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 Tenuis
Acropora tenuis
Acropora Tenuis SPS guide for identifying branching Acropora, choosing high placement with high flow, and managing color-chasing stress and pale tips when kept near Acropora and Acropora Millepora.
Compare branching Acropora, 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.
- 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: MDC Seamarc Maldives
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Kate Osborne
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
Photo: Philippe Bourjon
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
- 400-460 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 Tenuis, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Acropora Tenuis 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 light broadcast feeding; stability is more important
ID
Identification
Key features
- branching Acropora
- rounded branchlets
- distinct axial corallites
Common colors
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Pink
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Compact rounded branchlets and axial corallites matter more than trade color names. For Acropora Tenuis, start with branching Acropora, rounded branchlets, and distinct axial corallites before checking color. Compare it with Acropora and Acropora Millepora by looking at branch shape, corallite texture, growth edge, and where paling starts, especially after polyps or tissue are fully extended. 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 Tenuis color-chasing stress and pale tipsOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- tips look burnt, polyps retract, or pastel color becomes washed out
- Acropora Tenuis 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
- rapid nutrient reduction, high light before acclimation, or alkalinity instability
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acropora Tenuis
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Acropora Tenuis 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
- avoid forcing Acropora Tenuis color with abrupt parameter changes
- placing Acropora Tenuis before confirming branching Acropora and its spacing needs
- using Acropora Tenuis color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Acropora
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Acropora Tenuis looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Acropora Tenuis
Compare
Similar Corals
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
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Acropora Tenuis beginner friendly?
Acropora Tenuis 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 Tenuis be placed?
Place Acropora Tenuis 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 Tenuis need coral food or mainly stability?
Acropora Tenuis may use amino acids, fine planktonic foods, and fish waste, but the database feeding note is conservative: optional light broadcast feeding; stability is more important. For SPS-style care, stable light, flow, alkalinity, and nutrient trends usually matter more than heavy feeding.
How should I space Acropora Tenuis near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Acropora Tenuis about 3 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Pocillopora and 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 Tenuis looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Acropora Tenuis, tips look burnt, polyps retract, or pastel color becomes washed out and Acropora Tenuis shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Acropora Tenuis color-chasing stress and pale tips. Likely causes to check include rapid nutrient reduction, high light before acclimation, or alkalinity instability and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acropora Tenuis. Start with these database checks: check Acropora Tenuis alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Acropora Tenuis?
For Acropora Tenuis, 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.
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Compare branching Acropora, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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