Characterized by their branching appearance, Acropora come in a limitless supply of colors, growth patterns, and varieties. Typically Acropora do best under high lighting and high flow. A metal halide or high-powered full spectrum lighting system is a must have for successful keeping of these corals. The exception to this rule is deepwater acropora, which are characterized by their smooth appearance with small and widely dispersed polyps. Deepwater acropora can handle medium to moderate lighting levels but can be adapted to higher levels of light.

In our systems we have found that keeping deep-water corals under moderate lighting levels will produce the best growth and coloration. We do tend to keep them off to the side of the metal halides as oppose to directly underneath them. We also recommend you keep deep waters at a mid to lower level placement in your reef. Your Acropora will also benefit from phytoplankton supplementation  or other similar sized foods made for SPS.