Easiest Acros?

Mykel Obvious

New member
Ok, so I'd like to try my hand at keeping Acroproa and I'm wondering which Acros are the easiest to keep? I have read that the Bali Green Slimer (Acropora yongei) is considered one of the easiest to begin with, but I've also found a few other color morphs and was wondering if all yongei are created equal?

What other types of Acropora are considered "easy" or good for a beginner SPS keeper to try? Obviously the more interesting the color, the more I'll like it, but I want to start with something as close to bulletproof as an Acro can get

I am currently having success with Birdsnest, Pocillopora, Monti cap, Porites and Monti hirisuta (all showing rapid growth) and want to purchase an Acro or two, so any suggestions are appreciated.

65 gallon mixed reef
384 watt PC fixture (switching to T5s in a few months)
Temp: 80-84 F
SG: 1.025 (refractometer)
pH: 8.4 (end of lighting cycle)
Calc: 430 ppm
Alk: 9 dKH
Mag: 1700 ppm (intentionally high from treating Bryopsis)
Nitrates: 0 (false due to macro growth)
Phosphates: 0 (false due to macro growth)
currently sumpless (future project)
Remora Pro w/ mag 3 (upgrade needed when I add sump)
Flow: ~40x (2x flow-mod Tunze 6025 Nanostreams, 1x unmodded Tunze 6025 Nanostream, 1x Koralia 1 which may get replaced with another 6025)
Dosing Two Part daily- Calc and Alk readings stable week to week with API testkit

All testing done with API test kits except Magnesium which is tested with Salifert
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13167810#post13167810 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mykel Obvious
Anything I should avoid (much harder to keep)? This will be my first foray into Acroland

I'd suggest avoiding any wild colonies, and even the "maricultured" colonies. For the most part if you stick with frags of captive grown colonies you should be fine.
 
I'm a complete SPS newbie but have found amazing success with a green digitata (montipora)... it's still the only SPS I have in my tank and it's just about doubled in size in the 2 months I've had it.. and I've got mediocre equipment by RC standards. :p
 
Thanks for the replies, folks... but as Peter Eichler and others have pointed out, I'm specifically asking about Acropora sp. as I am already keeping several of the easier types of SPS with a bit of success.

I'm thinking about getting some frags from RC member Copps which I would guess would count as cultured :)

Also, do you think everything from the Live Aquaria: Acropora Corals, Captive-Grown (all) page would be considered a safe bet?

I'm most likely to start slow with one or two pieces, but there are several from Copps and DrF&S that I would love to have in my tank someday (hope I can make myself wait :D )

Thanks again for all the help!!
 
There is no "easy Acro"
Or even "easier Acro" for that matter.
You have things like montiporas, Birdsnest's, Pasammacora, ect.
All Acros are about the same as far as their requirements. If you have had good luck with other sps, then your good to go.
Like previous people have said, Wild colonies, and maricultured, can be dangerous.

I have seen certain sps STN/RTN faster then others, but i believe those weren't all acros.Differen't tanks/conditions. So i stay firm with my answer.

Have fun, and get whatever your wildest dreams permit. I seem to forget the wallet. =P
 
I can attest to most of the above. I bought a couple of 'maricultured' Acros from LiveAquaria at different times, and they RTN'ed within a few days and died. All of the Aquacultured Acros that I have gotten from them did fine.......
 
I agree with mrme. If you're already keeping SPS then you should be good to go. If you want something colorful, check out Atlantis aquariums' frags. They're sweet and the same difficulty as what you have now. But i've purchased many frags from RCers and liveaquaria that were tough too. Stay away from wild colonies, they don't ship well and usually have trouble making it in artificial seawater. Good luck in your endeavours!
 
Thanks to everyone for the advice... good to know that aquacultured/captive corals are the way to go...

cnaegler, several corals on my want list are ATLs... they have some AMAZING stuff (don't tell anyone in this forum since it's not an SPS, but I REALLY want a piece of that purple Platygyra they have ;) )

I've decided to go with some Acro frags from Copps to start with... he has some absolutely beautiful Acros that I couldn't resist... Hope I can keep them happy and healthy...

Thanks again and cross your fingers for me!!
 
I would buy frags from fellow reefers that have encrusted on the frag plugs that they are mounted on. These have a better chance of making it in your tank than the fresh cut frags.
 
Millies and green slimer are my "easiest acros" The millies have survived several "newbie" mistakes over the last couple years..
 
My brother-in-law sent me a green slimer frag from his store.. it's my first acro and all I've got in my tank for SPS is a digitata (doing awesome).. we'll see... I'm not confident I'll keep it alive.. My nitrates are around 20 and that scares me.
 
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