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Clear colours, rare imports and the true Acropora tenuis: what sets Acropora from Fiji apart, which species came in our new shipment and how to help them thrive in your tank.
In short: Fiji Acropora are Acropora from the reefs around Fiji in the South Pacific. They only rarely make it to Europe, and among SPS keepers they're known for clean, intense colours: neon green, pastel pink, salmon, yellow and light blue, often with contrasting polyps or tips. Our new shipment has brought more than 70 colonies from Fiji to us, which are going online bit by bit, each one a WYSIWYG one-off. Here we explain what makes these corals special, which species are included and how to help them thrive in your tank.
Last updated: October 2026. The care parameters are our own guide values from keeping these corals ourselves.
You'll find all the corals from this shipment together in our Fiji Acropora collection.
What makes Acropora from Fiji special?
Fiji is made up of more than 300 islands in the middle of the South Pacific. Its reefs lie far away from any major industrial areas, the water is clear and low in nutrients, and on the outer reefs surf and tides keep everything constantly moving. These are exactly the conditions Acropora love.
For us, three things in particular make Fiji Acropora interesting:
- The colours. Many colonies already show strong greens, pinks and salmon tones under daylight. Contrasts between base colour and polyps are typical, for example salmon with neon green polyps or yellow-green with orange-red polyps.
- The rarity. Corals from Fiji are only exported in limited numbers and with CITES permits. Larger shipments to Germany are therefore the exception.
- Where tenuis comes from. According to current knowledge, the true Acropora tenuis only lives in the South Pacific. More on that in a moment.
The true Acropora tenuis comes from the South Pacific
For a long time, almost any bushy Acropora with tubular, flared corallites was sold as Acropora tenuis, whether it came from Indonesia, Australia or Fiji. In 2023, a genetic study by Tom Bridge and colleagues thoroughly changed that picture (Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society).
The result: behind the name there's a whole complex of closely related species, each with a much smaller range than previously thought. Acropora tenuis in the strict sense is therefore limited to the South Pacific around Fiji and Tonga. Several forms from other regions are once again treated as separate species; the Indonesian "tenuis", for example, is now listed as Acropora bifaria. The study even described two species new to science.
What that means for you as a reefer: a tenuis from Fiji is the species the name actually refers to. It'll take a while for the new classification to filter through the trade, but if accurate origin information matters to you, you'll know exactly where our corals come from.
The species in our shipment
In total there are more than 70 colonies, which we're putting online bit by bit. We identify the species by growth form, axial corallite and the shape of the radial corallites, and check them against the specialist literature, above all the standard reference Corals of the World. On top of that, our team checks every identification on the living coral. Where we'd rather not commit to a species for a colony, we only give the trade name. These are the species included so far:
Acropora tenuis
Neat, bushy cushions of delicate, evenly spaced branchlets. The distinguishing feature is the radial corallites: they form a rosette at the branch tips and have slightly outward-curving lips, often in a contrasting colour. Tenuis is considered one of the hardier Acropora and is the first step into SPS keeping for many reefers. In this shipment the range runs from light green with white-pink tips through creamy pink to green with pink corallites.
Example: Fiji Acropora Tenuis in green with pink corallites
Acropora humilis
A finger-like grower with thick branches that taper to large, dome-shaped axial corallites at the tip. The radial corallites come in two sizes; the larger ones usually sit in rows and are thick-walled. Humilis is hardy and likes plenty of water flowing past it. We have it in soft pink, peach, pinkish beige and bright yellow-green.
Example: Fiji Acropora Humilis in soft pink
Acropora florida
Sturdy branches densely covered in short, stubby branchlets, together with a small axial corallite and radial corallites that are either immersed or evenly tubular. This gives the surface an almost knobbly look. On the reef, florida is usually brown and only occasionally bright green. All the better, then, that ours from Fiji belong to exactly that green variant: intense yellow-green to neon green, with orange-red or pink polyps.
Example: Fiji Acropora Florida in yellow-green with orange-red polyps
Acropora valida
Hardly any Acropora is as variable: its growth form ranges from a compact bush to a small table. The radial corallites vary in size, sit close to the branch and look slightly swollen, with small openings. Valida is considered adaptable and usually grows reliably. Our Fiji specimens show salmon, orange and pink, almost always with neon green polyps. Under blue light, that contrast really stands out.
Example: Fiji Acropora Valida in salmon pink
Ultra and Shortcake
We list some colonies under their trade name. In the trade, "Ultra" stands for particularly intensely coloured Acropora, and "Shortcake" for a specific delicate colour morph. With these corals we deliberately don't commit to a species. What counts is what you see in the photo: white tips with dark red corallites, for example, or glowing neon green.
Example: Fiji Acropora Ultra with dark red corallites
Why we photograph in daylight
Lots of Acropora look spectacular under strong blue light and then completely different in your own tank. That's why we photograph our Fiji Acropora in daylight with white balance. That way you see the base colour as it really is. Under your own lighting with its blue component, the fluorescence of the polyps comes on top of that.
All corals are WYSIWYG: you get exactly the colony shown in the photo. Once a piece is sold, it's gone. You'll always find the corals currently available in the Fiji Acropora collection and alongside all our other Acropora.
How to help Fiji Acropora thrive in your tank
Acropora from Fiji don't need anything fundamentally different from other Acropora. What matters is a mature tank with stable parameters. These guide values have worked well for us:
| Parameter | Guide value |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 24–26 °C |
| Salinity | 34–35 ppt (SG 1.025–1.026) |
| KH | 7–8.5 dKH, as constant as possible |
| Calcium | 400–450 mg/l |
| Magnesium | 1,300–1,400 mg/l |
| Nitrate | 2–10 mg/l |
| Phosphate | 0.02–0.08 mg/l |
| Light | medium to high, increase gradually |
| Flow | medium to strong, variable |
Stability over perfection. Acropora are more forgiving of a value that's slightly too low than of constant swings. KH in particular should barely move from day to day. If you test manually on a regular basis, the Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit for calcium, KH and magnesium has you well covered. To automate it, the Focustronic Alkatronic measures KH several times a day and adjusts it for you.
Don't strip nutrients to zero. Without any nitrate and phosphate at all, Acropora often lose colour and tissue. There should always be a small measurable amount.
Supplementation. Acropora constantly use up calcium, carbonate and magnesium. In our own systems we dose Oceamo DUO KH and DUO Calcium in a 1:1 ratio, plus Oceamo Regulator A with inorganic trace elements and Regulator O with amino acids and iodine. All four bottles are available together as the Oceamo supplement system.
Light. Place new corals a bit lower or in a shadier spot at first and move them up over one to two weeks. If your light is dimmable, start at reduced intensity.
Adding new Fiji Acropora the right way
Our corals go through our quarantine before they're sold. Even so, a dip is simply part of a good routine for every new Acropora, wherever it comes from. We use NYOS Coral Dip or Fauna Marin The Dip for this. Afterwards we take a close look at the underside, and the Maxspect Pastel Reef Magnifier helps enormously with that.
Exactly how we go about it step by step, with dosages and dip times, is covered in our guide Adding New Corals: Dips and Pests by Coral Type.
What to look out for when buying
- WYSIWYG, not stock photos. With Acropora in particular, colour and shape vary hugely from colony to colony. Only buy what you've actually seen beforehand.
- Honest photos. A daylight photo shows you what you'll get. A pure blue-light photo shows you what the camera makes of it.
- Legal origin. All Acropora are listed under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Importing them from Fiji is only possible with the right paperwork.
- Quarantine. Freshly imported Acropora need time to recover. Like all our corals, the Fiji Acropora only go on sale once they've settled in with us.
You can read more about this in our guide Buying Corals: What to Look Out for When Buying Online.
FAQ about Fiji Acropora
What is a Fiji Acropora?
An Acropora that comes from the reefs around Fiji in the South Pacific. The name tells you about the origin, not the species. So among Fiji Acropora you'll find tenuis, valida, humilis, florida and many other species.
Are Fiji Acropora harder to keep than other Acropora?
No. They need the same as any Acropora: a mature tank, stable parameters, strong light and good flow. Careful acclimatisation after purchase is what really counts.
Which Fiji Acropora is best for getting started with SPS?
Your best bets are Acropora tenuis or valida. Both are considered comparatively hardy and adaptable and are more forgiving of small mistakes than delicate species.
Why are Acropora from Fiji so rare?
Fiji only exports corals in limited numbers and with CITES permits. On top of that comes the long journey from the South Pacific. That's why larger shipments to Germany only happen every now and then.
Does the true Acropora tenuis only come from Fiji?
According to a 2023 study, Acropora tenuis in the strict sense is limited to the South Pacific around Fiji and Tonga. Similar-looking corals from other regions are now assigned to other species, the Indonesian ones to Acropora bifaria, for example.
Will the corals keep their colour?
That mainly depends on your tank: light, nutrients and stable parameters. Expect an Acropora to need some time to adjust after the move and to look a little paler for a few weeks. With the right conditions, the colour usually comes back.
What does WYSIWYG mean?
"What you see is what you get": you receive exactly the coral shown in the photo.
Fancy a piece of Fiji in your own tank? You'll find all the corals from this shipment that are already available in the Fiji Acropora collection. If you're not sure which one suits your tank, just drop us a message.
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