Strawberry Shortcake Acropora Care Guide
Strawberry Shortcake Acropora (Acropora millepora var. 'Strawberry Shortcake') is a SPS coral. Care covers 300-450 PAR, high flow, reef parameters and feeding; expert level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Strawberry Shortcake Acropora (Acropora millepora var. 'Strawberry Shortcake') is a SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. Pink-bodied milli with bright blue tips and white polyps. One of the most coveted designer Acropora morphs.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Acropora
- Scientific name: Acropora millepora var. 'Strawberry Shortcake'
- Common synonyms: SSC, Strawberry Shortcake
Habitat
This morph of Acropora millepora var. 'Strawberry Shortcake' is propagated exclusively in aquaculture and is not sourced from wild reefs. The parent species naturally occupies shallow reef flats and upper slopes (typically 1-15 m) and grows in a branching form, which the aquacultured fragments retain in the home reef.
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): 300-450 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 millepora var. 'Strawberry Shortcake' 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.
Strawberry Shortcake Acropora Propagation Guide
Overview
"Strawberry Shortcake" is a sought-after color morph of Acropora millepora, a small-polyp stony coral of the family Acroporidae. Wikipedia describes A. millepora as a small colonial coral growing in clumps of short cylindrical branches, with equal-sized radial corallites bearing projecting lower rims that give a scale-like texture. The morph shows a pink body with bright blue branch tips and contrasting polyps, a selected variant of this naturally variable species.
Reproductive Mode
Like all Acropora, the Strawberry Shortcake morph can be increased asexually by fragmentation in captivity and reproduces sexually in the wild. It is a zooxanthellate coral that harbours symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium) supplying energy by photosynthesis, so cuttings keep the parent coloration. Wikipedia notes captive propagation of Acropora is widespread among reef keepers.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Snap or cut a branch tip of about 2-5 cm with bone-cutters and glue it to a frag plug with cyanoacrylate gel or epoxy. Growth is led by the axial corallite at the branch tip, so an intact tip encrusts and elongates faster. Wikipedia reports finger-sized fragments can reach medicine-ball-sized colonies in one to two years under good reef conditions.
Conditions for Propagation
Wikipedia states Acropora requires bright light, stable temperatures, regular calcium and alkalinity dosing, and clean turbulent water. This morph keeps its pink and blue tones best under high light, so place frags in strong illumination and brisk flow with stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium and low nutrients.
Sexual Reproduction
In nature Acropora reproduce by an annual synchronised broadcast mass-spawning, releasing buoyant egg-and-sperm packets into the water column for external fertilisation. Home aquaria normally do not reproduce this, relying instead on fragmentation.