Acan Echinata (Micromussa echinata)
Looking for an encrusting LPS coral with insane, glowing colours, but want something a bit different from the standard Acan Lord? The Acan Echinata is an absolute powerhouse that delivers intense, toxic colour combinations with a totally unique texture.
While its famous cousin, the Acan Lord, grows distinct, separate fleshy heads, the Acan Echinata has a much tighter, "melted" appearance. Its flesh heavily encrusts over the rockwork, creating a continuous, ultra-textured carpet of intense colour—often featuring wild tiger stripes, glowing oranges, toxic greens, and deep metallic reds. Under blue actinic lighting, this coral absolutely commands attention in the lower levels of your tank.
At UKReef Hampshire, we love the Acan Echinata because it is a rapid encruster and incredibly hardy. However, it earns its reputation as the "silent assassin" of the reef—so placement is absolutely key to keeping the peace in your display!
Quick Care Guide:
Care Level: Moderate. They are incredibly robust and forgiving, but as a stony coral, they require a stable, mature reef with consistent Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium levels to support their fast encrusting growth.
Temperament: Highly Aggressive. ⚠️ Important: Do not let their peaceful daytime appearance fool you! At night, the Echinata will deploy exceptionally long, highly lethal mesenterial filaments (stomach tissue) to digest any neighboring corals. They will even eat other Acans. Give them a very wide perimeter!
Placement: Bottom to Middle. Because they are an encrusting species, the best strategy is to place them on their own isolated "rock island" on the sandbed. This allows them to encrust fully over the rock without any risk of them spreading and attacking your main aquascape.
Lighting: Low to Moderate. They naturally prefer dimmer, shaded areas of the reef. If blasted with high-intensity LEDs, they will rapidly bleach and wash out their incredible colours.
Water Flow: Low to Moderate. They only need a gentle, sweeping current to keep sand and detritus from settling on their tissue. Direct, heavy flow will cause the flesh to tightly retract against the skeleton.
Feeding: Highly Recommended. Like all Acans, they are incredibly greedy eaters. Turn off your wavemakers 1-2 times a week and gently target-feed them meaty foods like Mysis shrimp, Krill, or dedicated LPS pellets to watch them instantly puff up and swallow their meal.