Acropora Care Guide: Keeping SPS Corals & the TIA Signature Collection
A TIA mother colony (Signature Chromaflair) under Actinic Radion Mobius lighting. Every TIA piece is cut to order from a mother colony like this one.
What are Acropora?
Acropora are branching small-polyp stony (SPS) corals — the fastest-growing and most color-diverse genus in the reef hobby, and the backbone of most collector SPS tanks. They demand strong light, strong flow, and stable water chemistry, and they reward that effort with growth forms and coloration no other coral genus matches.
Acropora care basics
These are standard genus-level targets for keeping Acropora; individual colonies may prefer a spot within these ranges.
| Parameter | Target |
|---|---|
| Lighting (PAR) | 250–400 PAR, blue-heavy reef lighting |
| Flow | Moderate-to-strong, turbulent, randomized |
| Placement | Upper half of a mature reef aquarium |
| Temperature | 76–79 °F |
| Salinity | 1.025–1.026 |
| Alkalinity | 8–9 dKH |
| Calcium | 400–450 ppm |
| Magnesium | 1300–1400 ppm |
The single most important rule: stability beats perfection. Acropora tolerate a range of numbers but punish swings — pick targets inside these ranges and hold them steady. They are best attempted in a mature, stable system by aquarists already comfortable with SPS husbandry.
Tenuis vs millepora vs speciosa vs grafted — which Acropora is which?
| Type | What sets it apart | Examples in the TIA collection |
|---|---|---|
| Acropora tenuis | Upward branching with prominent axial corallites; famous for layered multi-color "highlighter" palettes | Walt Disney, Iceflower, Candy Delight, Pink Sovereign |
| Acropora millepora | Fuzzy, full polyp coverage that flows in current; rounded bushy colonies | Tropical Fairy, Ruby Red, Strawberry Fields, Mauve Crown |
| Acropora speciosa / striata / selago | Finer branch structure and encrusting bases; less common in collections | Show Maker (speciosa), Ice Breaker (striata), Sunfire Nectar (selago) |
| Grafted Acropora | Multiple color genotypes fused into one coral — several distinct color zones on a single skeleton, with boundaries that move as it grows | Chromaflair, Jekyll & Hyde, Neon Mosaic |
Grafted pieces sit at the top of most SPS collectors' want-lists: a normal Acropora is one color story, a grafted one is a living multi-color mosaic.
Buying a TIA Signature Acropora
Every TIA piece is cut to order from a named mother colony grown in TIA's display system — the photo on each product page shows the mother colony, not a pre-cut frag. After we cut your frag, we send you a video of it, and we recommend allowing about 14 days of heal time before expecting full recovery. Every order is covered by TIA's 3-day live-arrival guarantee, and TIA has grown and named collector corals since 2008.
→ Shop the full Acropora collection
The TIA Signature Acropora collection — every colony's story
Each named colony below has its own article: what it is, its story, and its care.
Grafted (multi-color genotypes on one skeleton): - TIA Signature Chromaflair — grown from three branches into a grafted collector colony - Jekyll & Hyde Grafted Acropora — the colony that regrows the opposite color - TIA Neon Mosaic — grafted tenuis of neon gold and sapphire blue
Tenuis: - TIA Maraschino Tenuis — deep red, colored up over nearly two years - TIA Signature Macaron Sakura Tenuis — golden glow layered with sakura tones - TIA Golden Coin Tenuis — bright gold with green and orange highlights - TIA Signature Fairy Garden Tenuis — pink, green, and blue - TIA Pink Lumina Tenuis — luminous pink from a large, stable colony
Millepora: - TIA Hyper Lemon Sorbet Mille — golden millepora grown since 2022 - TIA Tropical Fairy Millepora — a seven-year colony with long flowing polyps - TIA Salix — the willow-polyp millepora - TIA Mauve Crown — deep crimson with extra-long polyps
Speciosa, striata & selago: - TIA Show Maker Speciosa — encrusted-base Acropora for serious SPS collectors - TIA Ice Breaker — sky-blue and mint Acropora striata - TIA Sunfire Nectar — red-and-yellow Acropora selago
More signature Acropora: - TIA Burning Phoenix — fiery, fast-encrusting lineage - TIA Frosted Blueberry — a true frosted-blue Acropora - TIA Twilight Forest — deep purple, fluorescent green, and sky blue - TIA Bamboo Spark — neon-green polyps on a red-purple base - TIA Stellar Flare — star-bright, fast-encrusting SPS colony - TIA Luma King — radiant golden signature colony
Frequently asked questions
Are Acropora hard to keep? They are the most demanding common reef coral — best attempted in a mature, stable tank by aquarists already comfortable with SPS. The requirements are consistent: strong light (250–400 PAR), strong randomized flow, and stable water chemistry held steady over time.
What PAR do Acropora need? Roughly 250–400 PAR under blue-heavy reef lighting for most colonies. More light is not automatically better — stability and acclimation matter more than chasing peak numbers.
What is the difference between tenuis and millepora? Tenuis grows upward-branching with prominent axial corallites and is famous for layered multi-color palettes; millepora forms bushier colonies with fuzzy, full polyp coverage that flows visibly in current.
What does "grafted" mean in Acropora? Grafting means multiple color genotypes have fused into one coral, carrying several distinct color zones on a single skeleton. The zone boundaries keep moving as the coral grows, so the look keeps evolving.
Do I receive the exact colony in the photos? No — TIA photos show the mother colony. Every piece is cut to order from that colony; after the cut TIA sends a video of your actual frag, and about 14 days of heal time is recommended before expecting full recovery.