IDing Different Acan Species

[wstem]

When identifying acans how does one tell which species the acan is. I'm trying to get one variety of each species in my tank so i need help IDing.

Acan maxima is easy due to its size, and acan lords look different but echinata, hillae, hemprichii, rotundoflora, subechinata, etc look so similar to me

Any tips, or suggested reading?

 

[Hormigaquatica]

Just by looking at a photo, or at living tissue- its really impossible to tell with any certainty. To correctly ID any coral you will need a sample of the bleached skeleton and a microscope. If you want to look online, check out http://welk.aims.au/coralsearch/coralsearch.php They have photos of the whole colony as well as skeletal details for many species. Might also take a look at JEN Verons Corals of the World trilogy.