Acropora Coral Care Guide 🧬🔥
📛 Type: SPS (Small Polyp Stony) Coral
📈 Difficulty: Advanced – requires stable conditions and mature tanks
📸 WYSIWYG: yes
🌈 Variety: Hundreds of color morphs – greens, blues, purples, pinks, and rainbow tips
💡 Light: High (250–450+ PAR) – strong reef lighting required
🌊 Flow: High – random, turbulent flow promotes healthy polyp extension and prevents detritus buildup
🌡️ Temp: 76–78°F
⚖️ Parameters (stable & consistent):
• Salinity: 1.025
• Alkalinity: 8–9.5 dKH
• Calcium: 420–450 ppm
• Magnesium: 1300–1400 ppm
• Nitrate: 2–5 ppm
• Phosphate: 0.01–0.05 ppm
🧪 Nutrient Sensitivity: Low nutrients may cause pale color or STN; elevated nutrients may cause algae or RTN – balance is key
🍴 Feeding: Mostly photosynthetic but benefits from coral aminos or fine particle coral food (optional)
📍 Placement: Upper rockwork with direct light and strong flow
🛠️ Notes:
• Requires pristine water conditions
• Use dosing or calcium reactor for consistent parameters
• Great polyp extension indicates happy coral
• Acclimate slowly to avoid light shock ☀️⚠️
