How related are they?
Both belong to Animalia (Animals), and that is about all they share
They split at the phylum level: the Acan Lord Coral belongs to Cnidaria (Cnidarians), the Achilles Tang to Chordata (Chordates).
Find the Acan Lord Coral on the tree · Find the Achilles Tang on the tree
Family lines, side by side
Highlighted rows are groups both animals belong to. The marked row is where their lines go separate ways.
| Rank | Acan Lord Coral | Achilles Tang |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum split | Cnidaria Cnidarians | Chordata Chordates |
| Subphylum | Anthozoa Corals and sea anemones | Vertebrata Vertebrates |
| Infraphylum | — | Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates |
| Parvphylum | — | Osteichthyes bony fishes |
| Gigaclass | — | Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes |
| Superclass | — | Actinopteri |
| Class | Hexacorallia Hexacorals | Teleostei Teleost fishes |
| Order | Scleractinia Stony corals | Acanthuriformes Surgeonfishes, angelfishes and kin |
| Suborder | Vacatina Robust corals | — |
| Family | Lobophylliidae Lobophylliid corals | Acanthuridae Surgeonfishes and tangs |
| Genus | Micromussa Micromussa corals | Acanthurus Acanthurus surgeonfishes |
| Species | Micromussa lordhowensis Acan Lord Coral | Acanthurus achilles Achilles Tang |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Acan Lord Coral | Achilles Tang |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coral · LPS coral | Fish · Tang |
| Care level | Easy | Expert |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Semi-aggressive |
| Diet | Photosynthetic | Herbivore |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, chopped to polyp size, Brine shrimp, Fine coral foods such as Reef Roids | Dried seaweed (nori) on a clip, Algae-based pellets, Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp or mysis |
| Max size | — | 9.4 in (24 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 20 gal | 180 gal |
| Temperature | 75–78 °F | 72–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.025–1.026 | 1.020–1.025 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 5–20 ppm | — |
| Lifespan | No fixed lifespan. A colony keeps adding polyps by budding and can persist for many years in a stable aquarium (much longer in the wild) as long as conditions stay good. | Not documented in the sources we checked; no published longevity study or reliable captive lifespan figure was found. |
| Breeding | Moderate | Not achieved |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Endangered | Least Concern |