Echinopora sp.
| Care Level | Easy to moderate |
| Lighting | Moderate |
| Water Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Rock or sand, low to mid tank |
| Aggression | Semi-aggressive (short sweepers) |
| Coloration | Green, orange, cream |
Overview
Echinopora, often called hedgehog coral, is a hardy stony coral that usually grows as thin plates or laminae studded with small, evenly-spaced corallites, though some species branch. Bright green forms are common and colorful, and the plating growth can form attractive tiers and shelves. It is one of the easier plating stony corals and a good step up for a keeper moving from softies into stonies.
Care & Placement
Easy to moderate. Give it moderate light and moderate flow, and place it where its plates have room to spread on rock or where it meets the sand bed. It is adaptable and forgiving of normal reef conditions. Like many stony corals it can extend short sweeper tentacles at night, so leave a little space between it and close neighbors.
Feeding
Photosynthetic and largely self-sufficient on light. It will capture small planktonic and meaty foods at night with its polyps, and occasional feeding supports growth and color, but it is not required for a healthy colony.
Propagation
Straightforward: cut a section of the plate with a saw or bone cutters and mount it on a plug or rubble. Encrusting and plating growth attaches and spreads readily once the frag has healed.
Cautions
Mostly easygoing, but it can sting close neighbors with short nighttime sweeper tentacles, and its spreading plates can grow over and shade slower corals nearby. Give it space to expand and check that it is not encroaching on tankmates as it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Echinopora a good beginner coral?
It is one of the more forgiving stony corals — hardy, adaptable, and undemanding on light and flow — which makes it a good first plating stony for someone graduating from soft corals, as long as basic reef parameters are stable.
How fast does Echinopora grow?
Under good conditions it grows and encrusts steadily, spreading its plates across rock and even onto the glass or sand. Give it room, since it will overgrow slower neighbors if crowded.
Does Echinopora need feeding?
No. It gets its energy from light, though it will take small meaty and planktonic foods at night, and occasional feeding can improve growth and color.