How related are they?
Same suborder, Refertina (Complex corals): relatives from different families
They split at the family level: the Torch Coral belongs to Euphylliidae (Euphylliid corals), the Duncan Coral to Dendrophylliidae (Dendrophylliid corals).
Find the Torch Coral on the tree · Find the Duncan 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 | Duncan 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 | Euphylliidae Euphylliid corals | Dendrophylliidae Dendrophylliid corals |
| Genus | Euphyllia Torch corals | Duncanopsammia Duncan corals |
| Species | Euphyllia glabrescens Torch Coral | Duncanopsammia axifuga Duncan Coral |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Torch Coral | Duncan Coral |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coral · LPS coral | Coral · LPS coral |
| Care level | Moderate | Easy |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Aggressive | Peaceful |
| Diet | Photosynthetic | Photosynthetic |
| Favorite foods | Mysis shrimp, Enriched brine shrimp, Fine coral foods such as Reef Roids | Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp, Microplankton and other filter-feeder foods |
| Max size | 10.5 in (26.7 cm) | — |
| Minimum tank | 30 gal | — |
| Temperature | 75–78 °F | 75–80 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.024–1.026 | 1.024–1.026 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 5–15 ppm | 5–20 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 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. |
| Breeding | Easy | Easy |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |