Acan coral

Care at a glance

Among collectors the acan is perhaps the most traded LPS: colonies of thick, fleshy cups in stacked rings of colour — red with green, orange with purple — where rare morphs are sold by the head. They are classified as Micromussa these days, but everyone calls them acans.

They belong low in the tank, on sand or a sheltered ledge: too much light or flow makes the tissue retract and the colours fade. Feeding here is not an extra but the difference between standing still and growing — a small piece of mysis per cup, a few times a week, and the colony visibly expands. Keep some distance, because acans burn neighbours too.

Related species

• BlastomussaBlastomussa wellsi
• Favia brain coralFavia sp.
• Candy cane coralCaulastraea furcata
• Lobo brain coralLobophyllia sp.
• Frogspawn coralEuphyllia divisa
• Open brain coralTrachyphyllia geoffroyi