Carpet Coral Care Guide
Carpet Coral (Oxypora lacera) is a LPS coral. Care covers 50-150 PAR, low flow, reef parameters and feeding; intermediate level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Carpet Coral (Oxypora lacera) is a LPS coral in the family Lobophylliidae. Plating chalice-like LPS forming wide flat layers. Sometimes confused with Echinopora; bright green common.
Taxonomy
- Family: Lobophylliidae
- Genus: Oxypora
- Scientific name: Oxypora lacera
- Common synonyms: Oxypora, Chalice Carpet
Habitat
In the wild, Oxypora lacera is reported from Indo-Pacific, where it occupies mid to lower reef slopes and lagoons (typically 5-30 m). The species adopts a plating growth form on hard substrate within zooxanthellate reef communities.
Tank requirements
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.024-1.026
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-11
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.03 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 5 ppm
- Minimum system age: 3 months
Placement and lighting
- PAR (placement zone): 50-150 PAR
- Water flow: low
As a free-living plate coral, place this specimen directly on the sand bed rather than on rock; it can inflate, shift position, and right itself if toppled. Keep flow gentle and indirect — strong jets tear the expanded tissue — and avoid letting it slide against rock or other corals, where abrasion invites infection.
Feeding
Oxypora lacera hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae and derives most of its energy through photosynthesis. Additional feeding is generally not required when lighting is adequate.
Compatibility
This coral is moderately aggressive toward neighbours. It extends sweeper tentacles capable of stinging adjacent corals, so leave generous spacing (10-20 cm) between colonies. Reef-safe with most fish and invertebrates.
Care notes
Difficulty level: intermediate. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.2-0.5 cm/month. Propagation by fragmentation is straightforward for plating colonies — separate branches or polyps with a bone cutter, glue to plug, allow 1-2 weeks for healing. Maintain stable alkalinity (avoid swings above ±0.5 dKH per day) to preserve tissue health.
Oxypora lacera Propagation Guide
Overview
Oxypora lacera is a plating, chalice-type large-polyp stony coral that forms wide, flat encrusting layers. It is one of the genera grouped by aquarists under the chalice label alongside Mycedium, Echinopora and Echinophyllia. The plates are thin, which shapes how the coral is divided.
Reproductive Mode
Reef-building stony corals reproduce sexually by spawning and asexually by fragmentation. For chalice-type plating corals, hobbyist propagation is done almost exclusively by fragmentation of the plate.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
The plate is cut into sections, ideally with a coral saw, although the porous chalice skeleton can also be separated with bone cutters and a sharp razor blade for the tissue. Each fragment should include at least one mouth, since pieces with a mouth establish most reliably. Oxypora tends to have a somewhat thicker skeleton and grow more slowly than thin chalices, which makes it relatively forgiving to cut.
- Plan cuts so every fragment retains a mouth.
- Cut the plate with a coral saw, or snip and slice tissue with a razor.
- Mount on a plug and baster-rinse to set the bond.
- Finish with an iodine-based coral dip to encourage healing.
Conditions for Propagation
Plating frags recover under low to medium light and gentle flow, matching the conditions this coral prefers. Stable parameters and clean water help the cut edges seal without infection.
Common Challenges
Cut edges can be prone to bacterial infection during healing, so a dip and clean conditions are important. Fragments cut from between mouths, with no mouth of their own, can still develop into corals but grow more slowly.