Echinopora

Echinopora are versatile LPS corals that bridge the gap between the chalice corals and traditional brain corals. They grow in encrusting to plating forms with small, well-spaced polyps and adapt well to moderate conditions. Provide moderate PAR (100–200 PAR) and moderate flow — they are more tolerant of light and current than many other LPS genera and can be placed in the mid-section of your tank.

Maintain standard reef parameters: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Echinopora are primarily photosynthetic and grow at a moderate pace. They benefit from occasional broadcast feeding with fine coral foods but are not demanding feeders. Their growth form tends to plate outward, so give them room to expand.

The main consideration with Echinopora is their sweeper tentacles, which emerge at night and can sting nearby corals. Provide a buffer zone of at least 5–10 cm from neighbours. Fragging is straightforward — cut plates with a band saw or Dremel and mount on frag plugs. They encrust and recover well from fragging. Echinopora are found on the Great Barrier Reef and throughout the Indo-Pacific, and locally sourced specimens are occasionally available from Australian coral suppliers.