It is a popular coral in the reef aquarium trade; wild populations are threatened by disease, climate change,[3] and over-collecting, and the species is considered vulnerable by the IUCN.

[4] Heliofungia actiniformis is native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the central Indo-Pacific region, the northwestern, northern and eastern coasts of Australia, Japan, the China Sea and the island groups of the West Pacific.

[1] H. actiniformis is a zooxanthellate coral, containing tiny photosynthetic, symbiotic organisms in its tissues.

Besides reproducing sexually by liberating eggs and sperm into the water column, this coral sometimes buds off a new polyp.

[1] Polyps of H. actiniformis provide a micro-habitat to a wide range of associated fauna from cleaner shrimps to juvenile fishes.

That is not possible with large polyp stony corals such as Heliofungia actiniformis, but it is hoped to remedy this by placing collecting devices above them when spawning is about to occur, mixing the eggs and sperm under controlled conditions and nurturing the larvae in tanks.