Is Acropora a soft coral?

Is Acropora a soft coral?

They do not do well with toxins that can be released by many soft corals, therefore the number of soft corals kept in Acropora tanks should be kept fairly low….Acropora sp – Staghorn corals.

Scientific name Acropora tenuis
Common name Staghorn
Care level Easy for SPS experienced hobbyists
Lighting Fairly strong lighting

How do you identify an Acropora coral?

Acropora cervicornis grows into cylindrical branches with a large corallite at the tip of each branch. This is called the axial corallite and is a key feature that distinguishes Acropora from other corals. If you can identify a single large corallite at the tip of a branch, you found an Acropora.

How do Acropora reproduce?

Reef building corals, such as Acropora millepora, can reproduce sexually in an event called “mass spawning”. This occurs once a year, around 3 nights in early summer when the moon is nearly full.

Where is Acropora found?

tropical reefs
Acropora pharaonis is a species of coral found over a large range in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, New Caledonia, and Fiji. Found in marine, tropical reefs on slopes sheltered from wave action, it occurs at depths of between 16 and 82 feet.

Is Acropora aggressive?

Although they don’t look it, Acropora are an aggressive coral. They don’t have stinging sweeper tentacles or engage in chemical warfare but they pack a powerful sting especially to nearby SPS.

Is Acropora a plant?

Acropora is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral….Acropora.

Acropora Temporal range:
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae
Genus: Acropora Oken, 1815
Species

How do you identify Acropora species?

Acropora identifying features

  1. Bottlebrush. With small twigs that tend to be inserted in the main branch perpendicularly which makes it look like a bottlebrush.
  2. Bush. With the shape of a thicket or a clump.
  3. Cluster. Small groups formed on each main branch.
  4. Elkhorn.
  5. Encrusting.
  6. Finger.
  7. Staghorn.
  8. Plate or table.

What are the different types of Acropora?

Staghorn coral
Elkhorn coral
Acropora/Lower classifications

Why is staghorn coral important to humans?

They also provide many important services to human societies. These include shielding thousands of kilometres of coastline from wave erosion, and protecting lagoons and mangroves, which are vital habitats for a range of commercial and non-commercial species.

Why is staghorn coral so vulnerable?

The greatest threat to staghorn coral is ocean warming, which causes the corals to release the algae that live in their tissue and provide them food, usually causing death.

What is Acropora?

Acropora is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described. Acropora species are some of the major reef corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef.

How fast do Acropora grow in captivity?

Captive propagation of Acropora is widespread in the reef-keeping community. Given the right conditions, many Acropora species grow quickly, and individual colonies can exceed a meter across in the wild. In a well-maintained reef aquarium, finger-sized fragments can grow into medicine ball-sized colonies in one to two years.

Why is my Acropora turning white?

Acropora is especially susceptible to bleaching when stressed. Bleaching is due to the loss of the coral’s zooxanthellae, which are a golden-brown color. Bleached corals are stark white and may die if new Symbiodinium cells cannot be assimilated.

What is the difference between Acropora aculeus and elseyi?

Similar Species: Acropora aculeus has similar diverging horizontal branches but finer and more appressed radial corallites. See also A. elseyi, which has primarily upright branches. Habitat: Shallow fringing reefs.