Lithophyllon

Lithophyllon are free-living plate corals formerly grouped with Fungia. They sit unattached on the sand bed and share many care requirements with their Fungia relatives. Place them on a flat area of sand under moderate PAR (75–150 PAR) with gentle flow. Never glue them to rockwork — they need to rest freely on the substrate and may slowly reposition themselves to find optimal conditions.

Maintain standard reef parameters: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Lithophyllon are photosynthetic and benefit from occasional target feeding with small meaty foods or reef roids. They come in attractive greens, purples, and oranges that fluoresce nicely under blue actinic lighting. Keep the sand bed clean around them, as accumulated detritus against the tissue edge can cause irritation.

Lithophyllon are peaceful corals that make good sand-bed companions alongside other free-living species like Fungia, Trachyphyllia, and Cynarina. They cannot be traditionally fragged as they are individual polyps, though they may occasionally bud. These corals are found throughout the Indo-Pacific and are periodically available from Australian coral suppliers. They are straightforward to keep in the right placement and offer a nice variety of form among sand-dwelling LPS.