Have you heard of the Homewrecker Acropora? If you haven’t already, you are in for a treat!
The Homewrecker Acropora Tenuis has had a roaring success in the hobbyist world. They are one of the most colorful Tenuis Corals to hand, just like their relative, the Walt Disney Acro, which is also a must-have coral!
In the SPS (small polyp stony) world, Acropora corals are the “crown jewels”, however, they are one of the most challenging corals to keep because of their sensitivity to water chemistry and demanding flow and light requirements.
Now, they are a challenging SPS coral due to their care requirements, but taking on the challenge is a good thing for aquarium hobbyists like yourself.
While SPS corals, like the Homewrecker Acro, may not provide as much movement as a heavily soft coral-dominated aquarium, they will provide you with a rainbow of colors, and surprisingly fast growth, which is what feeds the desire for taking on the challenge for many coral hobbyists.
Summary
- Common Name: Homewrecker Acropora
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
- Care Level: Moderate
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Lighting: High (PAR 350-500)
- Water Flow: Strong
- Placement: Top third
Homewrecker Acropora Care
Homewreckers, like most Acros, are fairly demanding when it comes to light and flow, sensitive to large fluctuations in water quality, and susceptible to rapid tissue necrosis (RTN). But, do not let this put you off – if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a Homewrecker Acro, you will be rewarded with rapid growth and beautiful coloration.
Success comes from the level of care you provide your Homewrecker Acro. You should always aim for near-perfect water conditions and maintain tank stability, after all, they cannot move around if they feel uncomfortable!
Ideal Water Conditions
- Temperature: 75° – 80 °F
- pH: 8.1 – 8.4
- Salinity: 1.025 – 1.026
- Alkalinity: 8 – 9.5 dKH
- Nitrates: <10 ppm
- Phosphates: <0.1 ppm
- Calcium: 420 – 440 ppm
- Magnesium: 1300 – 1450
- Strontium: 10
Maintaining the above water conditions and performing regular 5% water changes once a week will make your Homewrecker Acro thrive! Despite their sensitivity to water quality, as long as you keep the calcium, strontium, and trace elements within range, they are nice healthy growers!
What Should You Feed Your Homewrecker?
Homewrecker Acros contain “teeny-tiny” microorganisms called zooxanthellae. These specialized algae provide them with most of the nutrients needed to maintain healthy growth and bright coloration. However, your Homewrecker Acro will also benefit from direct feeding.
A variety of foods such as amino acids, other organic proteins, and zooplankton/phytoplankton-based coral foods.
Another source of food and nutrition comes from fish waste (poop). Many hobbyists believe in stocking a high volume of fish when keeping Acropora corals in a saltwater reef aquarium. However, if you heavily stock your tank, keep a close eye on elevated nutrients and avoid overfeeding, as overfeeding leads to nutrient overloads and algal blooms, which can make your coral sick.
During feeding, you should switch off any circulation pumps to allow your Homewrecker to grab a decent amount of food.
Homewrecker Acropora Water Flow
Acropora corals require strong water movement. This includes both the level of flow and motion. Creating moderate to high water flow conditions will allow your Homewrecker Acropora to produce more healthy slime, remove waste, absorb more nutrients, and protect themselves from diseases and unwanted pests.
Homewrecker Acropora Lighting & PAR
The Homewrecker Acropora requires a lot of light.
Acropora is one of the rarer corals that thrive in intense lighting, however, this does not mean you should blast your coral with extreme lighting, as this can result in a bleached Acropora. A photosynthetic available radiation/photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) level between 350 and 500 will give your Acropora enough light to thrive.
Deciding which lighting fixtures you will get, is one of the biggest comparatives in the reef hobbyist world.
Selecting which lighting fixture depends on your aquarium setup, however, LEDs and T5 lighting are becoming more common than metal halides. Whichever lighting set-up you choose, for best coloration, it is recommended you provide your Homewrecker Coral with an 18-20K color spectrum.
With advances in technology, many hobbyists are selecting LED aquarium lighting. While they are more expensive, they will save you money down the line as they have a longer life expectancy and are more energy-efficient. This also means a cheaper energy bill, plus Homewreckers are absolute showstoppers under LED actinic lights!
Homewrecker Acropora Growth Rate
If you have been searching for a fast-growing Acropora, then today is your lucky day, as Homewrecker Acropora Corals are pretty speedy when it comes to growth!
It is all thanks to their light skeletons, high metabolism, and specialized axial corallites that have ‘gifted’ them with their fast growth.
So, if you want a coral that can quickly fill that sad-looking space in your aquarium, the Homewrecker is a perfect choice!
Homewrecker Acropora Placement
Now you know how fast the mesmerizing Homewrecker can grow, you need to consider its placement.
As your Homewrecker Acro thrives in high light and strong water flow, your coral will be the happiest near the top third of your aquascape, ensuring you give it plenty of space to grow!
Once you have decided where your coral will go, you will need to safely mount it, so it doesn’t go floating around the aquarium.
You can easily mount your Homewrecker coral using IC gel or reef-safe putty. It is recommended to place Homewrecker Corals on a rock or ledge, so it can receive direct lighting and enough water flow.
Summing Up, Homewrecker Acropora Corals
If you are after a rainbow-colored hairy Tenuis Coral that is a fast grower and simply amazing to look at, “oh-boy” does the Homewrecker Acropora fit the bill!
The Homewrecker Acropora Coral is one of the most vibrant corals in the hobbyist world today. Not only will a Homewrecker Acro provide you with a high-end SPS coral to collect, but all your reefer buddies will also be so impressed as your Homewrecker creates the perfect centerpiece in your aquarium!
Check out our guide on how to care for Acropora in detail!
