Lobophyllia hemprichii Propagation Guide
How to propagate the lobed brain coral Lobophyllia hemprichii: cutting a colony between its lobes with a band saw so each frag keeps tissue and skeleton, plus its sexual spawning biology.
Overview
Lobophyllia hemprichii is a large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae, commonly called the lobed brain coral. According to Wikipedia it forms hemispherical or flattened mounds up to 5 m across, built from thick fleshy polyps in phaceloid or flabello-meandroid corallites. It ranges across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan and Australia, mainly on upper reef slopes at 9–15 m, and is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern.
Reproductive Mode
Unlike the solitary meat corals, Lobophyllia is colonial: it grows by adding corallites and lobes that share a common skeletal base. This modular structure means a colony can be divided into smaller pieces that each carry living tissue and supporting skeleton, so both asexual fragging in captivity and sexual spawning in the wild are available reproductive routes.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Reef Builders advises that most LPS corals need a band saw such as a diamond blade for fragging. With a lobed brain coral the cut follows the natural divisions, separating individual lobes or groups of two to four polyps so each frag keeps both flesh and skeleton. Cutting in a bath of home-aquarium water dosed with enough iodine to tint it light amber helps disinfect the wounds; each piece is then dried and glued to a plug with a flat base.
Conditions for Propagation
After cutting, Reef Builders recommends gently basting mucus off the frags; polyps begin extending within hours and the cut edges start to expand within days. Stable parameters, gentle flow and clean water support recovery, while the heavy mucus production typical of brain corals should be allowed to clear so it does not smother neighbours during the aggressive settling-in period.
Sexual Reproduction
As a zooxanthellate stony coral, Lobophyllia hemprichii reproduces sexually by releasing gametes into the water column, where fertilisation produces planula larvae that settle and establish new colonies. Wikipedia notes its resilience is helped by a large population size and wide genetic variability, qualities that come from this broadcast sexual reproduction across its range.
Common Challenges
Lobophyllia is moderately aggressive and produces copious mucus, so fresh frags should be spaced away from other corals while they heal. The fleshy polyps can be torn during cutting if the blade strays into living tissue, and a frag cut too thin may damage the polyp; allow ample skeleton beneath the flesh. Poor water quality slows healing and invites tissue recession at the cut edges.