Acabaria splendens Care Guide
Acabaria splendens is a brilliant red-orange non-photosynthetic Indo-Pacific sea fan requiring continuous food and very high flow.
Overview
Acabaria splendens is a brilliant red-orange non-photosynthetic (NPS) sea fan from the Indo-Pacific. Lacking symbiotic algae, it depends entirely on plankton captured from the water column and requires a continuous food supply with very strong flow. It is an expert-level coral.
Taxonomy
- Family: Melithaeidae
- Scientific name: Acabaria splendens
- Current accepted name (WoRMS): Melithaea splendens (Thomson & McQueen, 1908); genus Acabaria is treated as Melithaea
- Common synonyms: Red Knotted Sea Fan
Habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific. As a non-photosynthetic sea fan it favours current-swept habitats and shaded zones rather than brightly lit shallow reef tops, positions where it can intercept plankton carried by water movement.
Aquarium requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Alkalinity (dKH): 8-11
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Nitrate: below 20 ppm; Phosphate: below 0.15 ppm
- Lighting: low (about 0-50 PAR; no light dependence)
- Flow: very high
- Minimum tank maturity: about 1 year
Feeding and compatibility
This NPS sea fan requires near-continuous availability of fine planktonic food such as phytoplankton, amino acids and reef food powders, delivered frequently and in quantity. It is passive, lacks potent stinging tentacles, and is considered reef-safe, shrimp-safe and fish-safe. Reported growth is slow, roughly 0.05-0.3 cm per month.