The Tyree Icefire Echinata is a definite looker with its bright blue tips and creamy white branches. I typically fall for solid, brightly colored corals but the Icefire is certainly an eye catcher with its vivid contrasting color combo. A classic SPS coral, this piece was highly sought after when it first came out many years ago but it is still a must have Acropora today for many SPS collectors. It does best in the top-half of a tank under medium to high lighting and a good amount of flow. My colony is doing really well under a 400W Radium bulb about half way down the tank.
Echinatas can be on the delicate side so I would only recommend adding it to an established tank with other SPS that are doing well. Caution also needs to be taken when dipping this coral for pests.
What’s In a Name?
Ok, what about the origin of this coral? According to reeffarmers.com, the Icefire originally came from James Lee, who ran a reef shop located in the Bay Area of California called Aquascene. Steve Tyree was eventually able to acquire a frag from another reefer and grow out the coral. Today you will also see wild versions of the Icefire coming from Australia but long term success in a home reef tank will likely be higher with the aqua-cultured version of the Icefire.
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.
