Samoensis Acropora Care Guide
Samoensis Acropora (Acropora samoensis) is a SPS coral. Care covers 250-400 PAR, high flow, reef parameters and feeding; advanced level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Samoensis Acropora (Acropora samoensis) is a SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. Compact-branching Acropora with small corallites. Often blue or purple under high-Kelvin lighting.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Acropora
- Scientific name: Acropora samoensis
- Common synonyms: Samoa Acro
Habitat
In the wild, Acropora samoensis is reported from Indo-Pacific, Samoa, 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 samoensis 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: advanced. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.4-0.8 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 samoensis Propagation Guide
Overview
Acropora samoensis is a compact-branching stony coral in the family Acroporidae. Like other Acropora, it is a colony of small polyps that share tissue and build a calcium carbonate skeleton, while symbiotic algae (Symbiodinium) living in the coral's cells produce energy through photosynthesis. Its fine branch structure makes it well suited to the branch-tip fragging used to multiply small-polyp stony (SPS) corals in captivity.
Reproductive Mode
Acropora reproduce both sexually, by releasing gametes into the water, and asexually, when broken branches reattach and form new colonies. Aquarium propagation relies on the asexual route: a branch fragment carries the same genetics as the parent and continues growing once secured to a surface.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
- Select a healthy, fully coloured branch tip from an established colony.
- Cut or snap the tip with bone cutters or a saw; a clean break heals faster.
- Glue the fragment to a plug or rock with cyanoacrylate or two-part epoxy.
- Place the frag under moderate light and flow, then move it up as tissue grows over the cut.
- Dip new frags before adding them to a display to reduce the risk of pests and disease.
In a well-maintained reef aquarium, finger-sized Acropora fragments can grow into much larger colonies within one to two years, so a single healthy parent yields many frags over time.
Conditions for Propagation
Healing fragments need stable conditions above all else. Acropora are especially susceptible to bleaching when stressed, which is caused by the loss of their zooxanthellae, so swings in temperature, salinity, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium must be avoided. High light and high flow support the dense skeletal growth this branching form depends on.
Sexual Reproduction
In the wild, Acropora participate in annual mass-spawning events, releasing eggs and sperm into the water column where fertilisation and larval development occur. This broadcast spawning is rarely reproduced in home aquariums, which is why hobby propagation depends on fragmentation.