🌟 BigR Gumdrop Echinata Frag
Acanthastrea echinata (BigR Gumdrop Morph)
Quick Stats
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Colour Form: Bright, candy-like orange-red polyps with subtle yellow highlights, giving a “gumdrop” appearance. Under actinic lighting, the polyps shimmer with a glossy, almost translucent effect that accentuates their rounded, fleshy texture.
Water Conditions: 24–27 °C, dKH 8–11, pH 8.0–8.4, sg 1.024–1.026
Family: Lobophylliidae
Lighting: Moderate to low
Supplements: Calcium, Magnesium, Trace Elements
Water Flow: Low to moderate, gentle pulses
Placement: Lower to middle reef zones, on stable rock ledges or sandy substrate
🧬 Overview
The BigR Gumdrop Echinata frag is a playful and visually striking LPS coral. Its rounded, juicy polyps open fully under gentle flow, adding depth, color, and texture to any reef. This frag thrives in stable conditions with balanced lighting, rewarding aquarists with slow but steady growth and impressive polyp expansion.
🍽️ Care & Feeding
Though photosynthetic, target feeding 1–2 times per week will enhance growth and color. Offer finely chopped meaty foods like mysis, brine shrimp, or powdered coral diets such as Reef Roids. Feeding during low flow or after lights-out encourages maximum polyp extension and color saturation.
⚠️ Note: Sweeper tentacles may extend at night, so maintain spacing from neighboring corals to prevent stinging.
📈 Optimal Parameters
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Alkalinity (dKH): 8–11
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Calcium (Ca): 420–460 ppm
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Magnesium (Mg): 1250–1350 ppm
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Nitrate (NO₃): 2–10 ppm
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Phosphate (PO₄): 0.01–0.05 ppm
📍 Placement
Place on stable rock or the sandbed in lower-to-mid reef zones. Gentle, indirect flow and moderate lighting allow the “gumdrop” polyps to shine. Blue-dominant lighting will make the glossy orange-red hues pop, creating a fun and eye-catching centerpiece.