Acanthastrea echinata Propagation Guide
Acanthastrea echinata is the type species of the colonial acan corals, fragged by band-sawing between fleshy corallites so each polyp group heals into a frag on a plug.
Overview
Acanthastrea echinata is a large-polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae and is the type species of the genus Acanthastrea. Colonies are massive and usually flat, with corallites that are either circular or angular; the polyps are extended mainly at night. Unlike the solitary plate corals, it is a true colony of many corallites, which makes it straightforward to fragment.
Reproductive Mode
Being colonial, the coral grows by adding corallites, each housing an individual polyp. This modular structure is the basis of asexual propagation: a colony can be cut into pieces that each carry one or more complete polyps.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Most LPS corals are fragged using a band saw, and acans are cut around the polyps so that a typical frag is about two to four polyps. The underside is then cut flat, and the frag is glued onto a frag plug, where it heals and encrusts. Care is taken to cut thick enough that the blade does not slice into the living polyp tissue.
Conditions for Propagation
Freshly cut acan frags recover best in a mature system with stable parameters, moderate flow, and moderate light. Targeted feeding accelerates tissue growth over the cut edge and onto the plug, and clean water reduces the risk of infection at the wound.
Common Challenges
Cutting into living tissue, leaving frags too thin, or poor water quality after cutting can cause tissue recession or brown jelly infection. Allowing frags to settle in low flow until the wound seals reduces these risks.