Lokani acropora (Acropora lokani) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Acro lokani, Lokani acro
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, mainly the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands) and nearby reefs
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, acclimated gradually
Flow
Strong, turbulent and alternating

Care

Acropora lokani forms bushy colonies of slender, often curving branches with small, tube-shaped corallites. It is prized for intense blue, purple and pink colours, and many named Australian and Indonesian aquacultured morphs are traded simply as "lokani". Place it in the upper half of the rockwork of a mature, stable reef. LiveAquaria rates Acropora as difficult, needing high light and strong, intermittent flow. Acclimate it to strong light slowly, since sudden changes can bleach it or make it lose its colour. Water: LiveAquaria gives dKH 8–12, pH 8.0–8.4, specific gravity 1.023–1.025 and 22–26 °C, with calcium, magnesium, strontium and trace-element dosing. Keep calcium around 400–450 ppm, alkalinity steady at dKH 8–12 and magnesium around 1250–1350 ppm, and avoid daily alkalinity swings. Its blue and purple pigments are strongest with stable, low but not zero nutrients. Aquacultured frags are the usual and better route to this coral. 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

Photosynthetic: zooxanthellae supply most of its energy. Occasional fine foods (phytoplankton, zooplankton, SPS powders) can help, but it does not need target feeding.

Breeding

Snip a 2–3 cm branch with bone cutters and glue it to a plug with cyanoacrylate gel. The fine branches break easily, so handle colonies carefully; frags heal within days in good water.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful and easily stung. Keep it at least 15 cm from LPS with sweeper tentacles and away from leather corals. Dip new colonies for Acropora-eating flatworms and red bugs. Avoid coral-nipping angelfish and butterflyfish.

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

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