Hawkins Blue Acropora Echinata (A17)

The Hawkins Blue Echinata Acropora is a bottle brush coral originally aquacultured in North America by ORA.  It has short turquoise branches and bright blue polyps and looks particularly stunning under intense lighting.  It was originally brought to North America from Germany in 2006 and has been steadily increasing in popularity ever since.  It grows by sprouting new branches from the central stalk as well as by encrusting the rockwork around its base where new central stalks will eventually form.

 

While the Hawkins Blue Echinata Acropora is available exclusively as aquacultured specimens, Echinata Acropora are found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, although they are less common than many other species of acropora.  It is found on shallow reefs between 8 and 25 meters in clear water with strong movement.  In a home aquarium they are usually placed on an exposed piece of rockwork in the upper third of the tank where they will receive appropriate levels of both light and flow.  They are a peaceful coral, but colonies can grow quite large so it is important to give them room to grow.  They are also at risk of being stung by more aggressive neighbours.

 

Like all types of acropora, the Hawkins Blue Echinata Acropora is a coral that loves high levels of both light and flow.  A good indication of whether or not a coral is receiving enough light is its colour.  A coral that is turning brown may not be receiving enough light, whereas one that is turning white may be receiving too much.  Flow should be sufficient to prevent the buildup of detritus.  Good polyp extension is usually an indication of appropriate levels of flow.

 

Photo comparison: Shot under blue actinic and white lighting

Similar to all other acropora, this species is photosynthetic and can use aquarium lighting to meet its energy needs.  It can, however, be spot fed if desired.  Vitalis SPS Food is a good choice for feeding all types of acropora.

The Hawkins Blue Echinata Acropora is a bit more difficult to frag than other types of acropora because it does not have a protective slime coating.  This means that it is more susceptible to drying out if removed from the water for too long.  It is also less tolerant of coral dips than other types of acropora.  This doesn’t mean it can’t be fragged but care should be taken to not damage it.

 

The Hawkins Blue Echinata Acropora is a stunning colour morph of an interesting acropora species and adds a beautiful blue to a home tank.