Lighting
250-450 PAR is a working SPS starting range; raise light slowly and watch tips, color, and polyp extension rather than chasing PAR alone.
SPSAdvancedCare score 9/10
Acropora
Acropora spp.
Acropora SPS guide focused on branching SPS, lookalike separation from Montipora Digitata and Birdsnest Coral, and early checks for tip burn or base recession before changing light or flow.
Compare branching SPS, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Care score
- 9/10
- Placement
- High
- PAR range
- 250-450 PAR
- Flow
- High
- Aggression
- Low
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Minimum tank age
- 9 months
- Minimum tank size
- 40 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
- Review advanced-care ranges against specimen source and aquaculture history.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Anders Poulsen, Deep Blue (http://www.colours.dk/)
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-79 F / 24.4-26.1 C
- Salinity
- 1.025-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 7.5-8.8 dKH
- Calcium
- 420-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1280-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 1-10 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.02-0.08 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
high varied flow should keep the surface clean without blasting one side of the colony.
Stability
For Acropora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Acropora requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- amino acids, fine planktonic foods, fish waste
- Frequency
- optional small broadcast feedings; stability matters more
ID
Identification
Key features
- branching SPS
- axial corallite at branch tips
- radial corallites along branches
Common colors
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- Pink
- Yellow
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Acropora typically has a distinct axial corallite at branch tips, which Montipora and Birdsnest lack. Separate Acropora from Montipora Digitata and Birdsnest Coral by checking branching SPS, axial corallite at branch tips, and radial corallites along branches in normal white light. Then confirm branch shape, corallite texture, growth edge, and where paling starts; avoid using a trade name as the only ID evidence. Use growth form, corallite texture, and polyp extension before trusting a trade name because color can shift with light and nutrients.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 3 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Acropora tip burn or base recessionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- white tips spread faster than growth or the base fades from the plug upward
- Acropora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- alkalinity swing, excessive light increase, pests, or low nutrients
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acropora
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Acropora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement
- inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light
- adjust light or flow gradually rather than making several corrections at once
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- do not chase Acropora color by changing alkalinity and nutrients at the same time
- placing Acropora before confirming branching SPS and its spacing needs
- using Acropora color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Montipora Digitata
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Acropora looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Acropora
Compare
Similar Corals
Montipora Digitata
Montipora digitata
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Birdsnest Coral
Seriatopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Pocillopora
Pocillopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Montipora Digitata
Montipora digitata
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Birdsnest Coral
Seriatopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Pocillopora
Pocillopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Acropora beginner friendly?
Acropora is not a beginner coral. It needs mature-system stability and careful observation, and the listed values should be reviewed before publication.
Where should Acropora be placed?
Place Acropora high only after light acclimation and stable alkalinity are proven. Use 250-450 PAR and high flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Does Acropora need coral food or mainly stability?
Acropora may use amino acids, fine planktonic foods, and fish waste, but the database feeding note is conservative: optional small broadcast feedings; stability matters more. For SPS-style care, stable light, flow, alkalinity, and nutrient trends usually matter more than heavy feeding.
How should I space Acropora near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Acropora about 3 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Montipora Capricornis. Avoid close placement with Torch Coral, Elegance Coral, and Chalice Coral. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Acropora looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Acropora, white tips spread faster than growth or the base fades from the plug upward and Acropora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Acropora tip burn or base recession. Likely causes to check include alkalinity swing, excessive light increase, pests, or low nutrients and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acropora. Start with these database checks: check Acropora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Acropora?
For Acropora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers. The database lists 9 months as the minimum tank age and 40 gallons as the minimum tank size. For SPS-style care, avoid sudden corrections and check trends before moving the frag or changing light.
Coral Identifier
Identify Acropora.
Compare likely matches.
Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare branching SPS, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
