Acan Lord Coral

Care at a glance

Overview

A moderately aggressive but manageable LPS that can extend feeder tentacles and sting corals placed right against it, so give it a few inches of space. It responds dramatically to feeding with mysis, brine or coral foods once or twice a week, showing better color and faster growth. Prized for its color morphs and easily fragged polyp by polyp.

In the wild

Acan Lords come from reefs around Australia and the western Pacific and form encrusting mats of rounded, fleshy polyps in bright, high-contrast color combinations that make them one of the most collected LPS. They prefer lower light around 50 to 100 PAR and low to moderate indirect flow, since too much light bleaches them and too much flow keeps the polyps retracted. Place them on the sandbed, lower rock or a shaded overhang at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4.

Good to know

Long known as Acanthastrea lordhowensis, this coral was reclassified in 2016 as Micromussa lordhowensis, though the trade name Acan stuck. It is a large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae that grows by adding new polyps to the mat. It is photosynthetic but a strong feeder that extends feeder tentacles at night.

Did you know

Single Acan polyps of rare color morphs have sold for eye-watering prices, making a fist-sized colony worth more per square inch than almost any other coral in the hobby.

Related species

• 

  Scoly Coral

  Homophyllia australis

  5.1 in (13 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Acan Coral

  Acanthastrea echinata

  7.9 in (20 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Blastomussa

  Blastomussa merletti

  5.9 in (15 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Donut Coral

  Acanthophyllia deshayesiana

  9.8 in (25 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Lobed Brain Coral

  Lobophyllia

  9.8 in (25 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
• Grooved Brain Coral

  Lobophyllia recta

  9.8 in (25 cm)26 gal (100 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)