From ReefPedia

[edit] Acropora Difficulty: Hard Light: High Aggression: Not aggressive Hardiness: Very delicate, especially wild colonies. Captive-propogated colonies may lean more toward "moderately delicate" Growth Rate: Very slow to very fast, depending on species Availability: Common

Yup. They're pretty.

Common Names

Acro, Acropora

Scientific Names

Genus Acropora

Hardiness

Acropora are usually among the most difficult of the zooxanthellate corals, although the degree of difficulty varies significantly between species.

Flow

generally Acropora need high flow. Pulsing or varying currents are ideal, while steady laminar flow will not usually maintain their healt

Propagation

Acropora are propagated through fragging. Common tools to frag Acropora would be a Dremel, a chisel, needle nose pliers, or cutting shears. While Acropora frags are often anchored in place with either epoxy or super glue gell it is best to wait several days to past a week before gluing a freshly made frag.

Predators and Parasites

Several species of fish are known to consume acorpora or to nip at polyps, causing irritation.

There are also several small parasitic creatures that can infest acropora corals:

AEFW = Acro Eating Flatworms. No effective form of chemical control yet. Levamisole (sp?) reported to have moderate success. 6 line wrasse may help the spread. Manual removal of flatworm and eggs. Long battle, but worth fighting.

Red Bugs - Identified as Tegastes Acroporanus, Interceptor (dog heartworm medication)- Effective, but decimates "pod" population. Remove as many crabs and shrimp as possible prior to treatment. 3 treatments, first 2 7 days apart and a third 2 weeks later.

FAQ

Commonly-asked questions regarding the coral.

   Some content contributed by Barry Katz of Kahuna Corals

Want to contribute an article in your company's name? Email us!