Acanthastrea Echinata

[MizTanks]

Hi everybody

I'll be getting my Acanthastrea Echinata tomorrow, via Happy Coral, Inc. (I shop no where else) I've done as much research as possible. One thing I've read is that they do not like a tank full of softies. But it doesn't say why this is. Anybody have knowledge about the reason?

I do have zoa's, shrooms and a couple of maxi minis. Not abundantly but enough to give me concern. As far as caring for them, info is that they are not that much different from other acans except for their aggressiveness.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

I have never owned one, so I can say for sure but I'd venture to guess that it'll be fine with the zoas and shooms. The reason a tankful of softies causes problems is likely the chemicals some soft corals release to inhibit other coral growth.

I'm looking forward to seeing pics and hearing about your new acan!

Tom

[MizTanks]

Thanks Tom makes sense to me lol. I'll def be putting up some pix-the colors remind me of Skittles!

[HappyCoral]

Did you find a spot?

[MizTanks]

I've found a spot for now just gotta do a little arranging and I should be good. Have the Hammer on the bottom for now. Just wanted to acclimate it to my tank. Today I'll move her higher up. The zoa's are on the bottom also, polyps have yet to open but for me zoa's are kind of slow doing so. As soon as I'm done THE Acan should have the entire sand bed to herself

[jimsflies]

Just try to keep it from touching other corals. They can send out sweepers...so keep an eye out for them.

As far as it not liking tanks with softies, running and changing carbon will help with that which will help water quality in general.

[BWsReef]

Make sure you check your new Echinata every night about an hour after lights out. If it is hungry or feeling threatened, it will send out sweepers and they will devour everything within 8 inches of the main body. It looks like it casts out nets from each head (could be individual stomachs). In the last year and a half I have lost a Ric (two inches across), a good ten Zoas, a couple of Shrimp Molts and two Cerith Snails. If I see it start to release sweepers, I mildly blast it with a baster and then spot feed it into the sweeper nets.

Good luck, I love mine, it was a raffle prize from VI Pets two GRMAS Christmas parties ago. It started out about 1.5 inches across and about 5-6 heads, and is now close to 3" across and about 15-20 heads.

[Davevg]

Yep I have lost a few corals to mine as well. Moved it out of my DT and it now resides in a corner of my frag tank 4 to 5 inches away from everything else.

[BeakerBob]

HERE is a thread about my acan echinata attacking some yellow polyps.