Acro care

[Matthew40b]

So I have had a few acros and have had great success with some and others not so much. I am converting an old 40 gallon breeder into a frag tank and I want to try and grow out some acros. My question to you guys is what is the key to successfully growing out acros. I know that you have to keep calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and temperature at constant levels and they need good flow and lighting, but what else does it take? Thanks!!

 

[andrewey]

That's really it. Every tank is different and some have success at levels that would bleach others corals. My biggest piece of advice for acros is to "listen to them". What I mean is that if they're growing, don't change a thing and keep it stable. Often people get into trouble by having sticks that are growing well and they check their phosphate and try and lower it suddenly or think they'll get better growth if they bump their ph/alkalinity up. The numbers for flow/lighting/chemistry are just a guide- once you're tank is growing and looks healthy, don't change anything and if you do have to chance anything, do so slowly- glacially slow :)

I would start with some easier to grow acros and get some stable growth from them. After that, I would start branching out to some of the medium difficulty and higher difficulty sticks, all the while focusing on being diligent about your maintenance, dosing, water changes, etc.

Dip everything.

Lastly, I'm convinced there's a negative correlation between my hands entering the water and acro growth!