PC Rainbow Acros are beautiful staghorn Acropora corals, bursting with color! Their regal red and golden yellow colored base creates a unique look among other corals, which is why they are one of the most popular additions for reef aquariums.
Acropora corals are the main formations on coral reefs in the wild, making up one-third of all reef-building coral species in the world. So, you do not have to worry when it comes down to growth. Their specialized axial corallites help them maintain rapid growth, often quickly outgrowing their neighbors.
Summary:
- Common Name: PC Rainbow Acropora
- Family: Acroporidae
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
- Care Level: Easy-Medium
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Lighting: Moderate (PAR 250-400)
- Water Flow: Moderate-High
- Placement: Middle-Upper Region
PC Rainbow Acro Care
Acropora corals are usually considered more difficult to care for than other corals because they come from the SPS (small polyp stony) group. However, PC Rainbow Acros are relatively easy to keep, making them great for both beginners wishing to take on a challenge and experienced hobbyists.
If you already have experience taking care of SPS corals or Acroporas, then it will not be much of a challenge to keep a PC Rainbow Acro at all! PC Rainbow also seems to do much better in an SPS-dominated tank because of their water requirements.
Ideal Water Conditions
- Temperature: 75° – 78 °F
- pH: 8.1 – 8.4
- Salinity: 1.024 – 1.026
- Alkalinity: 8 – 9.5 dKH
- Nitrates: <10 ppm
- Phosphates: <0.10 ppm
- Calcium: 420 – 440 ppm
- Magnesium: 1260 – 1350
- Strontium: 10
It is important to note after you acclimate your PC Rainbow, you should place them in their permanent position immediately. Monitor their health for six months to allow them to settle and regain their strength. It is also critical to maintain the salinity level during this process.
If you notice your nitrate levels creeping above 10 ppm, do a 5-10% water change and test the levels again, and if phosphate levels rise, change the phosphate media. If you are struggling with your phosphate levels, you can use a media/phosphate reactor to regulate and filtrate the chemicals in the water.
Another thing to consider is crabs. Most decapods and crustaceans (except commensal crabs) are not compatible with PC Rainbow Acros.
PC Rainbow Acro Placement
It is very exciting when your coral arrives, especially because the PC Rainbow has such beautiful colors to show off! But, hold your horses for a moment. Before you place your PC Rainbow inside the aquarium, take the time to select an area of the aquarium where it will receive enough direct flow and light.
Once selected, you can mount your PC Rainbow Acro with IC gel glue, or reef-safe putty. We recommend placing your PC Rainbow on an exposed rock or ledge in the middle to the upper region of the aquarium, ensuring it is not being blasted with too much flow or light. You should also avoid moving your PC Rainbow from place to place as this can increase stress or even kill it.
Probably, like you, your PC Rainbow is likely to have neighbors. PC Rainbow Acros are not considered aggressive as they do not have stinging tentacles, however, they do have digestive strands that can be released if they do not like their neighbor. Therefore, always give them enough space especially between Zoanthids and Soft Leather corals as PC Rainbow Acros tend to target them.
PC Rainbow Acro Water Flow & Lighting
Your PC Rainbow will require moderate to high water flow and moderate lighting.
You can use T5’s, Metal Halides, or LEDs for your PC Rainbow Acro, as long as you maintain proper PAR levels and keep the color spectrum between 14 and 20K.
PAR
PAR, or Photosynthetic Active Radiation, refers to how intense the lighting is in your aquarium, therefore it is important to provide your PC Rainbow Acro with the right amount of PAR to thrive. For best results, you should aim for a PAR of around 300, but anything between 250 and 400 will also be fine.
If you place your PC Rainbow Acros higher up in the aquarium exposed to a PAR of 350-450, your Acro may appear more red. If you move them slightly down near the middle of the aquarium with a PAR of 250 they are more likely to display different colors.
PC Rainbow Acro Feeding
To keep your rainbow happy and healthy, it will require target feeding. We recommend you use Oyster-Feast and/or Roti-Feast once a week. As your PC Rainbow has small polyps, avoid feeding them with larger food such as copepods, artemia, and nauplii.
Target feeding will reduce food waste and keep your nitrates and phosphates down. We recommend buying a pipette to make your life easier with target feeding and turning off any circulation pumps, so your PC Rainbow Acro can catch the food.
PC Rainbow Acro Turning Green
If you notice your PC Rainbow turning green, it is likely your PAR levels are too low. PC Rainbows like to change their color depending on the PAR they receive.
For example, low PAR (<200) PC Rainbows will appear greener. A medium PAR (250-300) will exhibit green, red, and yellow colors, and a high PAR (300+) will look redder.
However, sometimes Acros turning green can be a sign of poor water quality. Acroporas tend to turn green when iron levels are elevated. If you need to reduce the iron levels, you can add activated carbon to soak up the excess iron followed by a water change.
Conclusion
Acropora corals can be challenging at first if you are new to keeping corals, but that’s what being an aquarium hobbyist is all about.
PC Rainbow Acros would be a great addition to your tank because not only are they beautiful, they are also easy to grow, creating a mini-ocean display in no time!
So, if you are after a colorful coral that is easy to grow and care for, then a PC Rainbow Acro would be the perfect choice for you!
