Wicked Orchid 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 Wicked Orchid Acro, they are predominatly colored pink with green polyps. This are the water parameters for cultivating Wicked Orchid Acro:

• Calcium: 400 – 450 ppm
• Alkalinity: 3.2 – 4.5 MEQ/L
• Phosphates: 0
• Magnesium: 1350 – 1500
• Strontium: 10

Feeding the Wicked Orchid Acro 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.

A mature tank is highly recommended in propagating Wicked Orchid Acro. 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.

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

Being both a tropical and subtropical species, Wicked Orchid Acro are found in the entire Indo-Pacific region particularly in Fiji, Sulu Sea, Madagascar, Phoenix Island, Marshall Islands and Australia.