Bottlebrush acropora (Acropora echinata) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Echinata acro, Bottlebrush acro
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific, including Indonesia, the Philippines and northern Australia, often in sheltered or deeper reef areas
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
expert
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
High; about PAR 250–400 (standard hobby guidance)
Flow
Strong, turbulent

Care

Acropora echinata is a bottlebrush acro: long, thin main branches carry many short side branchlets, giving a feathery, brush-like colony. It is usually seen in purple, blue, green or cream with contrasting tips. Neither LiveAquaria nor Top Shelf Aquatics has a page for this species, so the figures here come from LiveAquaria's general Acropora page. Place it in the upper part of the rockwork with strong but not blasting flow; the fine branchlets trap detritus if flow is too weak. Water: LiveAquaria gives dKH 8–12, pH 8.0–8.4 and 22–26 °C for Acropora, with calcium, magnesium, strontium and trace elements. Keep alkalinity stable, calcium around 400–450 ppm and magnesium around 1,300 ppm. Bottlebrush acros are among the more sensitive Acropora and are best kept in a mature tank. Growth is moderate to fast once settled. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/assorted-acropora-coral). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Mainly photosynthetic: the zooxanthellae in its tissue supply most of its energy. LiveAquaria notes that Acropora also benefits from phytoplankton and zooplankton; fine coral foods or reef roe a few times a week help in very clean systems, but strong, stable lighting and water quality matter far more than feeding.

Breeding

Acropora is one of the easiest stony corals to frag. Snip a branch tip 2–3 cm long with bone cutters, glue it to a frag plug or rock with cyanoacrylate gel or reef epoxy, and keep it under similar light and flow to the parent. LiveAquaria notes that new colonies can be grown from living fragments or broken pieces under the right conditions. Nearly all Acropora sold in the UK hobby are captive-grown frags.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful (LiveAquaria lists Acropora as peaceful), but it has short sweeper-like mesenterial filaments and will lose fights with LPS corals, leathers and other aggressive neighbours, so keep stinging corals at least 15 cm away. Watch for Acropora-eating flatworms (AEFW) and red bugs, and dip new frags. Many angelfish and butterflyfish may nip the polyps.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

About Aquatic-Auctions

  • Aquatic-Auctions (aquatic-auctions.com) is a UK online marketplace for aquarium and pond livestock and equipment: tropical and marine fish, corals, shrimp, snails and other invertebrates, aquatic plants, tanks, filtration, lighting and food.
  • Items are sold by auction, buy it now or classified advert, by hobbyist and business sellers in the UK.
  • Buyers pay sellers directly; Aquatic-Auctions does not hold the money. Hobbyist sellers must offer PayPal and may also take cash on collection. Business sellers take PayPal (required) or cash on collection, and bank transfer only once they have a seller rating of 50 out of 100, a company and pet-selling licence checked by Aquatic-Auctions, a bank account in the company's name, and bank details approved by Aquatic-Auctions.
  • Buyers are told to pay by PayPal Goods & Services, never PayPal Friends and Family, gift cards or crypto.
  • Live fish and other vertebrates must be sent by specialist live-animal couriers (for example APC Overnight or DX Express), never by Royal Mail. Some invertebrates and plants may go by Royal Mail Special Delivery or 1st Class within its rules.
  • Banned and invasive species (for example those on the GB invasive species lists) cannot be listed, and sellers must meet the site’s animal welfare standards.
  • Members must be 16 or over to buy (16 and 17-year-olds with a parent or guardian’s agreement); sellers must be 18 or over.
  • Business sellers show their address, company details and pet-selling licence to buyers. Seller ratings run from 0 to 100: +1 for each positive feedback, −1 for each negative.
  • The site includes a free community species wiki with care guides (water parameters, tank size, diet, temperament, breeding).
  • Aquatic-Auctions is run by Etavonni Tech Limited trading as Aquatic-Auctions (company number 10204188), Aldershot, Hampshire, UK. Contact: info@aquatic-auctions.com.