CORAL SPOTLIGHT: LOPHYLLIA SP.
, by Nick Rico, 2 min reading time
This weeks coral spotlight is going to be Lobophyllia! Lobophyllia or lobed brain coral are more affectionately called lobos in the hobby. Lobos are found in the pacific ocean but since the Indonesian coral ban they can only be sourced and imported from Australia. Hobbyists have noticed that the Lobophyllia coral coming from Australia are much hardier than the Indonesian sourced ones. Lobophyllia like most other coral require stable water parameters to ensure success. Alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium should be kept without fluctuation to ensure a happy and healthy coral. Lobos do enjoy a small amount of nutrient in the tank. Nitrates and phosphates of less than 10 ppm in the aquarium is acceptable. Lobos are very capable of catching food floating around in the tank but these coral absoloutely love to be fed. Wether it is lps coral pellets, reef roids, mysis, or even krill, they will readily eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Lobos do not require much light (around 100 par) and in most cases really enjoy a more blue spectrum of light if using led's. If using T5's or metal halide, it would be best to give them indirect light. Lobos require low to moderate flow, just enough to keep sand or other debris from collecting in their lobes. If the coral does have buildup inside the coral lobes the flesh can start to recede and even die off if not taken care of properly. Because they require low light and low to moderate flow they make excellent candidates for living on your aquariums substrate. However, it is advised that when you place a lobo in your tank you give it plenty of room for its polyps to expand. Polyps rubbing on rocks or other abrasive materials may cause damage to the corals tissue which can lead to an infection. If sand or debris collects on the flesh of the coral it is best to use a baster or pipette to blow the debris away Wether its the wide variety of color or size of the coral that attracts the hobbyist, these lps are some very awesome corals that are generally easy to care for and will grow with you throught your reefing adventure! We hope that this has been some helpful information for anyone looking to try to keep a lobo or for those whom may already have one! Thanks for reading!
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