Symphyllia agaricia Propagation Guide
Propagating the closed brain coral Symphyllia agaricia, now placed in Lobophyllia: cutting the colony along its deep grooves with a band saw so each frag keeps polyps and skeleton.
Overview
Symphyllia agaricia is a closed brain coral in the family Lobophylliidae, commonly imported from Indonesia. Reef Builders notes the genus Symphyllia was reclassified into Lobophyllia in 2016, though the trade name persists; the record name is kept verbatim here. Reef Builders describes Symphyllia colonies as one solid skeleton with puffy tissue and thick walls, with deep grooves and the polyp mouths at the centre of the valleys.
Reproductive Mode
Symphyllia agaricia is colonial, forming a single connected skeleton whose corallites share walls, with polyps lining the grooved valleys. Because the tissue and skeleton form one continuous sheet, the colony can be cut into pieces that each retain living polyps, supporting both asexual fragging in aquaria and sexual spawning on the reef.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Reef Builders states most LPS corals require a band saw for fragging. On this grooved closed brain coral the cut is run along the deep valleys between the walls, taking sections that each include polyps with their skeleton. A coolant of home-aquarium water tinted light amber with iodine disinfects the cuts; each section is then dried and glued to a flat-based plug for stability.
Conditions for Propagation
Reef Builders advises gently basting mucus off fresh frags; polyps extend within hours and cut edges expand within days. Stable parameters, gentle flow and clean water aid healing. As a hardy, adaptive species it tends to recover readily, but the heavy mucus should be allowed to clear so it does not irritate neighbours during the settling-in period.
Sexual Reproduction
As a zooxanthellate stony coral in the Lobophylliidae, Symphyllia agaricia reproduces sexually by releasing gametes into the water column, where fertilisation forms planula larvae that disperse, settle and grow into new colonies. This broadcast route, separate from fragmentation, is the natural means by which the species establishes new individuals.
Common Challenges
Because the polyps sit inside the valleys, Reef Builders warns that cutting there can damage them, so the blade must stay centred in the grooves. The thick tissue tears if the saw strays, and the coral is moderately aggressive with abundant mucus, so frags need spacing while they heal. Poor water quality slows recovery and encourages tissue recession at the cut edges.