Lighting
50-150 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Acan Echinata
Acanthastrea echinata
Use this Acan Echinata profile to compare fleshy encrusting LPS with Acan Coral and Chalice Coral, plan conservative spacing, and watch for aggressive encrusting edge sting under moderate flow.
Compare fleshy encrusting LPS, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 50-150 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- High
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Minimum tank age
- 4 months
- Minimum tank size
- 25 gallons
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Philippe Bourjon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Will Thomas
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0
Photo: Will Thomas
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 400-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.1 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Acan Echinata, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Acan Echinata requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- small meaty foods, mysis, LPS pellets
- Frequency
- weekly when feeding response is visible
ID
Identification
Key features
- fleshy encrusting LPS
- strong feeding response
- aggressive sweeper behavior
Common colors
- Red
- Green
- Orange
- Purple
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Separate Acan Echinata from Acan Coral and Chalice Coral by checking fleshy encrusting LPS, strong feeding response, and aggressive sweeper behavior in normal white light. Then confirm corallite walls, polyp shape, tissue inflation, and where recession begins; avoid using a trade name as the only ID evidence. Because trade photos can exaggerate color, skeleton shape, polyp layout, and expansion pattern are stronger clues than color alone.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 6 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Acan Echinata aggressive encrusting edge stingOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- neighboring tissue recedes where the echinata edge approaches
- Acan Echinata shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- underestimated aggression, direct contact, or nighttime feeding tentacles
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acan Echinata
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Acan Echinata alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact
- reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton
- increase spacing and observe the coral under white light and after lights out
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- do not confuse Acan Echinata aggression with gentler Micromussa-style acans
- placing Acan Echinata before confirming fleshy encrusting LPS and its spacing needs
- using Acan Echinata color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Acan Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Acan Echinata looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Acan Echinata
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Favia
Dipsastraea spp. / Favia spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Favites
Favites spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Brain Coral
Trachyphyllia spp. / Lobophyllia spp. / Platygyra spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
FAQs
FAQs
Is Acan Echinata beginner friendly?
Acan Echinata is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Acan Echinata be placed?
Start Acan Echinata low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 50-150 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Acan Echinata?
Acan Echinata may benefit from careful target feeding with small meaty foods, mysis, and LPS pellets. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly when feeding response is visible. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Acan Echinata touch other corals?
Give Acan Echinata about 6 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is High. Use caution near Acan Coral, Blastomussa, and Candy Cane Coral. Avoid close placement with Zoanthids, Mushroom Coral, and Acropora. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Acan Echinata looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Acan Echinata, neighboring tissue recedes where the echinata edge approaches and Acan Echinata shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Acan Echinata aggressive encrusting edge sting. Likely causes to check include underestimated aggression, direct contact, or nighttime feeding tentacles and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Acan Echinata. Start with these database checks: check Acan Echinata alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Acan Echinata?
For Acan Echinata, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 4 months as the minimum tank age and 25 gallons as the minimum tank size. For LPS-style care, protect fleshy tissue from repeated moves, direct flow, and abrupt chemistry corrections.
Coral Identifier
Identify Acan Echinata.
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Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare fleshy encrusting LPS, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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