Echinata Or Favia

[Shooter000]

What do you guys think?

 

[Kman]

To me it looks more like a Echinata as the growth doesn't look like favia to me.

 

[Shooter000]

Does echinata morph colours like this, I've never saw one display offset colours like this, but I've saw many Favia with this colour pattern??, not sure is all

 

[Kman]

I had though about the colors to but I try and not base ID on it as this can change easily. I find the Favia has more clearly defined coralites then Echinata has and have clearly defined lines instead of bumps in the tissue. Yours has bumpy tissue with hard to see distinctions between each section if that makes sense. Take a look at the below picture of a random Favia I found online to see the difference I am talking about for the lines and segregated tissue.

 

[Kman]

I have seen them color morph it is just more rare is all. But really to be totally accurate you would have to do a DNA sample as environmental differences can change growth patterns.

 

[AdInfinitum]

One of the more common around here...the Orange crush echinata blends Orange, green, purple and yellow throughout and changes with lighting and happiness...

I agree with echinata for kman's reasons as well...

 

[Shooter000]

Yes I would say I agree as well, I found a pic with the same colouration as mine

 

[TORX]

I love my orange crush for that reason

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Kman]

defiantly a cool coral though regardless. It will look very nice when big.

 

[AdInfinitum]

I don't know if it is just me but I find echinata one of the slowest growing things I have. They are hardy and super easy to keep alive but growth has been minimal compared to chalice, Favia, Acan Lords etc...

If anyone has a secret to getting real growth please share...

 

[TORX]

Nope. Slow as hell here.

 

[Shooter000]

That's gorgeous torx!!!!, how long have you had that for, mine looks like it's slowly growing a new head, there's about6-7 heads already

 

[TORX]

That's gorgeous torx!!!!, how long have you had that for, mine looks like it's slowly growing a new head, there's about6-7 heads already

Thanks. Rick brought it to me if that says anything about how long. The larger one encrusted and I ripped it off leaving that smaller one with the zoas. I ripped it off months ago and it is finally encrusting to its new home. Just about time to rip it off and move it again lol.

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Kman]

The key is to find a spot with good flow that makes the polyps come out and lets it feed heavily on particulate matter. I think it needs supplemental feeding quite heavy for calcification rates to increase. I found to much light slowed growth for some reason in my tank. If i kept it near the bottom with good flow they grew pretty good. Still was not a fast grower but you could notice growth.

 

[Shooter000]

Ya mines at the bottom between to rock walls that tapper into a funnel so I get lots of flow in the middle, when I got it it was hurtin pretty bad!!, I'm starting to see some polyp extension now though

 

[Kman]

This is a little off topic.

But I find small foods work best with Echinata and Acans. They can take larger pieces but not as productively as smaller. I think larger items like brine shrimp size uses more energy to eat and digest. It takes more energy to close the polyps up and digest the larger food items, so it takes a greater bite out of the energy budget to process the food. Smaller food items like detritus that are nutrient packed can absorb through the tissue more easily allowing a smaller energy consumption to processing the foods. Smaller foods allow almost constant feeding as the polyp are not closed for business while processing the large food item towards the mouth and excreting the mesenterial filaments to start with digestion. So it wastes less energy possessing smaller foods and allows for almost constant feeding because the polyps can stay open longer. This allows for more energy to be gathered and redistributed to other things like calcification or sexual breeding and not towards metabolic needs. Efficient and increased feeding can stimulate calcification via enhanced bicarbonate production and the bicarbonate then can be used as a base for greater calcification rates. I blow my detritus up from around the rock and substrate edges a few times a week to feed my corals and it works like a charm.

One thing I learned over the years to increase my coral growth rates is simple. It all comes down to keeping the energy used to process the food as low as possible, keep food items the appropriate size for efficient feeding thus increasing the time the polyps are out and actively feeding and feed foods that are nutrient rich. If you stick to this formula for feeding and keep your building blocks like light, water flow, calcium, mag and alk at proper levels people will see a huge increase in growth rates and color.

 

[Shooter000]

I've been feeding the nano tank reef roids, also a little in the new tank, everything seems to have perked up just that little bit in the last two weeks or so, especially the echinata coral and zoos in the new tank

 

[Kman]

Nice! I like to hear that.

 

[skybreezy]

I have seen them color morph it is just more rare is all. But really to be totally accurate you would have to do a DNA sample as environmental differences can change growth patterns.