Acan Coral Starter Care Guide
A practical introduction to acan coral care, including health risks, water quality, tank setup, food and behaviour.
Use this guide to notice and organize information. Contact a qualified veterinarian for medical concerns or urgent change.
About the Acan Coral
Acan is a common aquarium name for fleshy colonial stony corals, especially Micromussa lordhowensis, which was formerly placed in Acanthastrea. Exact identification matters because several similar-looking corals are sold under the same nickname.
Each round polyp shares a hard skeleton with the colony and may inflate well beyond its visible skeletal cup.
Health risks to know about
Important concerns include tissue recession, bleaching, alkalinity or salinity swings, copper exposure, skeleton injury, pests and stings from nearby corals.
A polyp that stays deflated, exposes skeleton, develops brown mucus or loses tissue across the colony needs immediate water testing and expert advice.
Tank, water and equipment
Use a mature reef aquarium with stable chemistry, low-to-moderate lighting, gentle-to-moderate flow and room for nighttime feeding or sweeper tentacles.
Monitor salinity, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. Acclimate slowly to stronger light because sudden intensity can cause bleaching.
Food and feeding
Lighting provides much of its energy, and the large mouths can accept small pellets or finely chopped marine foods.
Target feed lightly and keep food portions smaller than the mouth rather than covering the whole polyp.
Behaviour, tank mates and enrichment
Inflation during the day and feeding tentacles after dark are common. Polyps may close quickly when touched or shaded.
Leave space from neighbouring corals and watch fish, crabs or shrimp that repeatedly pick at the fleshy polyps.
When to contact an aquatic veterinarian
Get help for gasping, collapse, severe wounds, major swelling, inability to stay upright, rapid unexplained deaths or a problem that continues after water parameters are corrected.
Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature and salinity whenever behaviour changes. Water quality is part of the medical history, so record results before contacting an aquatic veterinarian.
Read the supporting material
These sources stay with their original publishers. WiseTails links to them and provides its own summary; it does not republish their text or images.
Supports the species-specific care summary for Acan Coral.
Original source ↗02professional org · Ornamental Aquatic Trade AssociationHow to Test for Water Quality in a Marine Tank / AquariumSupports the aquarium cycling and water-quality context used in this guide.
Original source ↗