How much light and flow does Staghorn coral need?

Stony coral · SPS, very high light at roughly 300–450 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with high flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.

Will Staghorn coral attack neighbouring corals?

It shows no real aggression and can sit close to neighbours, though it still must not be shaded from above.

Does Staghorn coral need feeding?

No. It gets its energy from its symbiotic algae, and extra food only raises nutrients.

What water parameters does Staghorn coral need?

24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.

Is Staghorn coral a good beginner coral?

Difficulty: advanced. Growth: fast. Place it in the midground / specimen. Spacing: leave at least 10 cm to the next colony. It has no sweeper tentacles, but it grows fast enough to shade a neighbour within a couple of months.

G-03 / 01Marine

Staghorn coral鹿角珊瑚

Acropora spp. · Acroporidae

The benchmark SPS coral: fast growing and variable in shape, and the first to bleach when water quality swings.

Illustration to come

G-03 / 01 · Staghorn coral Acropora spp.

SpecificationsCoral atlas

Name: 鹿角珊瑚
Scientific name: Acropora spp.
Family: Acroporidae
Origin: Tropical reefs of the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea and the Maldives
Type: Stony coral · SPS
Light: Very high light
PAR: 300–450
Flow: High flow
Aggression: No aggression
Feeding: No feeding needed
Alkalinity: 7–9 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 mg/L
Magnesium: 1250–1350 mg/L
Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG
Growth: Fast
Placement: Midground / Specimen
Level: Advanced

Water requirementsMarine

Temp.24–26 °C

pH8.1–8.4

Salinity1.024–1.026 SG

Alkalinity7–9 dKH

Units: temperature in °C, hardness in German degrees (dGH / dKH), marine salinity as specific gravity at 25 °C, volume in litres. These are the values recorded for the species and do not follow the site unit switcher.

Keeping notes

1Spacing: leave at least 10 cm to the next colony. It has no sweeper tentacles, but it grows fast enough to shade a neighbour within a couple of months.
2Flow: needs strong, chaotic flow; without it debris collects around the branch bases and tissue recedes from the base up.
3Water tolerance: the most sensitive of all to alkalinity and temperature swings — a daily dKH change above 1 stops growth and can bleach the colony.
4Feeding: light alone is enough. Target feeding is unnecessary, and excess food only raises nutrients and browns the colour.
5Growth form: tables or branches depending on flow and light; frags take very easily and are the main way it is propagated.

Frequently asked questions

How much light and flow does Staghorn coral need?: Stony coral · SPS, very high light at roughly 300–450 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with high flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.
Will Staghorn coral attack neighbouring corals?: It shows no real aggression and can sit close to neighbours, though it still must not be shaded from above.
Does Staghorn coral need feeding?: No. It gets its energy from its symbiotic algae, and extra food only raises nutrients.
What water parameters does Staghorn coral need?: 24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.
Is Staghorn coral a good beginner coral?: Difficulty: advanced. Growth: fast. Place it in the midground / specimen. Spacing: leave at least 10 cm to the next colony. It has no sweeper tentacles, but it grows fast enough to shade a neighbour within a couple of months.