Acan lord (Micromussa lordhowensis) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Acanthastrea lordhowensis, Acan, Lord coral, Tri-colour acan, Rainbow acan
Family
Lobophylliidae
Origin
Western Pacific, especially eastern Australia (named after Lord Howe Island) and Indonesia; shallow, often turbid lagoons to about 20 m
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
intermediate
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
Low to moderate; about PAR 50–150
Flow
Low to moderate

Care

The acan lord is a large-polyp stony (LPS) coral made up of round, fleshy polyps packed together into a mound or encrusting sheet. It is famous for colour: polyps can be red, orange, green, blue, grey or purple, often with contrasting eyes and rims, and tri-colour and rainbow colonies are sold under many morph names. Place it low in the tank. LiveAquaria lists it as moderate in care, with moderate light, low to medium flow and bottom placement, and says it is hardy and fast-growing in an established, stable reef. It tolerates low light well. Water: LiveAquaria gives dKH 8–12, pH 8.1–8.4, specific gravity 1.023–1.025 and 22–26 °C, with calcium, magnesium, strontium and trace elements. Naming: the species was moved from Acanthastrea to Micromussa in 2016, and it is still widely sold as "Acanthastrea lordhowensis". Aquacultured frags are common. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/lordhowensis-coral-tri-color). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Photosynthetic, but it feeds eagerly at night. Target feed minced mysis, enriched brine shrimp, small pieces of meaty food or zooplankton, and run a good skimmer to deal with the extra waste.

Breeding

Frag by cutting between polyps with a saw or bone cutters, ideally through the skeleton rather than the polyp tissue. Glue the pieces to plugs with cyanoacrylate gel. Pieces with two or three polyps recover quickest.

Compatibility and tank mates

Semi-aggressive. It can push out digestive filaments at night to attack nearby corals, so leave 8–10 cm around it. Keep it away from long-sweeper LPS. Some angelfish and butterflyfish nip it.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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