Looks like an acro, quacks like an acro, but isn’t an acro: What is your experience with anacropora?

[Peace River]

Looks like an acro, quacks like an acro, but isn’t an acro: What is your experience with anacropora?

Okay, you’re right. Corals don’t quack, but Anacropora, sometimes referred to as briar corals, do look a lot like Acropora. Although there are some more well-known Anacropora like the WWC Slimeball, Anacropora corals are a bit unusual to the hobby even though they are considered by some to be an easier-to-keep SPS. Like Acros, Anacropora are part of the Acroporidae family, however Anacropora are classified within their own genus. Have you kept Anacropora? Have you thought about keeping Anacropora? What is your experience with this type of corals? Do you have any tips to share? Let’s talk about your experience with Anacropora in the discussion!

Photo by @SawCJack00

 

[shakacuz]

haven’t had it myself, but definitely something i’m looking to get!

 

[helmsreef]

I have a decent frag growing right now, I keep mine at about 250 par right now. Hopefully it will become a large colony

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its actually one of my favorites and hardiest.

 

[ecf]

PE it its best

 

[Hilltop Aquariums]

I had a small frag of golden rod anacro and it grew like a weed. In 1 year it was huge, wouldn’t even fit in a 5 gallon bucket when I took it out.

 

[i cant think]

I’ve kept it in the past and would definitely keep it again in my 4’ tank due to its hardiness.
If I can’t find a pink lemonade acro, a Golden Rod Anacropora is definitely second best.

 

[Troylee]

Brightest stick in my tank with a green slimer in 2nd.

 

[jhadaway]

Electric Lemonade Anacropora taught me that it is NOT like acropora mostly mostly. It did not like very high par or very high flow. It also browned up from the bottom. I have cut it up probably 3 or 4 times to trim a dead spot or 2. I now have 3 frags and 1 growing well halfway down the tank in medium light and flow. It is finally happy and starting to grow fast. I picked up a nice sized golden rod from ReefNerd and it's growing pretty well in med-high light and flow. I'm pretty excited about the golden rod getting to a colony size. I'll take all of the blue and yellow I can get. I'll get a TNT sooner or later.

 

[Waters]

Have kept a JF TNT for a while....about the size of a softball now. Care has been no different than the acros in my tank, although this one grows quicker than most.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I still own an anacropora, but it’s only a fraction of the colony it once was. My clownfish got very defensive of her anemone to the point that she shredded and stressed out nearby corals. RTN then took the better half of my anacro colony. Hoping to recover the remains and eventually buy some more.
Here’s a picture of it when I first got it:

And post-Luxo:

 

[DanyL]

When the frags you make are fist-sized you know it grows like a weed
Our mother colony is probably around 10" with beefy branches - unlike the original mother colony we got our frag from which had tiny, thin branches.

Here's one of the frags I did lately:

 

[Smite]

I have a Golden Rod anacropora. I originally placed it higher where I wanted it's coloration and structure but it couldn't handle the strong light and I believe flow. It grew downwards in that location and bleached on me.

I've moved it down to the bottom pane of my tank and off to the side. It seems happier where I keep some LPS and monitpora. Now it seems very hardy and is growing well and I like the coloration of it. Golden yellow with light pink polyps. It also has swirls like pieces I've seen referred to as grafted. All in all, very cool piece.

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

I have a Golden Rod Anacropora that grows like crazy but the polyps never extend Most polyps are closed in this tank, the tank was started in 4/22 so still needs some work.

 

[SunshineNinja]

I have one but it wasn't glued down and became a victim of my tuxedo urchin. By the time I found it behind my rocks it had already bleached out. Now it's white with bright green polyps so I'm pretty sure it's still kickin.. but not sure how likely it is to bounce back. I loved the bright green color when I first got it. If this one doesn't make it I'd probably try again. Would just be sure to glue that sucker down this time!

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

 

[Peter Houde]

View attachment 3001852

The frogspawn so close isn't a problem? I've been concerned about keeping my "aggressive" corals far way from all others. It would be great if it wasn't as much of an issue as I'd thought.

 

[ClownSchool]

I still own an anacropora, but it’s only a fraction of the colony it once was. My clownfish got very defensive of her anemone to the point that she shredded and stressed out nearby corals. RTN then took the better half of my anacro colony. Hoping to recover the remains and eventually buy some more.
Here’s a picture of it when I first got it:
View attachment 3001516
And post-Luxo:
View attachment 3001518

Luxor’s become the Lord Voldemort of fish stories among reefers.

 

[OlafsReef]

Have kept it in past. Very easy and fast growing as SPS go.

 

[NanoBoxes]

Super bright color and grows like a weed. Very brittle and easy to break off pieces accidentally.