Fungia concinna (Concinna Plate) Propagation Guide
How the solitary plate coral Fungia concinna (Fungiidae) propagates: through anthocauli daughter polyps regenerating from a stressed skeleton, not by fragging a single polyp.
Overview
Fungia concinna is a solitary, free-living plate coral in the family Fungiidae, with an elongated oval disc and a pronounced central mouth. Like other fungiids it is a single free-living polyp on the bottom rather than a colony. It therefore is not propagated by cutting it into several heads; instead it relies on the regeneration and budding typical of mushroom plate corals.
Reproductive Mode
Fungiids start as a small attached juvenile and later detach into a free-living disc. Asexually, they produce daughter polyps (anthocauli) that bud from the skeleton and detach, and they regenerate damaged tissue. The family also reproduces sexually through gamete release and free-swimming larvae.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Propagation uses anthocauli regeneration rather than cutting. When the disc is stressed, damaged, or partly dying, new daughter polyps bud from the skeletal tissue and grow on the old skeleton or stalk, eventually detaching as independent plates. Leaving even a compromised skeleton in stable water gives these daughter polyps the chance to develop, which is the practical asexual route for the genus.
Conditions for Propagation
- Soft substrate so the free-living disc rests without abrading its tissue.
- Low to moderate flow suited to a bottom-dwelling plate coral.
- Stable, high-quality water so a stressed disc regenerates rather than rots.
- Time and patience, since daughter polyps emerge slowly over weeks to months.
Sexual Reproduction
Fungiids spawn by releasing gametes into the water for external fertilisation, and the resulting larvae settle and pass through the attached juvenile stage. This is not a routine method for home propagation.
Common Challenges
With only one polyp, severe damage can kill the whole coral before anthocauli appear, so deliberately wounding a healthy plate is risky. Resting on the substrate also exposes the disc to abrasion and trapped detritus that can lead to infection. Regeneration is slow and cannot be forced reliably.