We’ve said it before and we’ll never stop saying it, there’s a whole world of wild corals which we still know next to nothing about. Reef aquarists tend to keep and concentrate on the corals that we already have, especially the ones that grow well for us, but there’s still so much for us to discover.
Coral Farming legend Vincent Chalias has been doing a great job shining a spotlight on some exciting new corals from Australia, and last year we highlighted five super thin branched Acropora that are truly spectacular. Today we want to bring to your attention five more exotic Acropora, this time of the thicker branching variety.
These thicker branching Acropora are very rare if not completely absent from the reef aquarium hobby for a number of reasons. Their thick stout growth forms demand very intense water flow and the coloration & appearance is more easily appreciated in large mature colonies, which kind of goes against the grain of small reef tank wish lists.
Nevertheless, it’s still nice to know we’re barely scratching the surface of soft and stony coral diversity, and there’s still tons left for us to discover on wild, natural reef environments.
Unseen Corals: Acropora pinguis might be the thickest-branching staghorn coral
