Lobo Coral

Known in the hobby simply as "Lobo," this coral resembles the brain corals with its thick, fleshy tissue. The colony sometimes consists of separate round heads and sometimes of valleys that meander and stretch out; both can be seen together in the same colony. The tissue can be smooth or slightly bumpy; the colors usually form rings around the mouth or along the edges of the valleys. During the day the tissue stays inflated, and at night short feeding tentacles emerge from the mouths.

With a 2016 revision the former Symphyllia species were also merged into Lobophyllia, so the genus is much broader today. The similar-looking Lobophyllia corymbosa may also be sold under the same name in the trade. Its trade is subject to CITES Appendix II; choose an aquacultured frag or a maricultured colony.

• Rainbow Lobo: Forms carrying red, green, orange and blue tones together in a single colony.
• Red or green Lobo: More common colonies dominated by a single color.

It lives on upper reef slopes from the Red Sea to the Central Pacific; in some places it is the dominant species and forms broad stands reaching several meters. Colonies of different colors can grow side by side and look like a single mass.

• Light: Low to moderate, about 50–150 PAR. In too much light the color turns brown and the tissue shrinks.
• Flow: Low to moderate and indirect. The tissue should sway gently; strong flow keeps it from inflating.
• Placement: The lower zone of the rockwork or a solid rock on the sand.
• Water parameters: Salinity 1.024–1.026, KH 7–10 dKH, calcium 400–450 mg/L, magnesium 1250–1350 mg/L. It is tolerant, but with sudden KH changes the tissue can recede from the edges. Nitrate 2–10 mg/L and phosphate 0.03–0.1 mg/L are suitable.

It is photosynthetic, but its fleshy tissue becomes noticeably fuller with supplemental feeding. Once or twice a week, after the lights go out and the feeding tentacles have opened, place mysis, chopped shrimp or LPS food on top of the mouths. Feeding each head separately keeps the large heads from overshadowing the small ones.

It does not put out long "sweeper" tentacles, but it can digest a neighboring coral by releasing its mesenterial filaments onto it. Leave about 10 cm of space around it. Do not place it within reach of aggressive species such as Euphyllia, Galaxea and Favites.

Dwarf angelfish, large angelfish and hermit crabs may pick at the fleshy tissue. Bristle worms do not attack healthy tissue, but they may gather on injured areas.

In colonies made up of separate heads, each head is propagated by separating it at its stalk on the skeleton with a diamond-blade saw or coral cutters. In valley-forming colonies the cut is made through the wall between the valleys and is riskier. Cut pieces should be watched for a few weeks under low flow. Because growth is slow, large colonies are expensive.

• Tissue recession: Too much light, strong flow or contact with a neighboring coral are common causes.
• Brown jelly: Can start in injured tissue and spread quickly; remove the affected head and give it a coral dip.
• Tissue not inflating: Normal for a few days after a move; if it continues, reduce flow and light.