Acropora hardiness..?

[20gallonreefer000]

I have had no problems keeping birdsnest, stylo, anacropora and all types of montis. About a month ago I got an Acropora latistella(rr sabertooth) and its encrusting well and looks great. I'm hoping to get some information on some acros in terms of hardiness and specific requirements. I have an AI prime that I keep pretty much maxed out(12 hrs), strong flow and I keep my parameters fairly stable(KH - 11.5, Calc - 450, Mag - 1350). What should I know about these corals and are they "hardy" as far as acros go?

Acros I'm curious about:
-rr rainbow loom
-pc rainbow
-blue tort
-pikachu
-pink explosion
-pink cadillac
-blueberry wine

Thanks in advance :)

 

[cdemoss01]

Im pretty sure @Reefer Matt is good with this stuff?

 

[20gallonreefer000]

Im pretty sure @Reefer Matt is good with this stuff?

I've seen his youtube videos, he'd probably be the guy for this question. Thanks for your response :)

 

[Big E]

I have had no problems keeping birdsnest, stylo, anacropora and all types of montis. About a month ago I got an Acropora latistella(rr sabertooth) and its encrusting well and looks great. I'm hoping to get some information on some acros in terms of hardiness and specific requirements. I have an AI prime that I keep pretty much maxed out(12 hrs), strong flow and I keep my parameters fairly stable(KH - 11.5, Calc - 450, Mag - 1350). What should I know about these corals and are they "hardy" as far as acros go?

Acros I'm curious about:
-rr rainbow loom
-pc rainbow
-blue tort
-pikachu
-pink explosion
-pink cadillac
-blueberry wine

Thanks in advance :)

Your whole list are all hardy, easy, and good growers as far as acropora go.

 

[Tonycass12]

Any particular reason your running alk so high? In my experience acros are easy to stress out when you run north of 9. I see better coloration on my sticks with the alk closer to 8.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Sorry, I’ve never had any of those, but it looks like you’re in good company here for answers.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Maybe @Ancient Mariner could have the answer you are looking for

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I have PC Rainbow and Pink Cadillac and both are at the far ends of the tank at what I feel is lower light than the center. So I assume they will do well in any lighting that has Acropora growing. They are steady growers and are very hardy . Color wise I prefer the deeper color of PC Rainbow. Pink Cadillac just doesn’t have striking color in my reef at the lower light area.

 

[20gallonreefer000]

Any particular reason your running alk so high? In my experience acros are easy to stress out when you run north of 9. I see better coloration on my sticks with the alk closer to 8.

That’s what the Red Sea purple bucket mixes at, I’ve never had any problems with my corals but I guess it’s because they’re not acros. I’ve also heard that KH should be higher when nutrients are higher, I run my tank pretty “dirty”. Is the high KH something that would kill the acros? Or just won’t provide optimal growth? Thanks.

 

[Tonycass12]

That’s what the Red Sea purple bucket mixes at, I’ve never had any problems with my corals but I guess it’s because they’re not acros. I’ve also heard that KH should be higher when nutrients are higher, I run my tank pretty “dirty”. Is the high KH something that would kill the acros? Or just won’t provide optimal growth? Thanks.

You have it the other way around. When you run high KH you need to have higher nutrients in the tank or you will have a good chance to end up with burnt tips or tissue recession on acros. When I started out I ran the red sea purple bucket and couldn't figure out why I kept having so many issues. Swapped to blue bucket and started running where the majority of successful sps keepers were running (8-9) and started having a lot more success. I ran my tanks with high nutrients as well. Took almost 3 years for the corals to get big enough that they started sucking nutrients out of the water and things transitioned to a low nutrient system for me. Another benifit to running in that lower range is you have a lot more cushion for any possible swings in your parameters. A little swing up when your already running at 11.5 could doom a lot of acros to RTN.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

My alkalinity has swung from 5-12 dKH (while trying to keep it around 9) during periods of high and low nitrates (<0.2-50) and to tell you the truth I can’t say I’ve seen any effect on the Acroporas or any other coral. In a mature tank at least swings are well tolerated. Currently my dKH has been 11-12 over the past few months with nitrate <0.2. I feed heavily and skim heavily.