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
Red Planet Acropora
Acropora sp.
Red Planet Acropora SPS guide for identifying tabling Acropora growth, choosing high placement with high flow, and managing trade-lineage color shift when kept near Acropora and Acropora Valida.
Compare tabling Acropora growth, 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.
- Trade-name lineage should be verified before implying exact species or provenance.
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: The original uploader was Elapied at French Wikipedia.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
Photo: The original uploader was Elapied at French Wikipedia.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
Photo: The original uploader was Elapied at French Wikipedia.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
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 Red Planet Acropora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Red Planet 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 light broadcast feeding; stability is more important
ID
Identification
Key features
- tabling Acropora growth
- red to green contrast
- dense radial corallites
Common colors
- Red
- Green
- Pink
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
When Red Planet Acropora is confused with Acropora and Acropora Valida, the useful clues are tabling Acropora growth, red to green contrast, and dense radial corallites. Color is secondary; structure, expansion pattern, and the first place tissue irritation appears are more reliable. 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.
Red Planet Acropora trade-lineage color shiftOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- red or green balance changes while polyp extension and growth change too
- Red Planet 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
- light spectrum, nutrient level, or alkalinity shifts rather than lineage alone
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Red Planet Acropora
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Red Planet 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 assume Red Planet Acropora color proves lineage or ideal conditions
- placing Red Planet Acropora before confirming tabling Acropora growth and its spacing needs
- using Red Planet Acropora color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Acropora
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Red Planet Acropora looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Red Planet Acropora
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 Red Planet Acropora beginner friendly?
Red Planet 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 Red Planet Acropora be placed?
Place Red Planet 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 Red Planet Acropora need coral food or mainly stability?
Red Planet Acropora 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 Red Planet Acropora near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Red Planet Acropora 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 Red Planet Acropora looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Red Planet Acropora, red or green balance changes while polyp extension and growth change too and Red Planet Acropora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Red Planet Acropora trade-lineage color shift. Likely causes to check include light spectrum, nutrient level, or alkalinity shifts rather than lineage alone and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Red Planet Acropora. Start with these database checks: check Red Planet Acropora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Red Planet Acropora?
For Red Planet 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 Red Planet Acropora.
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Compare tabling Acropora growth, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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