Acropora hoeksemai

Acropora hoeksemai is a cluster to corymbose Acropora with tubular corallites, familiar as a staple of Indo mariculture. Its colonies build into neat, bunched clusters rather than open staghorns. In aquaculture the common colours are purple, blue, and green, often with the strongest colour on the upper, well-lit branches.

Care

This is an advanced Acropora for a mature, stable SPS system. Hold alkalinity stable above all else — test regularly and adjust in small steps — while keeping calcium and magnesium consistent alongside it. Flow should be high and strongly random, moving through the cluster to clear waste; a constant jet aimed at one face will strip tissue there and leave the rest under-flowed, so avoid direct, fixed flow entirely. As a high-light species it colours best around PAR 250–400, raised gradually for new frags. An encrusting base spreading over the mount and even polyp extension across the cluster are the key health signs.

Placement and growth

Position it at the top of the aquascape in bright light and broad turbulent flow. Give at least 2 in of minimum clearance from neighbouring corals so the cluster is lit evenly and not shaded as it thickens. Growth is moderate; maricultured frags often need a settling period to encrust first, and steady upward cluster growth normally follows once the base is secure.