This is the actual coral you will receive, it is around 11cm x 7cm. Lobophyllia prefer shadier spots and moderate flow. They will need KH, Calcium and Magnesium to be tested and regularly maintained as well as regular feeds with a specialist LPS pellet
Lobophyllia Care Guide
Lobophyllia or Lobed Brains as they are commonly called are a brilliant, relatively easy LPS (large polyp stony) coral to care for. They are available in a huge range of colours with some extremely rare rainbows morphs fetching eye watering prices.
Location
Lobophyllia are collected from a range of locations. At present (June 2019) there is a ban on the import of both Indonesian and Fijian hard corals so the vast majority of corals available are sustainably collected from Australian waters.
Placement Tips
Lobophyllia are not a fast growing species so all colonies/frags available are wild collected. They are collected from deep water and so it is really important not to light shock them when placing them in your aquarium. Put them initially in a shady spot and slowly move them to a high intensity lighting over a period of weeks/months. It is worth bearing in mind that Lobophyllia generally prefer a lower intensity so be careful to not push their limits in terms of lighting as this will cause them to either bleach or receed. In terms of flow Lobophyllia as with all LPS are big eaters and therefore create a big mess! They will need to be in enough flow to ensure detritus doesnt sit on top of the coral and cause damage. They are not overly aggressive but can be stung by other corals so it is important to ensure they have plenty of room to stretch out.
Feeding
To get the most out of Lobophyllia, it is best to feed diligently. Their larger polyps need a large amount of food but little and often as always is the best course of action rather than overloading the coral. When feeding these corals, youll want to spray them with a trace amount of food (brine or particulate coral feed) to initiate their feeding response by displaying their feeding tentacles. Once these are present, you can target feed a variety of LPS specialist foods such as Vitalis/Easy Reefs LPS pellet.
Top Tips
Our biggest tip for growing healthy Lobophyllia is getting your paramaters right and keeping them stable. Lobophyllia do not like changes in Alkalinity, Calcium & Magnesium. In some wild colonies rapid changes in water conditions can cause them to receed or even knock their colours out completely.
We recommend STABLE parameters of: dKH 9-10 Calcium 400-420 Magnesium 1320 1350
