Acropora lingo

LetItReef · Mar 10, 2018

Hello- I am trying to understand Acros .
I know there are numerous info out there and I would like to know their differences.
Few I know and probably there are the same

Please add to this list and share info about it:

Tenuis
Staghorn
Milli

Thank you!

rossco · Mar 10, 2018

This should keep you busy for a while. The list starts with Acanthastrea, click on Acropora and every cataloged acropora is there to explore.

http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/factsheets.jsp

tdileo · Mar 10, 2018

Tenuis, staghorn, milli, efflo, etc are species names. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of subspecies of acropora. They all have different growth patterns, corallites, average polyp length, and minor changes in terms of flow and lighting they do best with.

Sallstrom · Mar 10, 2018

LetItReef said:
Hello- I am trying to understand Acros .
I know there are numerous info out there and I would like to know their differences.
Few I know and probably there are the same
Please add to this list and share info about it:

Tenuis
Staghorn
Milli

Thank you!

It's not an easy job ID all Acropora. Have a look at the link in post #2 to see the number of species. If you use Google you'll will get some right and some wrong info. So to have only one reference I like to use Verons book(same as the link).

/ David

LetItReef · Mar 10, 2018

Agree! It is challenging to ID. With tremendous species of Acros, my inquiry should be- what are the common species in reefing?

LetItReef · Mar 10, 2018

rossco said:
This should keep you busy for a while. The list starts with Acanthastrea, click on Acropora and every cataloged acropora is there to explore.

http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/factsheets.jsp

Lots of info here. Some good reading time. Thanks!!

jda · Mar 10, 2018

Acropora - hardest, especially go grow colonies. Only a few get here, but many do OK for a while with frags. There are LOTS of different kinds.
Montipora - like Mushrooms... some are really cool ones like Bounces and Jawbreakers, but the rest grow like crazy and can get on your nerves after a while. These are really easy to grow. There are branching and encrusting varieties.
Birdsnest - grow like crazy and are easy.
Pocillipora - these can spawn and take over everything if you are good at reefing. Some people have a no Poci policy. They are also easy to grow.
Stylophora - grow like crazy and and are also easy.

Some people only keep Acropora and have a no MBP&S policy - I am one of these... just want to save the room for the acropora. I hate tearing out colonies of MBP&S and then have to give it away. The stuff is like weeds to me.

Of the acropora, there are all different kinds, but stags and slimers and usually the easiest. Tables, tenius (a species name) are in the middle. Millepora, Prostata (also species names) and the smooth-skinned deepwater species are typically the hardest.

When looking for starter stuff, look to the MBP&S variety and just about anything from ORA. Even the ORA acropora usually is some of the easier stuff.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is two-fold... so two important things. The care requirements of Acropora are vastly different than those of MBP&S. Also, it is far easier to care for frags and mini colonies than it is to keep real colonies - the flow and lighting requirements change.