Effective aquaculture of sexually propagated corals is constrained by high post-settlement mortality of recruits in captivity. Algal overgrowth is a contributing factor, thus co-culture of corals and microherbivores may increase survival and growth of recruits. We tested the effect of co-culturing species of branching Acroporid and massive coral recruits with herbivorous marine gastropods and seastars, individually and in mixed grazer treatments. Over a two-month period, single species co-culture of recruits with the small gastropod Calthalotia strigata significantly improved coral survival and growth. Over 6-months, C. strigata produced the highest survival in Acropora millepora (51.6% ± 5.24%), A. tenuis (46.6% ± 3.16%) and A. secale (38.5% ± 3.48%), while the gastropod Turbo haynesi resulted in higher survival in the massive morphology corals Porites lobata (67.3% ± 3.76%) and Platygyra daedalea (100% ± 0%). In general, growth of Acroporids was best in gastropod co-culture, whilst massive corals fared well in control tanks with no grazers. Given the almost 24-fold higher survival of the commercially and ecologically important A. millepora species, this study demonstrates the potential application of co-culture to improve coral aquaculture.