Echinophyllia aspera Chalice: Propagation Guide

Propagating the chalice coral Echinophyllia aspera by cutting plate sections that each keep an eye, with placement, dip, and aggression notes.

Overview

Echinophyllia aspera is a large-polyp stony coral that is partly encrusting and partly forms laminate plates or tiers, with colonies reaching up to 60 cm across and sometimes hummocky with plates, whorls, or tiers. Its corallites are usually level with the surface but may be protuberant, normally only on the upper surface. It ranges across the western and central Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and Madagascar to Japan and the Pacific islands.

Reproductive Mode

Echinophyllia is a colonial large-polyp stony coral of the Indo-Pacific. As with chalice corals generally, sexual reproduction occurs by gamete release in the wild, while in aquaria the species is propagated asexually by cutting the encrusting plate. The fluorescent corallites, or eyes, mark the live polyps that each frag must retain.

Fragging / Asexual Propagation

Chalices are fragged by cutting sections of the plate, ensuring at least one eye per frag, avoiding cutting through an eye, and confirming each frag has a mouth to feed. The cut edges are prone to bacterial infection, so an iodine dip is recommended before the frag is glued to a plug and left to heal.

Conditions for Propagation

Chalices do best under lower-moderate lighting, around 100 PAR, with moderate to lower flow strong enough to prevent debris settling on the tissue. Given the right conditions chalices show rapid growth, which makes them strong aquaculture candidates.

Common Challenges

The chief risks are bacterial infection of the cut margin, mitigated by the iodine dip, and stinging contact with neighbors as the frag expands. Listed by the IUCN as Least Concern in the wild, the species is widespread and considered relatively resilient.