Blue Flame Acro

Acropora sp

Saltwater Coral Species Group: Acropora Family: Acroporidae

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Water parameters

Temp 76-80 F Temperature

Maintaining a stable and appropriate temperature is critical for the survival of aquatic life.

 pH 7.8 - 8.4 potential of Hydrogen

Measuring the acidity or alkalinity of water on a 0–14 scale, where 7 is neutral, 7 is alkaline.

 NO3 1-20 ppm Nitrate

While less toxic than ammonia, high nitrate levels (above 40–80 ppm) are important to monitor because they can cause fish stress, stunted growth, and harmful algae blooms.

 NO2 <0.0001 ppm Nitrite

It is a highly toxic, intermediate compound in the nitrogen cycle produced from broken-down ammonia

 PO4 0.01 - 0.1 ppm Phosphate

It is essential for plant development but must be managed, as excess levels trigger nuisance algae blooms and inhibit coral calcification.

 NH3 <0.1 ppm Ammonia

It is the primary killer of aquarium fish, causing gill damage, stress, and death

 Ca 380 - 450 ppm Calcium

Supporting the growth, skeletal structure, and shell formation of corals, mollusks, crustaceans, and coralline algae

 KH 8 - 12 dKH Alkalinity

It acts as a shield, neutralizing acids to prevent dangerous pH "crashes" that can harm fish, corals, and plants.

 Mg 1200 - 1400 ppm Magnesium

It enables coral growth by supporting skeletal formation, assists in metabolic processes, and ensures that calcium is available for corals, clams, and coralline algae.

 SG 1.023 - 1.026 SG Salinity

Essential for maintaining stable, natural water parameters, proper osmoregulation, and stress-free environments for marine fish and corals

 ORP 250 - 400 mV Oxidation-Reduction Potential

A higher positive mV indicates clean, oxygen-rich water with high water quality, while low readings indicate high pollution.

About Blue Flame Acro

General information

In general, species from Acropora may grow either as a plate, slender or broad branching type of reef building corals. Each branch has several colonies that is composed of several corallites. When undisturb, their polyps will extend. But it will retract and hide inside the pores as a response to water movement or threat by nearby predators. They are common in shallow reefs with good visibility and strong water movement. They are noted as a refuge for small fish.

For the Blue Flame, they are predominatly colored blue white with pink circles at the tips. This are the water parameters for cultivating Blue Flame:

  • Calcium: 400 – 450 ppm
  • Alkalinity: 3.2 – 4.5 MEQ/L
  • Phosphates: 0
  • Magnesium: 1350 – 1500
  • Strontium: 10
  • Temperature: 72° – 78° F (22° – 26° C)
  • Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.024 – 1.025

Diet & nutrition

Feeding the Blue Flame in captivity with nano-zooplankton once a week is recommended. Do not feed them with copepods, artemia and other nauplii as they too large for them to ingest. The addition of dissolved organics is also recommended.

Determining sex

A mature tank is highly recommended in propagating Blue Flame. They require stable tank condition and that a sudden change could lead to stress and death. They are highly sensitive to temperature, sedimentation, chemical and environmental change.

Breeding & spawning

Blue Flame require moderate to intense lighting and strong water flow. They are known to stress out in low light environment and slow water flow.

Origination

Being both a tropical and subtropical species, Blue Flame are found in the entire Indo-Pacific region particularly in Fiji, Sulu Sea, Madagascar, Phoenx Island, Marshall Islands and Australia.

Cautions

You have to watch out for crabs. Except for the commensal crabs, most decapods and other crustaceans do not do well with Blue Flame. Avoid moving them from place to place as this can cause stress and death.

Blue Flame do not have stinging tentacles. But they have digestive strands like Acontia and Terpins that could be released if they are set to nearby corals. They are specifically aggressive to zoanthids and soft leather corals.

Acclimation process

Blue Flame should be carefully acclimated. They should be placed in their permanent position immediately after acclimation. It takes 6 months for them to regain normal growth. They are purely marine, therefore, salinity must be maintained thoroughly at 1.023 to 1.025 specific gravity.

All photos

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