How related are they?
Same family, Lobophylliidae (Lobophylliid corals): close cousins
They split at the genus level: the Tonga Mussa Coral belongs to Homophyllia, the Acan Lord Coral to Micromussa (Micromussa corals).
Find the Tonga Mussa Coral on the tree · Find the Acan Lord 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 | Tonga Mussa Coral | Acan Lord Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum | Cnidaria Cnidarians | |
| Subphylum | Anthozoa Corals and sea anemones | |
| Class | Hexacorallia Hexacorals | |
| Order | Scleractinia Stony corals | |
| Suborder | Vacatina Robust corals | |
| Family | Lobophylliidae Lobophylliid corals | |
| Genus split | Homophyllia | Micromussa Micromussa corals |
| Species | — | Micromussa lordhowensis Acan Lord Coral |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Tonga Mussa Coral | Acan Lord Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coral · LPS coral | Coral · LPS coral |
| Care level | Moderate | Easy |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Semi-aggressive |
| Diet | Photosynthetic | Photosynthetic |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Finely chopped krill or clam | Mysis shrimp, chopped to polyp size, Brine shrimp, Fine coral foods such as Reef Roids |
| Minimum tank | — | 20 gal |
| Temperature | 75–80 °F | 75–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.024–1.026 | 1.025–1.026 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 5–15 ppm | 5–20 ppm |
| Lifespan | No fixed lifespan. Like other colonial stony corals, a colony can live for many years in a stable aquarium as long as conditions stay good; growth is slow. | 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. |
| Breeding | Moderate | Moderate |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Not Evaluated | Endangered |