Caulastrea echinulata Propagation Guide

Propagating Caulastraea echinulata, a trumpet coral with denser corallites: a hardy branching LPS fragged easily by separating individual heads onto plugs.

Overview

Caulastraea echinulata is a recognised species of trumpet coral in the family Merulinidae. It is a Caulastrea variant with more densely spaced corallites and pronounced septa than the typical furcata. Like its relatives, it grows as a phaceloid colony of separate corallite heads on stalk-like branches and is a hardy, beginner-friendly LPS that is easy to frag.

Reproductive Mode

Aquarium propagation is asexual by fragmentation. Branching corals such as Caulastrea are the easiest LPS to frag because each head sits on its own branch and the colony only needs to be separated into individual pieces.

Fragging / Asexual Propagation

1. Identify the branch stalks between the densely packed heads.
2. Separate the branches with coral cutters, or use a band saw for a flatter edge where heads sit close together.
3. Cut into singles or doubles and shave the base flat.
4. Glue each frag to a plug.
5. Place frags in low flow and medium light to recover and bud new heads.

Because echinulata corallites sit closer together, take a little extra care to cut on the connecting skeleton rather than into an adjacent head.

Conditions for Propagation

Hold temperature around 24-26 degrees Celsius and pH 8.1-8.4 with stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. As a Caulastrea, it tolerates a wide PAR and flow range, so low to moderate flow and medium light suit fresh frags; light feeding aids recovery.

Sexual Reproduction

Sexual reproduction occurs on the reef and is not used in the hobby. The consulted sources do not document captive spawning, so propagation relies on fragmentation and natural budding.

Common Challenges

Echinulata is a passive, peaceful coral, so it poses little aggression risk. The closer head spacing raises the chance of nicking a neighbouring corallite during fragging, so cut carefully on the bare branch and keep fresh cuts clean to prevent infection.