In 2016, the Acan Bowerbanki coral was reclassified and is now known as the Homophyllia Bowerbanki. So technically, the name Acan Bowerbanki doesn’t really exist anymore. It has been given its own classification and no longer should be referred to as an Acan.
Most people in the hobby still call them Acans. After all, it’s just the name that’s changed. The coral is the same. We now call them “Bankies”.
Acans, in general, are very popular in the hobby and there are so many different types available. They are one of my very first corals many years ago.
The Homophyllia Bowerbanki is a somewhat easy coral to take care of. They do require your main water parameters to be within limits and will benefit from regular feedings.
You can feed them Mysis and Brine shrimp along with LPS pellet and coral foods. This will improve their growth and coloration.
They also prefer a medium to strong water flow rate and moderate lighting so placement in your tank is important.
You need to be careful of too much light as these corals can easily bleach. When first introduced to the tank, keep the lighting low and slowly acclimate them to higher lighting over time.
A few weeks is generally needed to ensure they adapt to your tanks lighting type and intensity.
These are a peaceful coral but you should leave 2-4 inches of space between them and other corals as they do have sweeper tentacles that can sting at night.
Many hobbyists find these corals easy to frag and they recover well from propagating.
Homophyllia Bowerbanki water parameters
Keeping the water parameters consistent with minor fluctuations is key to the success of these corals. They are not as sensitive as some other corals but you need to test your water often and ensure the following parameters are in check.
Temperature: 75-80F
Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
PH: 8.1-8.4
Calcium: 420-440 ppm
Alk: 8-9.5 dkh
Magnesium: 1260-1350 ppm
Nitrates: <10 ppm
Phosphates: <0.1 ppm
As these are stony corals, they will require regular dosing to keep the levels of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium within range.
