The Acropora tenuis comes in a variety of colors and certain variations garner a lot of attention, especially ones with multiple, contrasting colors. The Walt Disney Tenuis is probably the most sought after A. tenuis given it’s eye-popping array of colors. Yes, reef keepers do go gaga over this coral and, as a result, it commands a ridiculously high price.
However, there are many other beautiful A. tenuis corals available that are more affordable for those who are squeamish about spending hundreds of dollars on one small frag (I count myself as a member of this club).
The colors of the branches are typically blue, yellow, green or cream while the tips are normally purple or blue. The branches grow close together in a cluster, ball-like form and resemble a tabling Acropora under certain conditions.
A. tenuis require moderate to strong lighting and will do fine when given the proper PAR under T5s, metal halides and LEDs. I would recommend placing a frag in the top half of a tank, which is where I have one under a 400W 20,000K Radium bulb. As for circulation, medium to strong flow is required to keep the coral happy.
Overall, an A. tenuis is a beautiful edition to any reef tank that will thrive when the proper calcium (400-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9 dkh) and magnesium levels (1300-1400 ppm) are maintained. Give one a try the next time you are in the market for a new frag.
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.
