Sarmentosa acropora (Acropora sarmentosa) care guide

Group
Corals
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the western Pacific; shallow reef slopes and flats
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
expert
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
High; roughly PAR 250–400 (general hobby guidance). Acclimatise slowly to avoid bleaching
Flow
Strong, turbulent and intermittent

Care

A sturdy, open branching Acropora with thick branches and evenly spaced corallites, usually in pastel greens, blues, purples or browns, often with pale tips. In the hobby it is seen mostly as aquacultured frags. Placement: middle to upper rockwork with room to branch. Light and flow: high light and strong, turbulent intermittent flow; acclimatise new frags slowly. Water: best for experienced reef keepers with stable chemistry. Keep calcium around 400–450 ppm, alkalinity at dKH 8–12 and magnesium around 1250–1350 ppm, and keep them steady; regular dosing of calcium, alkalinity and trace elements (or a calcium reactor in a busy reef) is needed as the coral grows. Keep nitrate and phosphate low but not bottomed out. Growth: moderate to fast once settled. LiveAquaria gives figures for Acropora generally rather than this species. 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 in the tissue supply most of its energy. It can also take fine foods such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, rotifers or powdered SPS foods, broadcast a few times a week, but stable water and light matter far more than feeding.

Breeding

One of the easiest stony corals to frag: snip a branch tip 2–5 cm long with bone cutters or a coral saw, and glue it to a plug or rock with cyanoacrylate gel or epoxy. Clean cuts heal within days and new frags encrust and branch out quickly in good conditions. Aquacultured frags are widely traded and adapt better than wild colonies.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful, with short polyps and no long sweeper tentacles, but it is easily stung by LPS sweepers and harmed by leather-coral chemicals, so keep it well away (15 cm or more) from aggressive neighbours and run carbon if leathers are present. Fast growth can shade corals below it. Watch for Acropora-eating flatworms, red bugs and Montipora/Acropora nudibranchs; dip new pieces. Most reef fish are fine, but some angelfish and butterflyfish nip SPS polyps.

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

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