How related are they?
Same family, Euphylliidae (Euphylliid corals): close cousins
They split at the genus level: the Torch Coral belongs to Euphyllia (Torch corals), the Branching Frogspawn Coral to Fimbriaphyllia (Hammer and frogspawn corals).
Find the Torch Coral on the tree · Find the Branching Frogspawn 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 | Torch Coral | Branching Frogspawn 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 | Euphylliidae Euphylliid corals | |
| Genus split | Euphyllia Torch corals | Fimbriaphyllia Hammer and frogspawn corals |
| Species | Euphyllia glabrescens Torch Coral | Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa Branching Frogspawn Coral |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Torch Coral | Branching Frogspawn Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coral · LPS coral | Coral · LPS coral |
| Care level | Moderate | Moderate |
| Reef safe | Yes | With caution |
| Temperament | Aggressive | Aggressive |
| Diet | Photosynthetic | Photosynthetic |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Fine coral foods such as Reef Roids | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Micro-plankton and zooplankton |
| Max size | 10.5 in (26.7 cm) | 10 in (25.4 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 30 gal | 55 gal |
| Temperature | 75–78 °F | 76–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.024–1.026 | 1.025–1.026 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 5–15 ppm | 5–15 ppm |
| Lifespan | 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. | No published lifespan. Colonies keep growing by adding heads; Fish Tank Advisor reports branching frogspawn producing 30 or more new clusters a year, and healthy heads can be fragged off to start new colonies. |
| Breeding | Easy | Easy |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |