One of my favorite SPS Corals is the ORA Hawkins, an oldie but a goodie from the ORA farm. I acquired one of these soon after it was released years ago and it grew like a weed in my old 225 gallon tank. It was just different from all other corals in my tank with its short, delicate branches and aqua/turquoise coloration. The ORA Hawkins is a smooth skin coral and is thus a bit more sensitive to any fluctuations in water conditions than other SPS corals. As is true with other smooth skin SPS, caution should be used when dipping it to prevent pests such as Red Bugs or AEFW.
As for placement, this coral will do well in the middle part of a tank but it can also be happy in the upper or lower part of a reef. The ORA Hawkins requires medium to high lighting and will do fine under T5s, metal halides and LEDs. Moderate to strong circulation is recommended for optimal growth.
Ok, so what about the name? Apparently it was named after Robert Hawkins, an ORA facility manager, who acquired the coral from Germany in 2006. ORA classified the coral as an Acropora echinata but it commonly gets confused with the Acropora turaki since both sport a similar color and bottlebrush shape. I have had the A. turaki as well so I guess it is no mystery I like the look of these corals!
Interested in purchasing a frag of an ORA Hawkins? If so, check out my SPS frag store to see if one is available. I have affordable hobbyist pricing and carry frags that are pest free and home grown from my 187 display tank.
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well 🙂 Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.
