LOBOPHYLLIA CORAL CARE OVERVIEW

• LIGHT: MODERATE (150-200 par) is what we find best. It is important to keep in mind that it is far easier to damage coral with too much lighting so in our opinion when it comes to lighting, less is often more for LPS corals. You can learn more about Lighting and it's overall impact on your reef tank in our article Lighting and your Reef Tank

• FOOD: Lobophyllia's will benefit from spot feeding mysis and brine shrimp. You can prepare a small amount of food and use a baster to gently squeeze the food out near the corals mouths. It is best to do this when the flow is off for 10 minutes. Lobophyllia will catch and consume most food particles in the water column. Like most corals they capture nutrients from the water and will do best when supplied a healthy amount of food. Our method is high import, high export. You can learn more about Feeding and Filtration in our article Feeding, Filtration and your Reef Tank.

• FLOW: MODERATE. Lobophyllia Corals benefit from moderate water movement which will be enough to keep the coral clean of any detritus and debris while bringing food to its many polyps. Too much flow, especially direct flow, can cause damage to the corals tissue or an inability to capture food. You can read more about Flow and its overall impact on your reef tank in our article Flow and your Reef Tank

• DIFFICULTY: ADVANCED. Lobophyllia are not readily found in aquaculture and this should tell you something about the long term prospects of Lobophyllia and captivity. This does not mean you cannot keep them, but it does mean there are difficulties in finding success. Lobophyllia tend to be large specimens and are slow growers. They do not frag very well and have fragile tissues that can become damaged. Like with all corals, specimens have been seen to do well in captivity when the right combination of Food/Light/Flow and Filtration are achieved. 

• PRICE: MODERATE-HIGH. Lobophyllia come in a wide variety of VERY STRIKING colorations. They tend to be sold as larger sized wild colonies they can be a striking addition to your reef tank. Colors range from burning orange/green/blue/red/and just about everything in between.  Due to their limited aquaculture availability, slow growth rate, and difficult long term success the prices tend to be high. This is not the most sought after coral by the general hobbyist but for those who have an appreciation for them they are truly captivating creatures.

• COLLECTION ZONE: Indo-Pacific

• SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Lobophyllia, commonly called lobed brain coral or lobo coral, is a genus of large polyp stony corals. Members of this genus are sometimes found in reef aquariums
  

• AGGRESSION: AGGRESSIVE. Lobophyllia coral's can be aggressive towards other species, we suggest that you aim for 4-5" apart from other types of corals depending on size and health of your colony.

• NATURAL TEMPERATURE: 82 °F / 28 °C  although most corals can adapt and survive in temps as low as 77 degrees and as high as 84 degrees. You can read more about temperature and how it affects your reef tank in our article Temperature and your Reef Tank.

• PH: Recommend 8.0-8.4, we tend to run around 8.2-8.3 over 24 hours. You can read more about pH in our article pH and your Reef Tank

• NITRATE: 5-10, try to keep stable. You can read more about nitrate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank

• PHOSPHATE: 0.05-0.1, try to keep stable. You can read more about Phosphate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank

• ALKALINITY: Recommend 8-9 dKh. You can read more about how we maintain our alkalinity in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank

• CALCIUM: Recommend 400-450. You can read more about how we maintain our calcium in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
  

More About Lobophyllia Corals

Lobophyllia are large polyp stony (LPS) corals in the Lobophylliidae family. Lobophyllia corals can be found in a wide variety of colors and textures. They are sometimes called “Brain corals,” “Lobed brain corals,” and “Lobed cactus coral."

Lobophyllia corals require moderate lighting. We recommend around 150-200 PAR. Bear in mind that most corals can be gradually adapted to lighting conditions outside of their normal preferences. Lobophyllia corals also prefer low to moderate water flow.

Through their symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive many of their nutrients. To maintain good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be monitored and added as needed. Lobophyllia corals may benefit from targeted feeding with meaty foods such as brine or Mysis shrimp when tentacles are present.

When placing your Lobophyllia, please remember that these corals can be aggressive at night and have sweeper tentacles that can damage neighboring corals. Be sure to provide enough personal space for your Lobophyllia corals to grow and thrive.