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FAQs about Acroporid Coral Identification
Related Articles: Acroporids,
SPS Corals, Related FAQs:
Acroporids 1, Acroporids 2,
Acroporid Behavior, Acroporid
Selection, Acroporid Compatibility,
Acroporid Feeding, Acroporid Disease,
Acroporid Systems, Acroporid
Reproduction, Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral System
Lighting, Stony Coral Identification,
Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, | 
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Acropora I'd 7/4/09
Hello crew,
<Kiet>
First off, I hope you guys/gals have a happy and safe 4th.
<Thus far...>
On to my question, I recently purchased a starter colony of this Acropora
and was wondering if you could help I'd it. My initial guesses are that it
is either an Acropora valida
<Mmm... maybe this, or A. tenuis, or...?>
or Staghorn.
<? The common name for the family?>
The first picture is of the colony and the second is a close up of a frag I
took off of it. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Kiet
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/acropt2.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
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Acropora Yongei??? 4/6/2009
Please help me identify this Acropora I purchased today at MAX in Southern
CA.
<Mmm, I was there both days>
It was sold to me as a Yellow Acro. The guys couldn't tell me what type of
Acro, he said he doesn't know much about sps. He did say it was aquacultured
in Bali. The more I look at it I think it is just a faded out
Bali Green Slimer or Acropora Yongei. Please see the attached pictures and
your opinion is appreciated. I was hoping maybe it was a nobilis or
formosa.... but now Yongei is definitely crossing my mind.
<I do agree... this could be Acropora yongei. Bob Fenner>
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Acropora Question…Coloring Up – 10/09/08 Hello Crew!
<<Hiya John!>> I hope that all is well. <<Not bad, thanks>>
I have a question about Acro coloration. <<Okay>> I know that
it is common for the bright colors found on Acro tips to fade to
brown or green during shipping/time spent in poor lighting at a LFS.
<<Among other factors, yes (water quality, nutrient
concentration/availability, allelopathy, etc.)>> Anyway, I
purchased a small Acro colony about 30 days ago. It was completely
brownish/red when purchased. Now, about 3.5 weeks later, the tips
seem to be turning blue. <<Excellent>> Is this possible?
<<Indeed it is…and is what most hobbyists are wishing for/expecting
when purchasing such corals>> Could this have been a blue-tipped
Acro that turned 100% brown due to poor lighting @ the LFS? <Or
for other reasons mentioned…yes, absolutely>> If so, is it
possible for the tips to turn blue after only three and a half
weeks? <<Certainly… These corals will generally begin to “color
up” quite rapidly…if they are going to at all…though this can be
affected by differences among species, and likely more so due to
differences in conditions of the systems in which they are kept
(i.e. – a brightly colored coral in one tank turns brown, in
another…or vice-versa)>> My concern here is bleaching. <<How
so?>> My water quality is good (<1ppm nitrate and phosphate,
<<The life in your tank requires both of these, and some hobbyists
even dose Sodium Nitrate to feed/improve the color of their Acropora
colonies. The Nitrate level you show is fine in my opinion (even
beneficial), and while it doesn’t have to read “0” this much
Phosphate may prove problematic…I would take steps to reduce this to
less than half this reading>> undetectable ammonia and nitrite,
water a bit warm at 80 degrees [Florida summer] <<80F is fine in
my estimation>> and small bioload). I have a 120 with a
foam/cement background, crushed coral, remote DSB, sump w/filter
sock for mechanical filtration, and skimmer. I am currently running
two 250W metal halides with 14K bulbs. The Acro has high placement
in the tank, about 3/4 of the way to the top. I do target feed about
twice a week. I will attach some before and after pics. Sorry, they
are not the greatest. <<I see these…and this coral looks fine.
The lightened tips are due to new growth of this coral…nothing to be
concerned with>> Thanks for everything that you guys do...
<<We’re happy to share>> you're true heroes to the aquatic
community. <<Ah! Thank you for the kind words>> Also, do you
know what the exact species is? -John Patten <<Not exactly,
no. I think it’s possible it is A. valida (like this one here:
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/Picture%2034%20-%20Acropora%20valida.jpg),
but perusing pictures at some of the retail sites may give you a
better “general” idea. A more exact ID would require close
examination of the coral’s skeletal structure. Eric Russell>> |  |
Montipora capricornis Compatibility 03/31/2008 Hey Crew.
<<Good Morning, Andrew today>> I hope the mice aren't playing too
much while the cat is away. I have a "professional compatibility
opinion" question for you. I was in my LFS today and noticed a very
nice (4" wide and 6" long) coral that I believe to be a Montipora
capricornis. (See attached picture--do you agree?). <<Agreed>>
This coral is in the "all corals in this tank are $25" tank. I couldn't
believe the LFS is selling this for only $25 as I've seen similar corals
demanding much higher prices, so I asked one of the clerks why it was so
cheap and he said that they are trying to get rid of it because it's
been at the store for over 2 weeks with no takers. He tells me that it
is an aquacultured "cup coral" that doesn't have the coloring that most
people like. This coral would look great in my tank, so I came home and
did some research on compatibility and am a little concerned about its
ability to survive/thrive given my other animals (mostly, my
Corallimorphs). I have a 110 gallon display with 95 lbs of LR and a 30
gallon refugium (DSB, 10 lbs LR, and large clump of Chaeto). Lighting is
2x250W HQIs (20,000K) driven by 2 IceCap ballasts and 4x65W actinic PCs.
My circulation is about 15 x per hour between my return pump and my
internal power heads. My coral livestock list is as follows:
Corallimorphs (positioned throughout my tank): 8 small green hairy
mushrooms on one rock 8 medium green Rhodactis mushrooms on one rock
1 small purple Rhodactis mushroom 14 small red mushrooms spread
throughout my tank 1 medium orange Ricordea mushroom 3 small cream
colored mushrooms on one piece of Tonga branch Soft Corals: 2
large colonies Pulsing Xenia 2 large Capnellas 1 large
Dendronephthya (9 months and thriving!) 1 large red pipe organ
(Tubipora musica) LPS: 1 Pacific Open Brain (Trachyphyllia) 5
polyps candy cane coral (Caulastrea echinulata). I run two 1-cup
portions of activated carbon in my sump that I change out every 2 weeks
to help reduce any allelopathy. At $25, this isn't a huge investment
by any stretch, but I don't want to purchase this coral only to put it
in an environment in which it won't thrive or survive. There is an empty
spot about half way up my tank that is in a relatively high-flow area
that would be a perfect spot for this coral. What do you think?
<<Given enough space / distance between this and other corals, I see no
reason why you could not house this in your system>> Thanks for your
insight/thoughts! Andy <<Thanks for questions, hope this helps. A
Nixon>>
Re: Montipora capricornis Compatibility 04/01/2008 Andrew,
<<Andy>> Someone opined to me that this coral is a Merulina ampliata,
not a Monti cap, but the pictures of Merulina that I've been able to
find don't resemble this coral. However, after reading WWM and
elsewhere, the ridges on this coral make me wonder whether it may be a
Merulina, but . . . Any thoughts on the proper ID of this coral and,
if a Merulina, any difference in your original opinion that it should do
okay in my display? Closer pic is here:
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/abulgin/DSC_0654.jpg
<<Ampilata do not roll up as the Monti Cap does. Its a more flat plating
coral. I will stick with Montipora Capricornis>> Thanks again!
Andy <<Thanks for the follow and query. A Nixon>>
Re: Montipora capricornis Compatibility – 04/1/08 Andrew,
<<Hello again>> Thanks for the reply. This picture is what got me
thinking maybe we were wrong:
http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/201-300/Pix/240-02.htm <<I
still feel confident of this being a Monti cap. If you review the
following photo's of the Merulina ampliata, to me, I can see the
difference..
http://www.reef-guardian.com/fiches-coraux-pic-76.html ..Flat, not rose,
higher pronounced ridges.>> <<Thanks, A Nixon>> | 
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Acro ID... and high alk. -12/26/07 Good Morning team.
Pierre here. <Hi, Sara here.> Just obtained some nice Christmas
frags and wanted your help in identifying one of them. Here are two
pictures. The second shows it in better focus in the upper left corner
of the monti. <I'm sorry, there's no way I could ID these corals
without a very good, close up picture of the bare coral skeleton. Sorry,
that's just the way it is with most Acropora family coral IDs.> Also
wanting my Acros to color up a little better but fear my carbonate
hardness may be wreaking havoc. <Don't worry so much about color
right now, worry about polyp extension and overall health. Coral colors
can change, but we still don't know exactly why or how enough to
intelligently try and consistently induce one color over another.>
I've been trying to bring it down doing weekly water changes with
Instant Ocean mix, but the fresh mixed water's alkalinity is high (over
10dKH) when I test it. <Why aren't you using RO/DI water?> Fresh
water is mixed and circulated for 24hrs before change is performed. I
tried bringing it down using the club soda/seltzer water method but it
didn't seem to work. Any ideas? <Hmm... this is one reason why most
all reef aquarists use RO/DI filtered (or distilled) fresh water to
start with.> The tank is 125 gallons with a 55 gallon tank as a sump
that houses my skimmer, which flows through a bubble trap into my
refugium (which is on a reverse light cycle), then into my return.
Lighting is 2- 400 watt 20k Hamilton Metal Halides placed about 10"
above the water's surface. Temp control is with a 1/3 hp Current Prime
chiller. Here are my parameters. ph 8.4 day/ 8.2 night alkalinity
12 dKH magnesium 1500 ppm calcium 400 ppm nitrites 0
nitrates 0 I also don't have a lot of fish so my nitrate stays
undetectable, could this also be leading to the lack of color from my
Acros? <Hmm, no, as far as I know, most Acropora sp. we get for the
hobby prefer low nutrient environments.> My tank has been set up and
running and most of the coral added since April of this year.
<Usually, it's recommended you wait at least a year before attempting to
keep Acropora sp. coral, but that's not a hard rule and I guess you're
close enough.> I also have some beautiful Monti Capricornis and
Pocillopora Damicornis which are colored nicely. Circulation is provided
by my return head Rio 2500+, with head pressure running around 400gph
and an in tank Rio 2100. Growth from all species is decent but not
stunning. <Please feel encouraged to search the site for more
detailed information on how to best care for all these animals.>
Thanks crew. Look forward to your answer. <Best, Sara M.>
Re: Acro ID 12/26/07 Thanks for your reply Sara. I did forget to
tell you that all my top off and water changes are made using RO/DI
water from my own home system. <Huh... that's odd. RO/DI water
should be nearly pure and not have any alkalinity to speak of.> I
also have a TDS meter that monitors the output. All the cartridges and
filters are less than a month old. I also dose Kalk with my top off
although I've cut down on the amount while trying to fix my alkalinity
issue. <Ok, that should help.> I've also noticed lately that the
Instant Ocean mix has been rendering a high alkalinity. I'm at a loss
trying to get these numbers back down to normal. <Hmm... if you
suspect the salt mix, maybe try a different one. Instant Ocean, is
notoriously inconsistent. One bag might be great, the next maybe not so
much. In fact, you might even just try getting a different bag of
Instant Ocean. Or better yet, have you tried Reef Crystals? It's made by
the same company as IO, but it's formulated a little better for reef
tanks.> The alkalinity test I'm using is a Salifert and I've tested
it on completely fresh RO/DI water and it reacts immediately reading 0
dKH. <Oh, I'm sorry, in the previous email I thought you were saying
that your freshwater was starting out at 10dKH (which just didn't make
any sense). Sorry about that... so, now I would especially suspect your
salt mix.> The tank itself has been set up for over two years. At
that point I had minimal PC lighting (384 watts) and was just housing
some soft corals and mushrooms. I've just started keeping SPS and LPS
since April when I had the metal halide lighting situated. I'll wait for
the corals to seek their own ground with coloring. <Good idea... if
you want my personal opinion, I suspect that feeding also affects
coloration (perhaps as much, if not more so, than lighting).> Should
I not waste any more time with the club soda method to try to bring my
alkalinity down? <Yes, I'd stop that for now and try switching salt
mixes. Do water changes with half old and half new salt first though (to
"acclimate" to the new mix). See if that doesn't help.> Polyp
extension has been very good with lights on or off. Thanks again. You
ladies/gents are fantastic and I love the site. <Thank you :-)
Best, Sara M.> |  |
A. palmata? Elkhorn coral? 3/5/07 Bob, I got two colonies of a
very odd brown coral from a friend whose tank has been up for a
while. he got it from another guy way back etc etc. goes back to when
Elkhorn wasn't considered endangered or threatened. <The whole
planet is human-endangered... some spots, biotopes, species more than
others is all> he said it was Elkhorn. and the way he coral is
growing it certainly looks like Elkhorn. Who do we know who could
positively ID these two colonies if i sent a frag or high resolution
images? Eric B maybe? or Anthony?
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/JagerE/tank%20shots%203-3-07/PICT0037.jpg
<For?> I know the picture isn't good. here are some others that i
got as soon as i had the colonies before they colored up.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/JagerE/lisa%20the%20puffer%20album/DSCF0078.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/JagerE/lisa%20the%20puffer%20album/DSCF0073.jpg
the last one is behind the staghorn coral. Id try to take better
pictures but the camera is on hiatus with my brother. ideas?
<Does look like an Acropora species... but not A. palmata to me... the
termini of this species tend to be flattened out, blade-like when at
this size... See the attached pic. BobF> | 
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Re: a. palmata? Elkhorn coral? 3/5/07 Thanks Bob, i was trying
to ID closely what it is for my reef club whom am fragging pieces out
for propagation purposes. easier to keep records of who has what etc
when you have names to go with the corals. <Ah yes> whose tank
is that piece in the photo you attached? tis a gorgeous coral
Thanks again Justin <Mmm, don't know... I only label by date
made and what part of the world... AQ for aquariums everywhere. B> |
Re: a. palmata? Elkhorn coral? 3/5/07 For what it is
worth...it looks to be A. Elkhorn. Captive grown species tend to be
very brittle and small like the piece shown. Wild specimens tend to
be much thicker and look different. Used to have a thin specimen
that grew like a weed! It would always break and the pieces would
grow up in no time. Beautiful coral none the less. Enjoy!
Cheers! Dr. J / Justin <Will accrue. B> |
Re: a. palmata? Elkhorn coral? 3/5/07 I'm sorry... I have
to say it. Even from the blur of an image (dreadful pic quality) I
cannot see anything that even remotely suggests that this coral is
an Atlantic Elkhorn Acro. To ID any species by image is generally
irresponsible, but in this case with Elkhorn being so unique in
morphology... its rather easy. Making the matter easier
is: 1) the water flow required to grow Elkhorn in
aquaria is so strong that it would literally peel the tissue off
of most any other coral you'll keep. Instead... they simply have
dismal survivability (read... less than six months) because no
tank really can produce/provide that much water flow. You cannot
name one public aquarium that has these corals thriving. A.
cervicornis yes... but not palmata. 2) the story about
these corals being "grandfathered" before legal collection was
stopped is even less believable than the Easter bunny. Check the
dates when that occurred my friends... decades ago. Marine
aquarists were using air lifts for water movement back then ;)
Instead... some nefarious or at least ignorant person cracked
open a book and saw a pic of a branching Acro that was really
"rare" (Atlantic) and pitched that hooey :p Bobster...
do you want the pleasure of telling these folks how many
described species of Acros there are :D <Several
hundred according to J.E.N. (Charley Veron). RMF>
Ahhh... we have some zeros on that number, folks. Once
they have been grown in captivity, their skeletal structure
changes and they cannot be IDed to species. So says Veron and
colleagues FWIW (a lot BTW). Anthony |
Re: A. palmata? Elkhorn coral? Hooey!!!!!!!! 3/5/07
Justin, Are you really even confident that it is an Acropora?
It is hard to pick out axial corallites in your pic. There are
some sort of lumpy-bumpy Montiporas with flattened branches that get
called "Elkhorn". If it is an Acropora, there are certainly
Indo-Pacific species that form solid plates, "moose antler" and other
vaguely Elkhorn type growth forms. FWIW... for a variety of reasons
in addition to those stated by Anthony, I agree that the possibility of
A. palmata being maintained in captivity is vanishingly small. The
last time I was there, the aquarium in John Pennekamp (sp?) park in the
Keys was very successfully growing A. cervicornis from fragments
collected at boat groundings. They were running semi-open systems.
They said they had zero success with A. Palmata in their systems and
they even had poor success when they attached frags on the reef.
It is definitely a demanding critter! Best Regards, AdamC
Re: a. palmata? Elkhorn coral? Hooey!!!!!!!! 3/5/07 you
are welcome my friend... and my apologize if the message last night was
brusque. It was a long day of email as y'all are familiar with :)
But truly... I get chided when I see coral sellers exploit the
eagerness of buyers with flat out lies about corals that are not
actually "rare" in the wild (though they label them so... like the
acans, Ricordea, Montis, etc)... and in this case, an illegal coral.
Creepier still are the dregs that poach corals and call them
"limited edition." Ewwwww. The reality of palmata's challenges in
captivity are so extreme (truly) that you can literally say that if the
suspected coral has been alive and growing for even a few months
next to other acros... then its not palmata. FWIW Anthony
Calfo
ID Of Montipora And Anemone - 8/10/2006 Hi! Could you
please help me confirm the species of these two animals (see two
attached files). One was sold to me as Macrodactyla doreensis, but I
have a doubt. The other one is an unidentified Montipora. <The
anemone appears to be a doreensis or Corkscrew Anemone. The
Montipora looks like a type of capricornis.> Thanks! <You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Dominique | 
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Algae Over-Growing M. capricornis? - 03/30/06 Hello,
<<Howdy>> I looked for an answer to my question but couldn't find
what I am searching for. I hope you can help. <<Me too <grin>.>>
I have a Montipora capricornis that is supposed to be orange but it has
a layer of green algae on it. <<?!>> I have tried blowing it off
with a powerhead and gently rubbing it off but have had no luck. How do
you get algae off a piece of SPS coral? I don't have an algae problem
in particular and it seems that the Montipora is its attachment point of
interest. <<I'm having trouble envisioning this Pete...algae won't
"normally" overgrow the healthy living tissue. Are you certain this
coral is still alive? And not to be funny but...are you certain this
isn't a "green" Monti? I might be better able to help if you can
provide a sharp close-up photo (.jpg or .bmp format of no more than a
couple hundred KB in size) so I can see what you're dealing with.>>
Thanks in advance for your reply. Pete <<Regards, EricR>>
Acropora IDs 8/6/05 Hi, <Hello> Can someone please
help me identify the 2 Acropora species on the attachment? I
received this picture from graf.com. Thanks Mohamed
<Not from this pic. Take a look at Veron's works and you'll
understand why. Bob Fenner> | 
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Acro ID ok, thanks...but in the mean time after looking at some
old issues of FAMA have determined that my Acro is more structurally
similar to valida rather gemmifera <good luck on morphological
second-guessing this genus... time for genetic mapping/karyoptyping>
, which is a relief considering the lack of adaptability you claim
gemmifera exhibits in captivity <just an average...> ... there is NO
sign of my polyps. the tissue is living and completely covering the
skeleton and even the hunk of rock that accompanied it, except the
polyps structures seem empty...hollow almost... the axial corallites
are big and way out, and haven't faded like the rest of the colony. I
checked the tank every hour all evening , and they were still
recessed, even where the previous dark color remains intact...hold
on, going to check again...nope, still no sign of any extension. and
here its 9:00 PM. and during the course of the day, the tissue
darkened just a scoshe (scientific unit of visual color/light
spectrum reflected from living organisms under the
refractive/reflective qualities of water - ok, for lack of better
description of the amount of color change, I made that one up)<actually,
taksan scant transliteration... wakarimasuka nijongo?... of a Japanese
diminutive> ...just had an epiphany...WHEN I succeed in having this
Acropora thrive grow and regain all its glorious color, I want to
take genetically identical frags in separate <ate> systems, and
publish findings of experiments with the function equations and
pigmentation along with the most efficient/appropriate filtration
(adding other species along the way)...oh the possibilities are
pooling like phosphates! - maybe even write a book. OR A COLLEGE
THESIS! what stroke! Your input through experience and further
education would be greatly appreciated (any suggestions on how to set
up the experimentation systems, etc?) Anyway, any help you could
offer with the situation at hand would be even more appreciated
thanks again, Chris >> <Wowzah, glad to... time for many rep.s and
a trip or two to the S. Pacific... and much discussion of experimental
models... just hold on in the meanwhile... we are stuck in the analog
one-time through treadmill... as you know. Bob Fenner>
Picture of unknown SPS coral Sorry the picture isn't too clear.
I'd like to identify the coral if possible. Any help would be
appreciated. <Looks like a species of Montipora, of the family
Acroporidae... here's a link/URL to the part of our site with images of
this genus: http://wetwebmedia.com/acropori.htm Bob Fenner>
Thanks, Todd Unidentified Coral - Montipora SPS Hi
guys, not sure who'll be responding so I'll address in plural. <and
if necessary, I'll answer in stereo...> I've been reading and
appreciating your FAQs for a few months now (ever since I started my
reef project about 3 months now) and was wondering if you might be able
to help me identify this coral I saw at the LFS. The owner said it MIGHT
be a type of Acropora but it doesn't match any of the photos I find to
my satisfaction. <close.... it is in the family (an Acroporid), but
it appears to be a Montipora... likely M. digitata> I was thinking
maybe it was a type of Anacropora or even Montipora. <bingo on the
latter... and one of the hardiest SPS around. Very adaptable to a wide
range of light and water flow. Like all SPS it needs very consistent
calcium and alkalinity dosing though. Weekly testing, daily dosing as
necessary to maintain in optimal health. Really a very hardy species
though. Fast grower once established too. This specimen has seen better
days but certainly can recover> This specimen has some bleaching in
its center that I think may be due to close proximity to a Euphyllia
parancora. <oh, ya! That will do it> My tank is 36x21x12
(roughly) I consider it a 40 tall? I don't know really. The tank was a
hand-me-down. Currently I've got an All Glass Aquarium power compact
fixture with two 55w 50/50 bulbs running on it about 14 hrs/day.
<very modest lighting... for success with corals these bulbs need to be
fresh (less than 10 months old), close to the water (no more than 3"
from surface) and corals need to be in top 10" of surface for optimal
health here (long-term success). See here my friend:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm > My other animals are
1 yellow tailed blue damsel, one blue mandarin, one Fire Fish, one sand
sifting star, one red serpent star, two Mexican turbo snails, one
feather duster worm, one reddish looking mushroom that rode in on some
live rock, 3 small green stripped mushrooms, one Platygyra sinensis (on
the substrate), one Euphyllia Parancora (on the opposite side of the
tank about midway up), and some yellow polyps. Any help would be
appreciated about this specimen <hmmm... do consider a larger tank
soon or at least a fishless refugium for the mandarin. The sand-sifting
starfish also will not live to see 2 years old if even one in this
smaller tank. Not enough sand surface area for deposit feeding on
organic particulates.> Thanks! Arthur <with kind regards, Anthony>
Acropora Confusion I have two small fragments of Acropora that I
got from two different places. The polyps of the two fragments are very
different, so I was wondering if they were both really Acropora.
<It is difficult to tell. Skeletal features may give clues as to the
true identity. Growth patterns are imprecise at best. There are many
growth forms of Acropora from branching, bushy, cluster, finger, etc.>
The first one I got has brown polyps that are about 1/4" in
diameter. The second one I got has green polyps that are barely
visible. What's the best way to determine which species I have?
<Impossible for me to do over the internet although photos would help.
Get a copy of Borneman's book "Aquarium corals: Selection, Husbandry,
and Natural History. This book contains lots of pictures and identifying
characteristics. No book will have every known form of a coral, but this
book does contain information on many commonly kept species of corals>
Is it possible that the brown polyps will change color with time (and
the right environment)? <Your brown Acropora is likely from lower
light level and lower water movement. It is possible for an Acropora to
modify its color (zooxanthellae) due to the effects of lighting>
Thanks. <You're welcome! David Dowless>
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