Acropora lokani

Acropora lokani is a bottlebrush, smooth-skin Acropora with notably stubby branches, forming a compact, chunky colony quite different from long-axial deepwater species. In aquaculture it is known in purple, blue, and cream forms, with paler cream bases sometimes contrasting with coloured tips. Its short, sturdy profile makes it recognisable even as a small frag.

Care

This is an expert-level deepwater Acropora for a mature, stable SPS system. Alkalinity stability matters above all else; keep it flat day to day and resist large, sudden corrections. Maintain calcium and magnesium consistently alongside alkalinity, with testing frequent enough to catch slow drift. It needs high, strong random flow that reaches into the compact colony — never a constant jet in one direction, which will damage one side while the other stagnates. As a medium to high light deepwater species, aim for PAR 150–300 and acclimate gradually. An encrusting base and regular polyp extension are the reliable health signs.

Placement and growth

Place Acropora lokani in the middle to top of the rockwork, in good light with flow that wraps around the colony. Give it at least 2 in of minimum clearance from neighbours; its stubby branches grow outward as well as up, and crowding quickly shades the base. Growth is slow, so plan placement for the long term and avoid repositioning a frag that is already encrusting.