Staghorn Coral

About

Staghorn Coral (Acropora austera) is one of many branching Acropora species found across the Indo-Pacific, but it has some features worth knowing before you consider adding it to a system. In the wild it grows on upper reef slopes where wave action and current are persistent, forming arborescent colonies with thick main branches that tend to curve away from each other and taper toward the tips. Numerous irregular sub-branches give the colony a somewhat bushy, open architecture. The axial corallites, the growth tips, are thick-walled with relatively small openings and are often yellow, which creates a nice contrast against the rest of the colony. The radial corallites along the branches vary in size, with the larger ones projecting outward and showing wide, squarish openings. Colony color varies considerably, most often coming in cream or blue tones, though blue specimens can photograph with a pinkish cast that surprises people. Like all small-polyp stony corals in this genus, A. austera is best suited to experienced reef keepers who can maintain consistently high light and strong, turbulent flow. It is reef safe and poses no threat to neighbors, but it demands stable, high-quality water and will quickly show stress if conditions slip.