QUICK STATS

Care Level: Moderate to Advanced
Coral Type: SPS / Tabling Acropora
Scientific Name: Commonly associated with Acropora hyacinthus or closely related tabling Acropora species
Temperament: Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive by Growth and Shading
Photosynthetic: Yes
Placement: Middle to Upper Rockwork / High-Light SPS Zone
Lighting: Moderate to High
Water Flow: Strong, Random, Turbulent
Approximate Purchase Size: Varies by Frag or Colony Size
Approximate Max Size: Colony Growth Depends on Stability, Lighting, Flow, Nutrients, and Available Space

RED PLANET ACROPORA HYACINTHUS CORAL

The Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral is a highly recognizable SPS coral known for its tabling growth form, bright red to pink coloration, red polyps, pale new growth tips, and metallic green base. Depending on lighting intensity, nutrients, and placement, it may show shades of red, pink, rose, green, metallic green, cream, white, or deeper maroon across the branches, base, polyps, and growth edges.

This coral is commonly associated with Acropora hyacinthus or closely related tabling Acropora species. It is often sold as Red Planet Acropora or ORA Red Planet Acropora in the reef hobby. Exact species identification can vary, because Acropora taxonomy is less “clean filing cabinet” and more “someone dumped Latin names into a blender and charged collector pricing.”

Red Planet Acropora is popular because it can develop a dramatic plating or tabling growth form and strong red coloration under proper conditions. In lower or moderate light, the coral may retain more of its metallic green base. Under stronger lighting, the green may fade while the red and pink tones become more dominant.

This coral is photosynthetic and receives most of its energy from reef lighting through symbiotic zooxanthellae. It can also benefit from small suspended foods, amino acids, fish waste, and stable nutrient availability. Like most Acropora, it does not want dirty water, but it also does not thrive in sterile instability.

Red Planet Acropora is best suited for established SPS systems with stable alkalinity, strong lighting, high turbulent flow, consistent nutrients, and experienced care. It is hardier than some delicate Acropora once established, but it is still an Acro. It will not politely forgive chaotic parameters just because the frag was expensive.

Note: Image is a representation of what to expect. The coral you receive may vary slightly in size, red intensity, green base expression, pink growth tips, polyp extension, tabling shape, branch thickness, and overall appearance.

AQUARIUM REQUIREMENTS

AQUARIUM SIZE

A minimum aquarium size of 20 gallons or larger is recommended for Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral, though larger mature SPS systems are strongly preferred. Larger aquariums provide better stability, more room for flow design, more consistent nutrient control, and better long-term growth space.

This coral can be grown from a small frag, but it should be planned for as a future tabling colony. As it grows, it may shade nearby corals and expand horizontally across rockwork. A cute little frag can eventually become a red shelf with territorial lighting consequences. Nature does love a slow-motion inconvenience.

PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Red Planet Acropora is best placed on middle to upper rockwork where it receives moderate to high light and strong random flow.

Middle Placement: Good for acclimation or systems with strong lighting.

Upper Placement: Often works well once the coral is acclimated and showing stable color and growth.

High-Light SPS Zone: Best long-term placement in many established SPS systems.

Avoid Immediate Light Shock: Do not place a fresh frag directly under intense lighting without acclimation.

Stable Mounting: Secure the frag firmly with coral glue or epoxy so it does not shift.

Growth Space: Leave room for tabling growth and horizontal expansion.

Shading Awareness: Avoid placing directly above light-demanding corals that may eventually be shaded.

Spacing: Give space from aggressive LPS, encrusting corals, and fast-growing neighbors.

Flow Exposure: Place where water moves across and around the colony, not directly blasting one side only.

A tabling Acropora needs space to grow outward. Do not wedge it into a crowded mixed reef shelf and then act betrayed when it shades half the neighborhood. The coral is literally built like a roof.

WATER PARAMETERS

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral requires stable reef water conditions. Like most Acropora, it is sensitive to rapid changes in alkalinity, salinity, temperature, nutrients, lighting, and flow.

Temperature: 75-79°F
pH Level: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.024-1.026 specific gravity
Alkalinity: 7.5-9 dKH
Calcium: 400-450 ppm
Magnesium: 1250-1350 ppm
Nitrate: 2-10 ppm
Phosphate: 0.03-0.08 ppm

Avoid major alkalinity swings. Stability is more important than chasing a specific number. Many SPS keepers succeed with slightly different targets, but the common thread is consistency.

Red Planet Acropora generally does best with clean but not sterile water. Extremely low nutrients can lead to pale color, poor tissue health, and reduced growth. Excess nutrients can brown the coral, fuel algae, or reduce coloration. Reefkeeping, naturally, has chosen the most annoying middle ground possible.

LIGHTING

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral prefers moderate to high reef lighting. Lighting strongly influences coloration. Under stronger lighting, the coral may become more red or pink. Under lower or moderate lighting, the green base may become more visible.

LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS

Starting PAR: Start around 150-250 PAR when newly added, especially if freshly shipped or coming from lower light.

Target PAR: Many Red Planet Acropora frags do well around 250-400 PAR once acclimated.

High-Coloration Range: Some established colonies may be kept around 350-500 PAR in mature SPS systems, but this should only be done with careful acclimation and stable parameters.

Light Acclimation: Increase lighting slowly over several days to weeks.

Blue-Heavy Spectrum: A blue-heavy reef spectrum can enhance red, pink, green, and metallic contrast.

Green Base Expression: The green base may become stronger in lower or moderate light.

Red Expression: Higher light often encourages stronger red and pink coloration.

Too Much Light: Signs may include bleaching, pale tissue, burnt tips, reduced polyp extension, or tissue recession.

Too Little Light: Signs may include browning, weak growth, dull color, or excessive green with reduced red intensity.

Do not blast a new Red Planet frag with maximum PAR because an internet photo looked radioactive. That is not coloration strategy. That is a photon mugging with a frag plug.

WATER FLOW

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral requires strong, random, turbulent flow. Flow is essential for gas exchange, nutrient delivery, waste removal, and healthy growth.

FLOW RECOMMENDATIONS

Ideal Flow: Strong, random, turbulent flow.

Avoid Constant Direct Blast: Do not point a powerhead directly at the coral from one direction all day.

Crossflow: Multiple flow sources or alternating flow patterns are ideal.

Surface Movement: Strong surface agitation supports oxygen exchange.

Detritus Prevention: Flow should prevent debris from settling between branches and around the base.

Growth Shape: Flow can influence branch thickness and tabling form.

Colony Development: As the coral grows into a table, flow must still reach the center and underside of the colony.

Strong flow is not optional for long-term success. A tabling Acropora in weak flow becomes a detritus shelf with ambition, which is somehow even less useful than it sounds.

DIET

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral is primarily photosynthetic, but it can benefit from small suspended foods and stable nutrient availability.

PRIMARY DIET

Photosynthesis: Strong reef lighting provides most of the coral’s energy.

Fish Waste: A healthy fish population can provide dissolved and particulate nutrition.

Small Planktonic Foods: Very small zooplankton-style foods may be captured.

Powdered Coral Foods: Fine SPS coral foods can be used lightly.

Amino Acids: Optional, but may support coloration and polyp extension in some systems.

Reef Nutrition Products: Small-particle foods may be used as part of broadcast feeding.

Stable Nutrients: Moderate nitrate and phosphate availability supports tissue health and coloration.

Trace Elements: Regular water changes or balanced supplementation can support growth and coloration.

FEEDING FREQUENCY

Direct target feeding is usually unnecessary. Broadcast feeding 1-2 times per week may be beneficial in very clean systems, but avoid overfeeding.

Acropora polyps are small. They are not waiting for a chunk of shrimp like a torch coral with a gym membership. Feed fine foods lightly, keep nutrients stable, and let the coral do the Acropora thing without turning the tank into soup.

COMPATIBILITY

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral works best in SPS-dominant or carefully planned mixed reef aquariums.

COMMON TANK MATES

Fish: Reef-safe fish such as wrasses, tangs, rabbitfish, clownfish, gobies, blennies, anthias, cardinalfish, and other peaceful to semi-peaceful reef fish.

Use Caution: Angelfish, butterflyfish, filefish, puffers, and other fish known to nip SPS corals.

Invertebrates: Generally safe with cleaner shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, and common reef-safe invertebrates.

Coral: Compatible with many SPS, Montipora, other Acropora, select LPS, zoanthids, and soft corals if spacing, flow, and chemical filtration are managed.

Avoid Direct Contact: Do not allow it to touch neighboring corals.

Chemical Competition: Use activated carbon and strong filtration in mixed reefs with leathers, soft corals, and SPS.

CORAL SPACING

Use caution around:

Torches
Hammers
Frogspawn
Galaxea
Chalices
Favias
Favites
Acans
Lobophyllia
Scolymia
Acanthophyllia
Trachyphyllia
Pectinia
Aggressive encrusting corals
Fast-growing Montipora
Soft leathers
Anemones

Red Planet Acropora does not have long sweeper tentacles like many LPS corals, but it can compete through growth and shading. Nearby aggressive corals can also damage it quickly. SPS may look polite, but reef tanks are just colorful conflict management with alkalinity testing.

BEHAVIORAL NOTES

Temperament: Generally peaceful by sting, but can compete through growth and shading.

Growth Pattern: Tabling, plating, or branching-table growth depending on flow, light, and frag shape.

Coloration: Commonly red, pink, green, metallic green, cream, white, and maroon depending on lighting and nutrients.

Green Base: Often stronger under moderate light and may fade under intense lighting.

Red Color: Often stronger under higher light and stable nutrients.

Growth Tips: New growth may appear pale pink, cream, or white.

Polyp Extension: Red polyps may extend during the day or more strongly at night depending on fish activity and flow.

Fast Growth Potential: Can grow quickly once established in a stable SPS system.

Shading Risk: Tabling growth can shade nearby corals as the colony expands.

Frag Sensitivity: Fresh frags may take time to encrust before vertical or outward growth accelerates.

Encrusting Base: A healthy frag should begin encrusting onto the plug or rock before major branch growth.

Stability Dependence: Alkalinity swings, nutrient crashes, temperature spikes, and salinity changes can cause rapid decline.

Pest Awareness: Inspect carefully for Acropora-eating flatworms, red bugs, nudibranchs, eggs, algae, vermetid snails, and other pests.

Handling: Handle by the plug or dead skeleton when possible. Avoid touching living tissue.

RTN/STN Risk: Rapid or slow tissue necrosis can occur after stress, pests, instability, or damage.

Trade Name Reality: Red Planet Acropora is a trade-name strain. Exact species identification, color balance, table shape, and growth speed can vary between sources and systems.

Placement Reality: Give it strong light, strong random flow, stable alkalinity, measurable nutrients, and room to table. Ignore those basics and the coral may turn into a very expensive lesson with red branding.

HEALTH AND COMMON ISSUES

Red Planet Acropora hyacinthus Coral can be hardy for an Acropora once established, but it still requires close attention.

COMMON HEALTH CONCERNS

Bleaching: Often caused by excessive light, light shock, nutrient starvation, or stress.

Browning: Can happen under lower light, elevated nutrients, or unstable conditions.

Burnt Tips: Often associated with alkalinity swings, excessive light, or nutrient imbalance.

STN: Slow tissue necrosis may occur from instability, pests, poor flow, or stress.

RTN: Rapid tissue necrosis can happen quickly and may require immediate fragging of healthy tissue.

Pest Damage: Acropora-eating flatworms and red bugs can cause poor extension, bite marks, fading, and tissue loss.

Base Recession: Can result from shading, detritus buildup, pests, instability, or poor flow.

Algae on Skeleton: Indicates dead or damaged areas where algae can take hold.

Poor Polyp Extension: May be caused by pests, fish nipping, flow issues, unstable parameters, or nighttime-only extension.

Color Loss: Often tied to lighting, nutrients, trace elements, or stress.

WHEN TO TAKE ACTION

Take action if you see rapid tissue loss, spreading white skeleton, bite marks, flatworm eggs, red bugs, burnt tips, sudden bleaching, or tissue recession from the base.

Early correction matters. Waiting for an Acropora to “figure it out” is how reef keepers convert premium SPS into white sticks, then blame the moon, trace elements, or whatever forum thread sounded confident that week.

ACCLIMATION PROCESS

This acclimation method helps reduce stress by gradually introducing the coral to your aquarium’s temperature, lighting, and water chemistry.

1. DIM THE LIGHTS

Turn down aquarium lights or start the coral lower in the tank. This helps reduce light shock during the first few days.

2. FLOAT THE BAG

Float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to allow the temperature in the bag to equalize with the tank.

3. OPEN BAG, ADD CORAL TO CONTAINER

Carefully open the bag and transfer the coral and shipping water into a clean container. Handle the frag by the plug or skeleton when possible.

4. ACCLIMATE USING TANK WATER

Add small amounts of tank water to the container every few minutes for 20-30 minutes, especially if salinity differs between the shipping water and aquarium.

5. CORAL DIP

Use an SPS-safe coral dip according to product instructions. Inspect carefully for Acropora-eating flatworms, red bugs, eggs, nudibranchs, algae, vermetid snails, tissue damage, and exposed skeleton.

6. RINSE IN CLEAN TANK WATER

After dipping, gently rinse the frag in clean tank water before placement. Do not pour dip water into the aquarium.

7. PLACE IN LOWER TO MIDDLE LIGHT FIRST

Start the frag in moderate light and strong indirect flow. Avoid immediate placement under maximum lighting.

8. LIGHT ACCLIMATE

Gradually move the coral upward or increase light intensity over several days to weeks if needed.

9. SECURE THE FRAG

Glue or epoxy the frag firmly so it cannot fall, shift, or get knocked over by fish, snails, or your own deeply questionable hand placement.

10. WATCH FOR ENCRUSTING

Healthy Red Planet Acropora should begin encrusting onto the plug or rock once settled. Growth may start slowly before accelerating.

11. MONITOR CLOSELY

Watch for bleaching, browning, burnt tips, tissue recession, pests, poor polyp extension, and color shift. Stability is the whole game here. The coral is not being dramatic. It is just an Acropora, which is somehow worse.