Bottlebrush Acropora (Acropora subglabra)

[xmonkey27]

Hey everyone,

Was wondering about how difficult it is to keep Bottlebrush Acropora (Acropora subglabra)? Is it one of the slow growing Acropora sp. or does it grow pretty well? (I do know that any Acropora sp. needs high lighting so i know that will be a factor on the growth of the coral)

- My lighting is a Current USA 30'' Sundial 4x24 Watt T5 fixture that is about 4'' off the surface of the water in a 20 Long (30''x12''x12'').
- I also dose live phytoplankton (Nannochloropsis) daily, about 4 mL.

Thanks again for the Help

 

[twon8]

IMO flow is even more important than light for acros, and is often overlooked. What do you have for flow? have you tested alkalinity?

As a general rule often broken, the thinner the branch, the faster it will grow. I would try an ora bottlebrush first to see if you tank is acceptable to sps.

 

[Alex T.]

+1

I have a maricultured, yellow bottlebrush acropora that is high up in my tank under a 400 watt Radium and in the jet stream of 4 Vortech MP40's on Reef Crest Mode. I totally agree with the flow scenario. Because of the tank flow rate being close to 90 times, my acros build large bases and thick branches. They grow outward very slowly but thicker than I see in most tanks. I love the robust look that they're taking on. Thinner, more spindly shaped acros would probably take forever to grow in my tank.

Bottlebrush acros can really take up some space as well, so flow from all directions and from down below would probably be a good idea.

 

[xmonkey27]

IMO flow is even more important than light for acros, and is often overlooked. What do you have for flow? have you tested alkalinity?

As a general rule often broken, the thinner the branch, the faster it will grow. I would try an ora bottlebrush first to see if you tank is acceptable to sps.

For flow in my tank I have about 1400 gph. Thought it might be overkill, but I knew i would want to keep some SPS some day so i got a bunch lol.