Acropora Tenuis Coral (Acropora tenuis) is a branching Indo-Pacific reef coral represented here by a source-identified corallite record from Torres Strait.
See Acropora Tenuis Coral clearly
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Responsible care profile
This commonly traded Acropora still requires verified identity, documented origin, pest quarantine, and gradual photoacclimation. Any displayed preferred aquarium volume is an MLL planning example, not a demonstrated species minimum; size the permanent placement for the actual colony, growth and maintenance access.
The structured record includes multiple references and at least one dedicated aquarium-care source.
6 referenced sources- Care level
- Advanced
- Minimum volume
- Not specified in current guidance
- Preferred volume
- 125.5 US gal (475 L)
- Adult size
- Not specified in current record
- Reef compatibility
- Reef-Safe with Caution
- Temperament
- Fast growing stinging stony coral
- Social plan
- single documented colony with growth space
- Minimum footprint
- 120 × 50 cm / 47.2 × 19.7 in mature SPS reef
Water
Existing profile husbandry guidance — not a species-specific experimental optimum · Profile husbandry ranges are planning guidance, not demonstrated physiological limits. No different calcium or magnesium target is inferred from a trade colour name.
- Temperature
- 75.2–80.6 °F (24–27 °C)
- Salinity / specific gravity
- 1.024–1.026 SG
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Calcium
- 400–450 ppm
- Alkalinity
- 7.5–9 dKH
- Magnesium
- 1250–1400 ppm
Habitat
Placement: middle to upper reef with strong random flow · stable permanent mount; high measured reef lighting; wide branching growth envelope
Spacing: Allow for branch extension, shading and contact aggression. Allow full tissue expansion and future growth. Check night-time sweeper or filament reach, including downstream neighbours, and increase clearance if contact is possible. No universal safe distance applies.
stable permanent mount; high measured reef lighting; wide branching growth envelope.
Not applicable; keep every branch in oxygenated moving water.
Light: High, stable reef lighting after gradual acclimation.
Flow: Strong random turbulent flow without a constant tissue-stripping jet.
Feeding
photosymbiotic planktivore · Stable light and dissolved nutrients are foundational; occasional fine marine plankton may supplement growth. · Food options: fine marine plankton · Prioritize stable alkalinity, temperature and salinity over chasing rapid growth.
Compatibility
Allow for branch extension, shading and contact aggression.
Avoid or assess carefully: corallivorous fish, stinging neighbouring corals, unstable new aquariums.
What the evidence establishes
Coral editorial batch 3: targeted source/wording corrections; this date does not validate every numerical range or establish full lifetime care.
Acclimation and quarantine
Require lawful provenance, quarantine and inspect for flatworms, red bugs and tissue loss; acclimate light gradually.
Stocking safeguards
Aquarium setting: Home aquarium. Starvation risk: moderate.
After chemistry, flow and lighting remain stable for an extended period.
- No immature or chemically unstable aquarium
- No undocumented CITES origin
- No placement without pest quarantine
Special risks
- Rapid tissue necrosis
- Acropora-eating flatworms
- Red bugs
- Light shock
- Regulated trade
Habitat and Distribution
A branching Indo-Pacific reef coral represented here by a source-identified corallite record from Torres Strait. Its documented range includes Indo-Pacific, Australia, Torres Strait.
Feeding and Ecological Role
Receives most energy from photosynthetic symbionts and also captures plankton and suspended material.
Conservation and Responsible Sourcing
Consult current conservation and CITES sources and verify collection origin. Verify legal origin, collection method, and current trade requirements before acquisition.
Distribution & Habitat
Its recorded distribution includes the broad tropical Indo-Pacific. Its habitat includes upper reef slopes and shallow subtidal reef flats, commonly around 3 to 20 m.
Natural History
It forms branching colonies with an encrusting base and is a member of a morphologically variable species complex in which field identification can require care.
Conservation Context
Endangered (IUCN A3ce; SeaLifeBase 2025-2 context, assessed 27 April 2023). International trade is monitored under CITES Appendix II.
Editorial and Source Review
Reviewed 2026-10-20 in coral batch 3. Editorial structure, source support and photographic identity are separate checks; this review does not certify every biological claim or specimen identification.
Image confidence: Source-assigned identity retained; independent species diagnosis not established.. Local contact sheet batch-03-contact.jpg examined for gross mismatch and image context; source filenames and credits are provenance evidence, not diagnostic proof.
Image review limits
- gallery[1] is remote-only in supplied record and was not visually inspected: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Redirect/file/Acropora%20tenuis,%20Samoa.jpg
Review findings
- The species-complex caveat is appropriate. The aquarium-context sentence refers readers to an unexplained BCDE record and says WWF, without giving usable guidance; replace with the source-scoped practical guidance already supplied.
- The 285-litre minimum has no matched supporting minimum-space evidence in the supplied citations. Remove it as a verified minimum; retain qualitative clearance guidance and the preferred-volume planning example with explicit scope.
Evidence still needed
- A source-matched minimum lifetime enclosure has not been established; assess the actual colony and growth envelope.
- A remote Samoa photograph was not inspected; source-assigned A. tenuis should be reassessed against the modern species complex before treating it as a diagnosed occurrence.
A living record
Taxonomy is checked against WoRMS and species context against Corals of the World; trade language points to the current CITES Appendices. Generic Acropora photographs remain genus-bound and are not assigned to species from appearance alone. Public content last reviewed October 20, 2026.
- World Register of Marine Species — Acropora tenuis ↗Taxonomic authority
- Corals of the World — Acropora tenuis ↗Scientific reference
- CITES Appendices ↗International treaty authority
- SeaLifeBase ↗Reference source