Keeping Acro Secrets

[nkyreef]

I wish I knew the secret to Acropora - if anyone does, feel free to leave all the info below . I've never been a collector since I've always been more of an LPS guy, but the colors of some are truly impressive.

However, I thought I could at least share one success story with my Walt Disney. It's been through mini crashes and tank struggles but has somehow survived my hands to look like many of the photos I've seen here on R2R and online.

Alk: 7.7 dkh, Cal: 420 ppm, Mag: 1450, NO3: 8 ppm, PO4: 0.02 ppm

Before - April 6, 2020:

Today - June 10, 2025

Taken with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra w/ Orphek 15k lens

 

[Matt L]

I have a lot of acros, and I still lose a few here and there. If I look at them wrong, they start to stn sometimes.

Congrats! I like your Disney! It’s my favorite acro!

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

I meannn stability. And ph. Oh and balance. Oof and flow. Oh and par. Oh and make sure no pests. I mean that’s the short version :p

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Trial and error w a pinch of salt and a dash of stabilty. Quality Aquacultured corals seem to have the best results in my system.

 

[MikeyZo]

I recently got a millipora and 2 acros to try in my 14g biocube Jr with the stock LEDs. So far they’re doing well which surprised me. lol

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

I meannn stability. And ph. Oh and balance. Oof and flow. Oh and par. Oh and make sure no pests. I mean that’s the short version :p

Also do not look directly at them

 

[56longroof]

I'd raise alk to 9.0 and calcium to 450-480. That's where I've found the best growth. This frag was about 1/8" long about 5 months ago. It's almost 2" now. Crappy pic but all I have right now.

 

[Troylee]

High flow, strong lighting and kalk.. nothing else matters if you ask me.. lol

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Also do not look directly at them

never make eye contact for more than a second. Also, if you don’t make any eye contact, they can die.

 

[Red_Beard]

High flow, strong lighting and kalk.. nothing else matters if you ask me.. lol

And nothing else matters...

Metallica reference, but also heavy metals are bad m'kay.

 

[billyocean]

Also do not look directly at them

 

[IceNein]

When ever acro tell me something, I would never reveal that to anyone, and that's how I keep acro secrets.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I have a lot of acros, and I still lose a few here and there. If I look at them wrong, they start to stn sometimes.

Congrats! I like your Disney! It’s my favorite acro!

I need one.......

 

[nkyreef]

I'd raise alk to 9.0 and calcium to 450-480. That's where I've found the best growth. This frag was about 1/8" long about 5 months ago. It's almost 2" now. Crappy pic but all I have right now.

I wish I could go higher but I have mostly LPS. They all tend to get a little unstable when alk rises >8.8 dkh. Even slowly; I don't know why. The WD is also only getting about 200-220 PAR too.

 

[ReefQuestCorals]

Stability and lots of flow! Oh and kalk like others have said

 

[Dburr1014]

I wish I could go higher but I have mostly LPS. They all tend to get a little unstable when alk rises >8.8 dkh. Even slowly; I don't know why. The WD is also only getting about 200-220 PAR too.

Run where it runs. It's best to sit where it sits.

That's my secret.

I sit at 8dkh. Any higher means more pruning, means more hands in the tank, means more fiddling. Sometimes, it means weaker skeletons with the faster growth. No thank you.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I wish I knew the secret to Acropora - if anyone does, feel free to leave all the info below . I've never been a collector since I've always been more of an LPS guy, but the colors of some are truly impressive.

However, I thought I could at least share one success story with my Walt Disney. It's been through mini crashes and tank struggles but has somehow survived my hands to look like many of the photos I've seen here on R2R and online.

Alk: 7.7 dkh, Cal: 420 ppm, Mag: 1450, NO3: 8 ppm, PO4: 0.02 ppm

Before - April 6, 2020:

Today - June 10, 2025

Taken with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra w/ Orphek 15k lens

That makes me want to get one of those acros now, haha

 

[EliMelly]

High flow, strong lighting and kalk.. nothing else matters if you ask me.. lol

Is kalk that important?!

 

[Dburr1014]

Is kalk that important?!

Kalk adds alk and calcium.
Drives off co2 and binds up po4.
Keeps costs low with other methods.

Yeah, to me it is.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The secret is to have more thanks than you can handle. So that a majority of your time is putting out fires. You will not have time to fuss about your DT, the only thing you will have time for is making sure everything is online working correctly. Forget about cleaning the glass...
If you can do that, you will be successful. Then you have to worry about coral warfare.