Acanthastrea Coral
Acanthastrea Coral are some of the most mis-identified corals in the reef, and can often be mistaken for other types of coral that closely resemble them. Acanthastrea Coral are a hermatypic/photosynthetic coral and come in a wide variety of brilliant colors. Because they are extremely easy to care for in a home or office aquarium, they are an excellent coral for beginners.
Acanthastrea Coral Characteristics
Acanthastrea Coral generally have corallites between 8-15 cm in diameter. Because these corals have very fleshy polyps, identification to genus is difficult to impossible, as the characteristics that would confirm a positive identification are hidden. Acanthastrea Coral are found in many locations on the reef up to about 20 meters in depth. They can easily thrive in many different reef conditions.
Optimum Conditions for Acanthastrea Coral
In marine saltwater aquariums, Acanthastrea Coral are tolerant of diverse conditions and can thrive in strong or subdued lighting and water flow situations. In fact, their coloration variation can be controlled by lighting and water flow. They are very competitive in their ability to extrude mesenterial filaments. Great care should be taken when placing the Acanthastrea Coral near other sessile organisms, lest they be consumed.
Acanthastrea Coral Collector Value
Because of the often misinterpretation of the Acanthastrea Coral, the values of this type of coral have been extremely hyper-inflated throughout aquarium enthusiasts. They are quite plentiful on the market, but great care should be taken to make sure that the Acanthastrea Coral has been identified properly before purchase is made.
Acanthastrea Coral Feeding and Care
Acanthastrea Coral will readily accept feedings of minced meaty foods such as shrimp, mysis and squid. Though regular feeding of these corals is not required, it will definitely help its growth. They also seem to react better to higher levels of magnesium (1250-1350 ppm).
Acanthastrea Coral Fragging
The propagation of Acanthastrea Coral is actually quite easy. Wet tile saws, band saws and dremel tools may be used to make the appropriate cuts. Simple agitation of the coral will cause the polyps to retract, at which time it is safe to cut out the desired number of polyps. Once the frag is made, it can be left as is in the sand bed where it will grow its own calcium skeleton or affixed to a piece of live rock where it will encrust over the rock, which is generally the preferred method.
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