Crayola Plana Live Aquacultured Tabletop Acropora SPS Coral
from $28.95
Crayola Plana – Aquacultured Tabletop Acropora (SPS Coral)
Scientific Name:Acropora plana Classification: Premium SPS Coral
Why It’s Premium:
Highly sought-after table Acropora morphology—a rarity in aquaculture
Dynamic coloration shifts under varying spectrum and intensity
Distinct skeletal architecture adapted for laminar flow and light optimization
Each specimen grown from stabilized, disease-free coralSLover® broodstock
The Crayola Plana is one of the most captivating Acropora species in modern reef aquaculture, admired for its breathtaking coloration and unique tabletop growth form. Known for forming broad, plate-like colonies with thin, delicate branches, this coral develops an expansive, layered structure that instantly becomes a centerpiece in any marine aquarium.
At coralSLover®, our Crayola Plana exhibits a stunning mix of rich purple, deep blue, and emerald green hues, interlaced with touches of pink and pristine white. Depending on placement and lighting intensity, the coral’s tones shift beautifully — under high light, its bright pigments intensify to near-fluorescent levels, while under actinic blue spectrum lighting, it reveals subtle, iridescent shades that shimmer with movement.
The Crayola Plana is remarkable not only for its beauty but for its scientific and structural characteristics. This Acropora plana has a brittle skeleton — a signature feature of colonies originating from calm, lower-energy reef environments. Its open branch spacing and larger polyp structure allow moderate water flow to pass through the colony efficiently. Unlike Acropora millepora, its branches are thinner and more widely spaced, and although its tentacles are shorter, the polyps themselves are larger, giving the coral an elegant, airy appearance.
The Crayola Plana demonstrates two distinct coloration types:
The classic morph — a white to pale body with brilliant purple tips (Our coralSLover® The Crayola Plana)
A vivid variant featuring green fluorescent polyps, which add an entirely different dimension of glow under blue or UV reef lighting. Both types are unmistakably gorgeous and display high contrast between the core and tips of the colony.
We acquired our original Crayola Plana in 2016 as a small frag for our private coral collection. Since then, we have grown and propagated it into large, healthy colonies entirely within our aquaculture systems — never wild-collectedat any stage. Each coral offered by coralSLover® is aquacultured in a controlled, sustainable environment using modern reefing methods that ensure health, color stability, and environmental responsibility.
Over the years, this coral has proven itself to be one of the most stable SPS species in our systems. It has shown consistent coloration, reliable growth, and exceptional tolerance to variations in water parameters. It also naturally displays minimal or no visible polyp extension, a normal trait for this species and not a sign of stress — rather, it reflects its adaptation to calm, clear reef zones where food particles are captured directly from the passing current.
Scientific Observations:
Genus/Species: Acropora plana
Growth Form: Tabletop / plating structure with brittle, open branches
Polyp Extension: Minimal; polyps are short but large and adapted for passive filtration
Habitat Simulation: Performs best in moderate to strong light and variable flow; tolerant of mixed SPS environments
Feeding & Flow: Functions similarly to gorgonian-like passive filtration rather than aggressive particulate capture
Origin: coralSLover® aquaculture system – originally grown from a frag acquired nearly a decade ago
The Crayola Plana thrives in stable reef conditions with strong, balanced lighting and consistent flow. Its striking coloration, combined with the elegant growth structure, makes it a favorite among serious SPS collectors and aquaculture professionals alike.
At coralSLover®, we are proud to offer this coral as part of our Premium SPS Collection — representing nearly a decade of sustainable propagation and refinement. The Crayola Plana is not just a coral; it’s a living testament to long-term aquaculture success, resilience, and beauty.
Great For: Advanced reef keepers and SPS collectors seeking architectural coral growth and extreme color contrast. Ideal for showcasing dynamic lighting interplay in modern reef displays.
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Crayola Plana – Aquacultured Tabletop Acropora (SPS Coral)
Scientific Name:Acropora plana Classification: Premium SPS Coral
Why It’s Premium:
Highly sought-after table Acropora morphology—a rarity in aquaculture
Dynamic coloration shifts under varying spectrum and intensity
Distinct skeletal architecture adapted for laminar flow and light optimization
Each specimen grown from stabilized, disease-free coralSLover® broodstock
The Crayola Plana is one of the most captivating Acropora species in modern reef aquaculture, admired for its breathtaking coloration and unique tabletop growth form. Known for forming broad, plate-like colonies with thin, delicate branches, this coral develops an expansive, layered structure that instantly becomes a centerpiece in any marine aquarium.
At coralSLover®, our Crayola Plana exhibits a stunning mix of rich purple, deep blue, and emerald green hues, interlaced with touches of pink and pristine white. Depending on placement and lighting intensity, the coral’s tones shift beautifully — under high light, its bright pigments intensify to near-fluorescent levels, while under actinic blue spectrum lighting, it reveals subtle, iridescent shades that shimmer with movement.
The Crayola Plana is remarkable not only for its beauty but for its scientific and structural characteristics. This Acropora plana has a brittle skeleton — a signature feature of colonies originating from calm, lower-energy reef environments. Its open branch spacing and larger polyp structure allow moderate water flow to pass through the colony efficiently. Unlike Acropora millepora, its branches are thinner and more widely spaced, and although its tentacles are shorter, the polyps themselves are larger, giving the coral an elegant, airy appearance.
The Crayola Plana demonstrates two distinct coloration types:
The classic morph — a white to pale body with brilliant purple tips (Our coralSLover® The Crayola Plana)
A vivid variant featuring green fluorescent polyps, which add an entirely different dimension of glow under blue or UV reef lighting. Both types are unmistakably gorgeous and display high contrast between the core and tips of the colony.
We acquired our original Crayola Plana in 2016 as a small frag for our private coral collection. Since then, we have grown and propagated it into large, healthy colonies entirely within our aquaculture systems — never wild-collectedat any stage. Each coral offered by coralSLover® is aquacultured in a controlled, sustainable environment using modern reefing methods that ensure health, color stability, and environmental responsibility.
Over the years, this coral has proven itself to be one of the most stable SPS species in our systems. It has shown consistent coloration, reliable growth, and exceptional tolerance to variations in water parameters. It also naturally displays minimal or no visible polyp extension, a normal trait for this species and not a sign of stress — rather, it reflects its adaptation to calm, clear reef zones where food particles are captured directly from the passing current.
Scientific Observations:
Genus/Species: Acropora plana
Growth Form: Tabletop / plating structure with brittle, open branches
Polyp Extension: Minimal; polyps are short but large and adapted for passive filtration
Habitat Simulation: Performs best in moderate to strong light and variable flow; tolerant of mixed SPS environments
Feeding & Flow: Functions similarly to gorgonian-like passive filtration rather than aggressive particulate capture
Origin: coralSLover® aquaculture system – originally grown from a frag acquired nearly a decade ago
The Crayola Plana thrives in stable reef conditions with strong, balanced lighting and consistent flow. Its striking coloration, combined with the elegant growth structure, makes it a favorite among serious SPS collectors and aquaculture professionals alike.
At coralSLover®, we are proud to offer this coral as part of our Premium SPS Collection — representing nearly a decade of sustainable propagation and refinement. The Crayola Plana is not just a coral; it’s a living testament to long-term aquaculture success, resilience, and beauty.
Great For: Advanced reef keepers and SPS collectors seeking architectural coral growth and extreme color contrast. Ideal for showcasing dynamic lighting interplay in modern reef displays.
Acropora are the crown jewel of the SPS world. No other genus has the sheer number of species as Acropora and when reef aquarists talk about the requirements to keep an SPS system, they are talking specifically about the care requirements of Acropora. Having said that, Acropora are one of the most difficult corals to keep. They are highly sensitive to changes in water chemistry and require the most in terms of flow and light. Many experienced hobbyists have struggled keeping Acropora long term, but that is part of the attraction to this coral. Lastly, Acropora benefit greatly from a well established aquarium, preferably one that has been set up at least for 1 year.
Lighting
High lighting would serve this species well. Acropora can be kept under high output fluorescent bulbs (T5), but may benefit from more intense lighting such as metal halide (MH). It will likely change its coloration depending on the lighting provided. Acropora may require a longer acclimation period to intense lighting such as metal halides. Acropora are notorious for dramatic color changes depending on tank conditions, chiefly lighting. It is possible for some colors on Acropora to change entirely, for example red sections to turn green.
Water Flow
Strong to medium water movement is recommended.
Feeding
Like most coral, Acropora rely to a large extent on the products of their zooxanthellae, however, in our experience, they also benefit from direct feeding. There are a variety of frozen fish foods available that make outstanding meals for Acropora. We like to feed a mixture of meaty rotifer-based foods with vitamin additives and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). The size of the food must be small enough that the polyp can fully ingest it. We like to use the cloudy supernate that forms after thawing out frozen food and using a turkey baster to spray it on the Acropora colonies.
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