Acropora Tenius AT04

High lighting would serve this species well. Acropora can be kept under high output fluorescent bulbs (T5), but may benefit from more intense lighting such as metal halide (MH). 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. Acropora are notorious for dramatic color changes depending on tank conditions, chiefly lighting. It is possible for some colors on Acropora to change entirely, for example red sections to turn green

Strong variable water movement is recommended. Acropora are one of the most flow loving corals. It is important to audit the flow of your reef aquarium over time as Acropora colonies grow because their structure reshapes and reduces flow.

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 rotifer-based foods 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. We like to use the cloudy supernate that forms after thawing out frozen food and using a turkey baster to spray it on the Acropora colonies.

Proper acclimation is extremely important considering the stress imposed on the animals by the shipping process. Please take a moment to review our Acclimation Guide.

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, susceptible 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