Lamellose echinopora (Echinopora lamellosa) care guide

Group

Corals

Family

Merulinidae

Origin

Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, on reef slopes and in lagoons

Water

saltwater

Care level

intermediate

Reef safe

yes

Lighting

Moderate to high

Flow

Moderate

Care

Echinopora lamellosa is a stony coral that grows as thin, overlapping plates or whorls, sometimes forming a large rosette. The corallites are small and spiny ("echinate"), giving the surface a rough texture. Colonies are usually brown, green or cream. Placement: on the middle rockwork or the sand bed, with room for the plates to spread. Plates shade anything underneath. Light, flow and water: moderate to high light, moderate flow, and stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. Neither LiveAquaria nor Top Shelf Aquatics lists this species; the figures are general guidance for the genus, not from a source. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: none; general reef-keeping knowledge only. Checked October 2026.

Diet

Photosynthetic: zooxanthellae supply most of its food. Occasional fine coral foods or plankton may help.

Breeding

Frag by cutting or snapping a section of plate with bone cutters or a saw and gluing it to a plug or rock.

Compatibility and tank mates

Short tentacles but may extend sweeper tentacles at night; give it a few centimetres of clear space and keep it away from aggressive LPS corals.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.