Acropora suharsonoi

Acropora suharsonoi is a distinctive deepwater bottlebrush Acropora with very long, smooth axial corallites that can look almost bare compared with bushier species. In aquaculture its signature colours are neon yellow-green and white, a pale, luminous look that reflects its lower-light origins. Few Acropora are as recognisable from branch shape alone.

Care

This is an expert-level deepwater species for a mature, stable SPS system, and it is less forgiving of swings than most. Alkalinity stability comes above all else — keep it steady with small, measured adjustments only — and hold calcium and magnesium consistent alongside it. Flow, by contrast, should be high and strongly random, washing the long axials clean without a constant jet aimed at the tissue. Light is the key difference here: as a medium, lower-light deepwater species it belongs around PAR 150–300, and often toward the lower part of that range, acclimated very slowly. An encrusting base and gentle polyp extension signal a settled colony.

Placement and growth

Place it in the middle to top zone as listed, but choose a position with moderated light — an overhang edge or a slightly off-peak spot — rather than the brightest point in the tank, paired with strong flow. Give at least 2 in of minimum clearance so neighbours do not shade or crowd its long branches. Growth is moderate; allow it time to base down undisturbed before judging colour or extension.