It occurs on upper reef slopes at depths from 2 to 15 metres (6 to 50 ft ), and unlike other corals in its genus Turbinaria, it seems to avoid turbid water.

[1] As a zooxanthellate coral, Turbinaria stellulata gets part of its nutritional needs from the photosynthetic symbionts in its tissues, but also extends its polyps to feed, mostly at night.

All the colonies in an area liberate their eggs and sperm into the sea in a spawning event which is synchronised with the phases of the moon.

The planula larvae that develop form part of the plankton and eventually settle in a suitable location on the seabed.

The population trend of Turbinaria stellulata has not been monitored but as a shallow water coral it is affected by these factors.