Anacropora forbesi

Anacropora forbesi is a stony coral that builds delicate bushes of thin branches, at most 1 cm thick, that fork in two. The body is light brown and the growth tips are cream. It is a relative of Acropora and Montipora; it differs from Acropora in not carrying a large axial corallite at the branch tip. In the wild it is adapted to turbid waters and the soft bottoms between reefs; in some places it forms fields covering many square meters. It is rarely found and rarely propagated in the hobby. Trade in stony corals is subject to CITES Appendix II; choose an aquacultured frag.

• Light: Moderate to high light; roughly 150–300 PAR. At the lower end the color darkens, at the upper end it lightens; acclimate it to the light over a period of weeks.
• Flow: Moderate to strong, random flow; flow should also be increased as the colony grows.
• Placement: The middle part of the rockwork, with space for the branches to extend freely. Because it attaches to its base with difficulty, the frag needs to be wedged into a rock crevice or glued very securely.
• Water parameters: Salinity 1.025–1.026, KH 7–9 dKH, calcium 400–450 mg/L, magnesium 1250–1350 mg/L, nitrate 2–10 mg/L, phosphate 0.02–0.08 mg/L.

It is photosynthetic; no extra feeding is needed. Phytoplankton and amino acid supplements can support growth.

It is a peaceful coral; its thin branches, however, are very vulnerable to the tentacles of neighboring corals, so leave 10–15 cm of space. The Montipora-eating nudibranch (Phestilla subodiosa) has been observed attacking this genus too; inspect new pieces carefully and put them through a coral dip. Large hermit crabs and snails can break the branches.