The aquacultured ORA® Green Gem Acropora is a stocky branched coral having extremely bumpy texture and colors of bright green, with corallites having shades of purple depending on lighting conditions. The many corallites are rotund and bulbous. The spectacular mature colony shape is what makes this coral so unique. As it grows, branches fuse together making solid plates and a solid inner core from which the branches extend.

They will thrive in a variety of lighting conditions, ranging from power compacts, T-5s, powerful LEDs and up to the more intense metal halides. The ORA aquacultured corals satisfy most of their nutritional requirements by means of photosynthetic, symbiotic zooxanthellae algae hosted within its body. Under the right conditions, the growth rate of the Acropora coral is much more rapid than most of the other corals found in an established reef aquarium.

To maximize their growth rate, it is imperative to maintain a high pH, alkalinity and calcium levels, and to keep phosphate and nitrate levels as close to zero as possible. If conditions are ideal, these corals can also be cultured and grown into a new colony from living fragments or broken pieces.

Along with lighting and water quality, Acropora corals prefer strong, intermittent water flow within the aquarium. This is best accomplished with a wavemaker and multiple powerheads. Acropora corals receive a majority of their nutritional requirements from photosynthesis but will benefit from the addition of zooplankton.

The ORA Aquacultured Green Gem Acropora coral is attached to a plastic plug and can be easily placed in holes or between the rockwork of the reef aquarium

Approximate Purchase Size: 1″ – 2″