Brush Coral

About

Found in the coral reef systems of East Africa and the Mozambican Exclusive Economic Zone, Acropora recumbens is a species with a limited natural range that rarely makes its way into the hobby. Like most members of this genus, it builds a branching or table-like colony structure, creating the kind of three-dimensional framework that defines healthy tropical reefs. In the aquarium, this is firmly a coral for experienced reefers. It has little tolerance for the kind of water quality fluctuations or parameter swings that more forgiving corals might shrug off. It demands consistently intense lighting and vigorous, well-distributed flow to replicate the high-energy reef environment it comes from in the wild. Acropora as a group are well known for being sensitive to nitrates, phosphates, and any lapses in calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium stability, and this species is no exception. Placement near the top of a mature reef system with proven stable chemistry is the starting point, not an aspiration. Given its restricted geographic origin, wild specimens are uncommon in the trade, so aquacultured fragments are worth seeking out both for sustainability reasons and because tank-raised Acropora generally adapt better to captive conditions than wild-caught colonies.