Reverse Sunset Acropora Care Guide
Reverse Sunset Acropora (Acropora anthocercis) is a SPS coral. Care covers 250-400 PAR, high flow, reef parameters and feeding; expert level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Reverse Sunset Acropora (Acropora anthocercis) is a SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. Designer Acro with bright orange-red base and yellow-green tips. Reverse Sunset is among the most popular morphs.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Acropora
- Scientific name: Acropora anthocercis
- Common synonyms: Reverse Sunset Milli, Anthocercis
Habitat
In the wild, Acropora anthocercis is reported from Indo-Pacific, where it occupies shallow reef flats and upper slopes (typically 1-15 m). The species adopts a branching growth form on hard substrate within zooxanthellate reef communities.
Tank requirements
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.025-1.026
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 7.5-9
- Calcium: 420-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1300-1400 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.03 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 5 ppm
- Minimum system age: 1 year
Placement and lighting
- PAR (placement zone): 250-400 PAR
- Water flow: high
Place this SPS coral on the upper rockwork where light is bright and water movement is strong, ideally turbulent rather than laminar. Acclimate gradually to high PAR over 2-3 weeks to avoid bleaching. SPS demand a mature system: stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium with phosphate and nitrate kept ultra-low.
Feeding
Acropora anthocercis hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae and derives most of its energy through photosynthesis. Additional feeding is generally not required when lighting is adequate.
Compatibility
This coral is passive toward neighbours. Reef-safe with most fish and invertebrates.
Care notes
Difficulty level: expert. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.3-0.7 cm/month. Propagation by fragmentation is straightforward for branching colonies — separate branches or polyps with a bone cutter, glue to plug, allow 1-2 weeks for healing. Maintain stable alkalinity (avoid swings above ±0.5 dKH per day) to preserve tissue health.
Acropora anthocercis (Reverse Sunset) Propagation Guide
Overview
Acropora anthocercis is a branching stony coral in the family Acroporidae; Reverse Sunset is a named colour morph propagated within the aquarium hobby. Like all Acropora it grows as a colony of small polyps that share tissue and build a calcium carbonate skeleton, with symbiotic Symbiodinium algae providing energy through photosynthesis. Named morphs like this are maintained almost entirely through fragmentation, which preserves the parent's exact colours.
Reproductive Mode
Acropora reproduce sexually by releasing gametes and asexually when broken branches reattach and form new colonies. Maintaining a named morph relies on the asexual route, because each fragment is a clone that keeps the same coloration as the parent colony.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
- Select a healthy, fully coloured branch tip from the parent morph colony.
- Cut or snap the branch cleanly with bone cutters or a coral saw.
- Glue the frag to a plug or rock with cyanoacrylate or epoxy.
- Place the frag in moderate light and flow until tissue grows over the cut, then raise it for full colour.
- Dip and quarantine new frags before adding them to a display.
In a well-maintained reef aquarium, finger-sized fragments can grow into much larger colonies within one to two years, so a single morph colony can be multiplied into many identically coloured frags.
Conditions for Propagation
Stable conditions and strong lighting are key for both healing and colour. Acropora are especially susceptible to bleaching when stressed through the loss of their zooxanthellae, so temperature, salinity, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium must stay steady. High light and high flow support dense growth and bring out the morph's coloration.
Sexual Reproduction
Wild Acropora take part in annual mass-spawning, releasing gametes into the water for external fertilisation. Spawning does not preserve a specific morph's colours, and it is rarely achieved in aquaria, so propagation of named morphs relies on fragmentation.