✴️💙 Sapphire Ember Bowerbanki
Acanthastrea bowerbanki
Quick Stats
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Care Level: Easy to Moderate
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Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
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Colour Form: Deep Sapphire Blue with Vivid Neon Green Mouth Centers
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Water Conditions: 24-28°C, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
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Family: Lobophylliidae
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Lighting: Moderate
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Supplements: Trace Elements, Amino Acids, Iodine
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Water Flow: Low to Moderate
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Placement: Bottom to Mid-Level
Overview
The Sapphire Ember Bowerbanki is a jewel-toned standout in any reef, boasting rich sapphire-blue fleshy lobes that cradle neon-green mouths like glowing embers. Native to the warm Indo-Pacific reefs, this Acanthastrea bowerbanki variety combines bold contrast with an inviting, velvety texture. Its fleshy, dome-like growth and stunning bi-color brilliance make it a favorite centerpiece for LPS enthusiasts and mixed reefs alike.
Known for both its resilience and slow, steady growth, this coral adds deep visual interest and a calming cool hue to your aquascape, especially under actinic or full-spectrum reef lighting.
Care & Feeding
The Sapphire Ember Bowerbanki is relatively forgiving, thriving in stable reef systems with moderate light and flow. While photosynthetic, it benefits greatly from target feeding 1–2 times a week. Offer small meaty foods such as reef roids, rotifers, or finely chopped mysis shrimp to encourage growth and enhance coloration. Polyp inflation often increases at night or during feeding, revealing its full, plush texture.
Optimal Parameters
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Alkalinity (dKH): 8-12
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Calcium (Ca): 400-450 ppm
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Magnesium (Mg): 1250-1350 ppm
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Nitrate (NO3): 1-10 ppm
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Phosphate (PO4): 0.01-0.05 ppm
Placement
Position the coral on stable substrate or rockwork near the bottom to mid-levels of the tank, where it will receive gentle flow and stable lighting. Avoid direct contact with other corals—Acanthastrea bowerbanki can be aggressive with short-range sweeper tentacles. Allow it room to expand and settle, and watch its vivid mouth glow intensify under blues and moonlights.