Rainbow Acan

Micromussa DO NOT require very much light. In fact, I am willing to bet people tend to struggle a bit with these corals because they are providing too much light. We recommend low to medium light something in the range of 25 to 50 PAR. I’ve seen them in many different types of aquariums under many types of light and the ones in the dimmest seemed to be happiest.

Micromussa are very responsive to light. So far, we have had success growing them under a variety of lighting conditions, however it is clear that any change in light results in dramatic color differences in the corals themselves. Many corals will adapt their color to the lighting conditions provided, however the extent to which Micromussa can change sets it apart. It is possible for them to turn from a red color to yellow in under 24 hours.

It may require significant trial and error with different light profiles to achieve a particular color. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I have had the best color expression in the systems here with very old T5 fluorescents, some which are over a year old.

As for flow and placement, there are a couple of things I look for. Micromussa do not require a ton of flow, so I look to provide just enough so detritus does not settle on them. Most of the time hobbyists place Micros towards the bottom of the tank so it is important that they get enough flow to keep them clean. On the other hand, I think feeding is important for long term health so preferably the flow can slowed during feeding time to allow the coral to grab pieces out of the water column

Micromussa can be fed a mix of meaty foods such as pieces of krill or mysis shrimp. They are relatively small in size so larger pieces of food are not suitable. When I observe Micromussa whether it is lordhowensis or amakusensis, I am looking to see very fat inflated polyps with tentacles constantly extended. We feed a mix of frozen shrimp here at Tidal Gardens. Our blend is pretty basic, mainly mysis shrimp and krill with a little bit of rotifers. You can also feed a high quality dry coral pellet food, but be careful not to overfeed dry food of any kind because it is possible to burn the coral if too much is fed at once. One particular brand I know recommends something like a single pellet per polyp so if you decide to go that route, less is more.