropora with great success. With some knowledge and some practice, you too can keep Acropora! Let’s go over some basic care requirements in case you’re new to keeping these kinds of corals. To start, let’s talk about lighting. Acropora are one of the most light demanding corals, requiring medium to high light. Ideally, you should give these corals around 200 to 300 micromoles of PAR. Some Acropora even benefit from higher lighting. Regardless of where you end up placing your Acropora, you need to acclimate it first to avoid bleaching. Do this by starting the coral in lower light and gradually moving it into higher light during a month or even a few months. As with lighting, Acropora require moderate to strong flow. Keep in mind that you are much more likely to provide it to little flow than too much. However, it is best that the flow is irregular and random to avoid dead spots and to promote proper growth.
One of the most intimidating parts of keeping Acropora is water chemistry. You need to be able to keep the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels consistent and within a good range. Rapid fluctuation with these parameters can be devastating for Acropora. Proper use and knowledge of a calcium reactor, a dosing system, or kalkwasser is often required to keep Acropora. The other side of water chemistry is nutrients. Nutrients that are too high can cause tissue recession and even death, but too little nutrients can result in poor coloration. It is best that your nitrates are around 1-5 ppm and your phosphates are as close to 0.01 ppm as possible but not 0. Keep your temperature between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit and stable. Lastly, let’s talk about feeding. Acropora contain a photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which provides the coral with most of its nutritional needs. Although, you can feed Acropora to promote better coloration and faster growth as long as the food particle size is small enough for the polyps to consume. Be careful not to overfeed, as this can cause nutrient spikes. If you want a method that is great for feeding corals but won’t cause increased nutrient levels, try phytoplankton. It works great!
Care requirements
Purchase Size: 1 – 2″
Placement: Middle to top.
Lighting: Medium to high.
Flow: Moderate to strong.
Parameters: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 32-35 ppt
Calcium: 350-450 ppm
Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH
Magnesium: 1,250-1,350 ppm
More Information
This Yellow Fuzzy Acropora comes from the ORA Marshall Islands Mariculture Farm. These corals are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. They also tend to transition into aquarium better than corals collected from reefs. By purchasing corals such as this one, you are supporting the aquaculture industry, making our hobby more sustainable!
