This study assessed the survival of Acropora palmata fragments under controlled experimental conditions over a period of four months in a recirculating artificial seawater system. The coral fragments (5-9 cm long) were fixed in aragocrete and placed in an aquarium under a photoperiod of 12 h light: 12 h dark, using 150 W lamps (10000 K). The survival rate was 58%. Fragment mortality occurred mostly during the first month, which was associated to the process of bleaching stress as a result of fragmentation. These results showed that the conditioning in captivity of A. palmata using artificial seawater has potential as a viable tool to help the conservation of this species.