Austera acropora (Acropora austera) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Austera acro
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indian Ocean and western Pacific, on reef slopes and in lagoons
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
expert
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
High; about PAR 250–400 (standard hobby guidance)
Flow
Strong, turbulent

Care

Acropora austera forms open, arborescent colonies of thick, irregular branches with prominent radial corallites. In the hobby it is usually seen in cream, green, blue or purple, often with coloured tips. Neither LiveAquaria nor Top Shelf Aquatics has a page for this species, so the figures here come from LiveAquaria's general Acropora page. Give it a high spot on the rockwork with plenty of space to branch, strong light and strong, turbulent flow. Water: LiveAquaria gives dKH 8–12, pH 8.0–8.4 and 22–26 °C for Acropora, with calcium, magnesium, strontium and trace elements. Keep alkalinity stable, calcium around 400–450 ppm and magnesium around 1,300 ppm. Growth is fast under good conditions; LiveAquaria describes Acropora generally as hardy and fast-growing in the right system. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/assorted-acropora-coral). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Mainly photosynthetic: the zooxanthellae in its tissue supply most of its energy. LiveAquaria notes that Acropora also benefits from phytoplankton and zooplankton; fine coral foods or reef roe a few times a week help in very clean systems, but strong, stable lighting and water quality matter far more than feeding.

Breeding

Acropora is one of the easiest stony corals to frag. Snip a branch tip 2–3 cm long with bone cutters, glue it to a frag plug or rock with cyanoacrylate gel or reef epoxy, and keep it under similar light and flow to the parent. LiveAquaria notes that new colonies can be grown from living fragments or broken pieces under the right conditions. Nearly all Acropora sold in the UK hobby are captive-grown frags.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful (LiveAquaria lists Acropora as peaceful), but it has short sweeper-like mesenterial filaments and will lose fights with LPS corals, leathers and other aggressive neighbours, so keep stinging corals at least 15 cm away. Watch for Acropora-eating flatworms (AEFW) and red bugs, and dip new frags. Many angelfish and butterflyfish may nip the polyps.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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