The Acropora florida is a staghorn coral with thick branches that are typically brown or cream colored, although occasionally they are bright green. Some of the main branches of this shallow water coral might be fused and the top branches can flatten out, giving it a unique, bonsai tree look versus other stags. A. florida require moderate to strong lighting and will do fine when given the proper PAR under T5s, metal halides and LEDs.
As for placement, it will do well in the middle to upper part of the tank where it should receive medium to strong flow. A happy A. florida will grow rapidly so it is important to keep that in mind since it can shade out and encroach on neighboring corals.
The bright green morph is striking to say the least but, like all A. florida, it is demanding and will only thrive when the proper calcium (400-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9 dkh) and magnesium levels (1300-1400 ppm) are maintained. It is best to have some success with other hardier SPS before giving this one a try. I am a stag lover so forgive me if I am biased about endorsing this shallow water gem. The shape is really cool and the bright green strain will knock your socks off!
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well 🙂 Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.
