How related are they?
Same suborder, Refertina (Complex corals): relatives from different families
They split at the family level: the Duncan Coral belongs to Dendrophylliidae (Dendrophylliid corals), the Torch Coral to Euphylliidae (Euphylliid corals).
Find the Duncan Coral on the tree · Find the Torch Coral 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 | Duncan Coral | Torch Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum | Cnidaria Cnidarians | |
| Subphylum | Anthozoa Corals and sea anemones | |
| Class | Hexacorallia Hexacorals | |
| Order | Scleractinia Stony corals | |
| Suborder | Refertina Complex corals | |
| Family split | Dendrophylliidae Dendrophylliid corals | Euphylliidae Euphylliid corals |
| Genus | Duncanopsammia Duncan corals | Euphyllia Torch corals |
| Species | Duncanopsammia axifuga Duncan Coral | Euphyllia glabrescens Torch Coral |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Duncan Coral | Torch Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coral · LPS coral | Coral · LPS coral |
| Care level | Easy | Moderate |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Aggressive |
| Diet | Photosynthetic | Photosynthetic |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp, Microplankton and other filter-feeder foods | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Fine coral foods such as Reef Roids |
| Max size | — | 10.5 in (26.7 cm) |
| Minimum tank | — | 30 gal |
| Temperature | 75–80 °F | 75–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.024–1.026 | 1.024–1.026 |
| pH | 8–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 5–20 ppm | 5–15 ppm |
| Lifespan | No fixed lifespan. One Reef Builders colony was kept for about 10 years through six or seven tank setups, growing from four or five heads into enough material for many frags and four medium colonies. | No fixed lifespan: colonies grow by budding and splitting heads and can persist for many years in a stable aquarium. Individual heads can be lost to stress (polyp bailout) while the rest of the colony survives. |
| Breeding | Easy | Easy |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |