Hearing the words, “green hair algae,” “Bryopsis,” “bubble algae,” and some species of Caulerpa are enough to send some aquarists begging for mercy. Thankfully, in the algae world, not all is bad. There are the good, the bad, and the plain ol’ ugly. These are some of the green marine algae I’ve come across throughout my reefkeeping days.
Algae falls under three phyla with the red species as Rhodophyta, the green as Chlorophyta, and the brown under Chrysophyta. Some good species (and readily available in the hobby) of green algae are Chaetomorpha, Halimeda, and Ulva; some nuisance species are green hair algae, Valonia, and Bryopsis.
Bornetella sphaerica: Not Reef Safe
Although this one small ball of Bornetella sphaerica green marine algae looks like a cluster of Valonia sp., it is just one singular mass. Thankfully, it is not very common in reef tanks.
When I started in the reefkeeping hobby, Bryopsis algae was one of the worst plagues, especially of all the green marine algae. Practically nothing eats it in large quantities, it takes over everything, and it can grow in just about any aquarium, regardless of nutrient and light levels. Thankfully, there are now some very effective treatments.
Bryopsis looks like long feathery strands of green algae, and short clumps of it can sometimes be confused with green hair algae.
For the most part, I really, *really*, don’t like Caulerpa in reef aquariums. While beautiful in species-specific tanks, it can wreak havoc on a beautiful, clean system. Many species of Caulerpa “go sexual” and can spread invasively throughout an aquarium. Manual removal is difficult due to strong hold-fasts (root-like structures that secure the algae from floating away) that can grow deep into rockwork, and manual removal usually ends in breakage (from which the algae can regrow). Often, very few reef tank inhabitants eat these algae, as many are quite noxious. While it’s a beautiful algae genus, I only recommend it for specialized aquariums only (such as macroalgae aquariums or “natural” reefs).
Caulerpa nummularia (“Mermaid’s Cup”): Reef Safe with Caution
Caulerpa nummularia is no exception. Although it has very unique “mushroom-shaped” cups, I recommend this only for macroalgae aquariums or “natural” reef aquariums.
Since this algae was quite unhealthy, the distinguishing serrated edge is difficult to see. Caulerpa brachypus looks quite similar to Caulerpa prolifera with the addition of small points along the leafy frond edges. Once again, this species of Caulerpa follows the typical behavioral characteristics of its parent genus and is probably best kept out of a typical reef aquarium.
Caulerpa serrulata has blade-shaped fronds and is also known for “going sexual” in an aquarium. Again, the holdfasts can grow deep into rockwork, and manual removal usually ends in breakage.
Caulerpa taxifolia is a fern-like species on the Federal Noxious Weeds list and is nicknamed the “killer alga” due to its invasive and toxic nature. Use caution, as “No person may move a Federal noxious weed into or through the United States, or interstate….” (See the Federal Noxious Weed Act for full regulations.) This “weed” has outcompeted native seagrasses in the Mediterranean and off the coast of California. It is very tolerant of poor conditions and has few predators. Best method of eradication is manual removal. Caulerpa mexicana is very similar to Caulerpa taxifolia but has more tightly-segmented fronds.
Caulerpa ashmeadii (“feather” Caulerpa): Not Reef Safe
Although very similar to Caulerpa toxifolia, this may be Caulerpa ashmeadii or Caulerpa sertulariodes (this was a very unhealthy sample, so a proper identification is difficult). Due to its similarity in appearance and behavior, it is probably not an ideal reef tank macroalgae.
Similar to Caulerpa brachypus, Caulerpa prolifera (in the front right of the photo) has tall, leafy green fronds extending from a wandering root structure. However, Caulerpa prolifera is missing the hallmark characteristic of the serrated edges of Caulerpa brachypus.
Caulerpa racemosa (“Grape Caulerpa”): Reef Safe with Caution
Despite growing Caulerpa racemosa for years, I do not have a photograph of it for some reason. Regardless, it is a vine-looking type of Caulerpa that resembles grape vines with small clusters hanging off the main stems. Although it shares characteristics with many other species of Caulerpa, it seems to “go sexual” less and has weaker hold-fasts than other species. To be honest, this species holds a small, special place in my heart, as I often traded bagful’s of it with my local fish store in exchange for my beginner-level corals.
Chaetomorphasp. Marine Algae: Reef Safe
Chaetomorpha is one of the most commonly encountered reef tank macroalgae. It grows in long spaghetti-like masses and readily utilizes nitrates and phosphates.
I do not have a great identification on the algae in the photograph, but a species of Cladophora (maybe C. pellucida?) is currently my best guess. This algae is more wiry and less fern-like than Bryopsis, which made it easy to remove from the rockwork.
Derbesia sp. (“Green Hair Algae (GHA)”): Reef Safe with Caution
Green Hair Algae (“GHA”) is just what it sounds like…green algae that looks like a hairball. Hermit crabs, snails, etc. may eat it, as long as it doesn’t get out of control. Cleanup crews usually will not touch massive mats of GHA. I recommend manually removing as much GHA as possible to allow the cleanup crew to effectively remove the remnants. Limiting nutrients through reduced feeding, skimming, running granular ferric oxide (GFO) and activated carbon (AC) may help slow GHA’s growth. Adding a refugium with “good” macroalgae, such as Chaetomorpha, can help outcompete the GHA.
This alga can be found in new, cycling aquariums, although I do occasionally find it growing in my tank whenever I know it’s time to replace my cleanup crew. Typically, it only grows to about two inches (about five centimeters) in length, although I have seen a few pieces grow to over 10 inches (about 25 centimeters). It is a cylindrical type of algae in the Ulva family (very palatable algae), and it is apparently quite delicious to my cleanup crew. Similar to the more leafy type of Ulva, it prefers cooler water (typically 77 degrees Fahrenheit or below) and higher nutrient water.
Although it’s not the most visually appealing algae, it’s a sign of good things to come in a new aquarium (and a sign of some issues in an established tank.) These microalgae films usually appear during the first couple of months of a new tank cycle, and they can cover the glass/ acrylic, rock, and sand. For a new aquarium, this is a critical part of the cycle: this algae feeds and helps establish a pod population! If it becomes a nuisance, it can be removed manually by scraping it or by utilizing a cleanup crew. It can also be reduced by limiting the nutrients in the aquarium.
As a calcareous type of marine algae, Halimeda grows slowly and does not become invasive. It requires a stable supply of calcium and seems to prefer lower nutrient levels. This algae can make a beautiful backdrop for macroalgae tanks, decorative refugiums, or even “natural-looking” reef tanks as it is not a target for most clean-up crews.
Not to be confused with Brown Clove Polyps, this green marine algae grows green flower-like fronds supported by a calcified stem. They do not appear to proliferate much in home aquaria; in fact, these only appeared for about a month on a shell, then vanished. They are typically found in shallow, warm water (above 78 degrees Fahrenheit). The most crazy part about this alga is that it is unicellular; the nucleus is found at the base of the stalk.
Ulva grows in large, floating sheets, and in the wild it tends to grow nearer to the shore. Its natural habitat suggests it prefers higher (but gentle) flow, high light, and high nutrients. This makes it a difficult algae to cultivate in a reef aquarium as most aquarists place macroalgae in low flow, low light areas with competitive algae (such as Caulerpa and Chaetomopha.) Additionally, this algae is a great food source for…well…just about everything. Herbivorous fish love it, as do snails, pods, and even bristleworms up to a point. The algae shown was in a 10g aquarium with about 65gph turnover rate and a 150W metal halide lamp over it.
Update [6/6/2023]: As one of the readers shared in the comments below, if/when Ulva “goes sexual,” it turns into a nuisance, with growths nearly everywhere. Interestingly, according to various posts, nothing seems to eat it (or eat it fast enough) at this point. While I haven’t dealt with this personally, I would assume Fluconazole would take care of it.
Valoniamacrophysa (“Green Bubble Algae”): Not Reef Safe
Although green bubble algae won’t choke out a reef quite like Caulerpa, Valoniamacrophysa is extremely invasive. Very few reef-safe inhabitants eat it, but some emerald crabs will (as always, just because some do, doesn’t mean all will.) The best prevention for this algae is a good quarantine system and manual removal outside the aquarium. There are some products available now that have varying degrees of success with eradicating it (although they come with their own risks of use).
Valonia aegagropila (“Green Bubble Algae”): Not Reef Safe
Here is another example of green bubble algae, possibly Valonia aegagropila (although it is missing the characteristic branching segments, but this colony may be to small for branching yet). Fortunately for my aquarium, there wasn’t enough present for a good identification.
This calcium-based algae is always a treat for me to see. It is not often found in home aquaria, and when it does appear, it seems to require a narrow set of parameters to thrive (I’ve only seen one case where these started to reach nuisance levels).
And then, there are the unidentified green marine algae, like this one shown in the foreground (note the Halimeda and Padina, along with some other species). With over 1500 known species of green marine algae, there’s no way this blog can cover them all. What neat species have you found? Post up in the comments!
From hairy to pointy and brown to neon orange, marine crabs vary spectacularly! However, they are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, so monitoring should be utilized in all cases where the crabs are housed along with fish, snails, corals, or other undesirable food sources. If they are not fed adequately, they will resort to eating what they can find. These characteristics should highlight the importance of proper identification and selection of marine crabs. Additionally, crabs grow by molting, so it is not uncommon to see what appears to be a dead crab in the aquarium with the real crab hiding within corals or the rocks to protect its soft new shell. Scroll down to read more about the wide variety of crabs frequently encountered in the marine aquarium hobby. Note: There are several species included here that are not technically true “crabs” taxonomically, but they are grouped as such for hobbyist-level information.
Red legged crabs are great scavengers by feeding on algae, remaining fish food, and detritus. However, if the food supply gets too low (or they like a snail’s shell better than theirs), then they will kill snails. Because of this, keep enough food for the crabs (which is usually not a problem in most aquariums) and an available supply of various size/color shells.
Clibanarius vittatus (Green/Thin Striped Hermit Crab): Not Reef Safe
We named this little fellow, “Godzilla,” for his tremendous strength and bulldozing capabilities. These crabs are not reef safe (at least in my opinion, but others disagree) since they grow quite large and will eat just about anything (including ripping one of my corals to shreds to eat the food the coral caught). However, these are great scavengers for a non-reef tank without predators, as they are able to survive a wide variety of temperature and salinity ranges. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to just watch!
Out of all crabs available for a cleanup crew, these are the only ones I feel at all comfortable recommending. They are great scavengers, and their small size allows them to maneuver throughout the aquarium rather well. They eat many types of algae, detritus, and leftover fish food. Provide plenty of extra shells in various sizes and colors so the crabs will not kill snails for their shells.
Calcinus elegans (Electric Blue Hermit Crab): Reef Safe
Although similar in size and shape to the more common blue-legged crabs, the Electric Blue hermit crabs are much more brilliant. They are also somewhat more aggressive, in my experience. But, like the blue-leegged crabs, they are still great scavengers, and their small size allows them to maneuver throughout the aquarium rather well. They eat many types of algae, detritus, and leftover fish food. Provide plenty of extra shells in various sizes and colors so the crabs will not kill snails for their shells.
Dardanus megistos (White Spot Reef Hermit Crab): Not Reef Safe
This beautiful (and massive) hermit crab is far from reef safe as it can grow extremely large, be extremely predatorial, and also be very destructive. It is best kept in a fish-only (species limited to those that will co-exist, of course) or in a species-specific aquarium. They can also be housed in larger sumps with regular feedings.
Manucomplanus varians (Staghorn Crab): Not Reef Safe
This neat crab has a symbiotic relationship with its shell. The shell is composed of stinging creatures (similar to jellyfish), called hydroids and bryozoans. The shell of hydroids/ bryozoans protects the crab from predators. When the crab eats, pieces of food remnants are often caught by the hydroids/ bryozoans. As the shell grows, the crab trims the opening with its claws.
Although this is a very unique crab, it is not recommended for most reef aquariums as the shell itself requires special care. The organisms on the shell may die if the aquarium is not mature and stable enough. Additionally, these stinging creatures may harm corals, or corals may harm it. Lastly, due to the unique shape of the shell, the crab may not be able to right itself if it falls over.
Xanthid Crabs
Xanthidae Crab: Not Reef Safe
Since there are several hundred species in the family Xanthidae, identifying this particular crab to the species level is rather difficult. However, black-tipped claws are a good indicator that this crab is bad news (not all black-tipped crabs are bad though). Xanthid crabs typically enter the aquarium world by hitchhiking on live rock or corals. They use their strong claws to enlarge hiding spots in the rock, which ultimately weakens the rock. Even worse is if they decide to nest in a coral since they will carve out a hole and destroy the surrounding tissue. Xanthid crabs are known to eat almost anything and are very destructive in the process. Recommend removal from a reef aquarium as soon as possible. Occasionally soda bottle traps work, but typically homemade spears work best. If removed safely from the reef aquarium, I recommend keeping these crabs in a species-specific tank or suitable sump as they are very interesting to watch.
Possibly Pilumnus vespertillo (Gorilla Crab): Not Reef Safe
This is another example of a Xanthid crab (the black-tipped claws are hidden under its body.) This is one of the many crabs that falls under the generic name, “gorilla crab”. Recommend relocation from a reef aquarium to a suitable sump or species-specific tank. See above for more information.
Possibly Polydectus cupulifer (Teddy Bear Crab): Not Reef Safe
This is another example of a Xanthid crab, and this is one crab that frequently falls under the common name, “Teddy Bear Crab.” It is also frequently called a “Gorilla Crab”. See above for more details/warnings on Xanthid crabs.
Mithraculus sculptus (Emerald/Ruby Crab): Reef Safe with Caution
Like many crabs for the home aquarium, the emerald Mithrax crab may become overly aggressive as it grows. While small, the emerald crab is another great scavenger, and is one of the few crabs known for removing bubble algae (Valonia) (some eat it more readily than others). The emerald crab may also damage SPS corals as it becomes larger by literally taking out chunks to eat. If you have a mature reef, you may not notice the damage, but if your tank is full of small coral fragments, the damage may be tremendous. Although the emerald crab is mostly available in green (hence the name), a red Mithrax variety is also sometimes available.
Stenorhynchus seticornis (Arrow Crab): Reef Safe with Caution
The arrow crab is quite unique and is ok for a reef aquarium without small fish (arrow crabs are known to catch small fish). Additionally, arrow crabs are known to eat the occasional bristle worm and may help control the population.
In the wild, I typically see them with corkscrew anemones (Bartholomea annulata) or branching anemonees (Lebrunia sp.), and sometimes even with Pederson shrimp.
Arrow Crab with a Corkscrew AnemoneArrow Crab and Pederson Shrimp in Branching Anemone
Pom Pom Crabs are… well… just awesome. They are beautifully colored, carry anemones for protection, and act like boxers about to take a swing. They carry tiny anemones on the tips of their claws for protection. If they feel threatened, they will sway their arms out and occasionally strike an opponent with the stinging anemone. In exchange for the anemone’s protection for the crab, the crab helps feed the anemones. The crab’s anemones may sting and damage typical reef inhabitants (e.g., corals, crabs, fish), so caution is urged. However, this crab can be rather secretive, so potential damage is limited.
Percnon gibbesi (Sally Lightfoot Crab): Reef Safe with Caution
The Sally Lightfoot Crab is a scavenger and looks for detritus and dying matter to eat. Its body shape allows it to fit into very tight places in the rocks and to run quickly to safety. While the crab is great when smaller, as it grows it becomes more aggressive and may prey on small fish. Keep in mind how hard this crab will be to catch as it grows if it becomes a problem.
Zebrida sp. (Zebra Urchin/ Thorn Crab): Expert Only with Special Setup
The Zebra Urchin Crab, also known as the Zebra Thorn Crab, is an obligate symbiont of sea urchins. This means that both depend on each other for long-term survival.
Here is a female gall crab (notice the yellow eggs). Typically the females burrow into a coral and live out their lives in a small tunnel or hole (see image below with the red circle), while the males roam free. I often find these associated with struggling corals (as in the example shown), but I am not convinced that they cause the coral’s decline. The female does burrow and create a small amount of damage, which may lead to a bit of stress in the coral. However, a healthy coral should be able to tolerate this. I guess the jury is still out, but until then, I’ll appreciate the diversity they bring to a reef.
Majoidea superfamily (Decorator Crab): Reef Safe with Caution
Do you see it? Good, neither do I. The Decorator Crab uses whatever is available (e.g., sponges, corals, anemones, rocks, shells, food) to adorn the small hairs covering its body as camouflage and protection. This crab can be reef-safe, depending on how it decorates. But, do not be surprised if small frags go missing, as this crab may take zoanthid polyps, pieces of leather coral, or other small snippets for personal use.
Thanks to everyone that has supported my coral rehabilitation efforts along the way! It has been an amazing journey – culminating in presenting at MACNA 2022! When I was asked to speak, I reflected on the last few years, where we were unable to meet in most capacities. The theme for MACNA 2022: Gathering and Growing, highlights the path forward for us as a community, but we need to translate that vision for gathering and growing corals as well. This presentation focuses on what is preventing that growth and how to move forward.
Synopsis: These are not your average, ordinary, everyday reefkeeping problems. These corals are dying – for a reason. Learn systematic troubleshooting techniques, unusual parasite identification, and potential treatment options through short case studies and copious photographs, all presented through the holistic lens of systems engineering. Join us as we delve into rehabilitating corals, one polyp at a time.
Rough Transcript
This rough transcript is not exact, and it is still in work. Thanks for your patience while I add everything in.
Slide 1:
Good morning! Before we get started, I’d like to thank all of the leadership, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, the other speakers, our hosts here at the convention center and partnering hotels, and of course, all of our attendees! You all have truly pulled a remarkable event together.
And, once I saw the event schedule, I got excited. 8am on a Saturday morning after a great reception?! I knew I was going to have *the most* hardcore group of reefkeepers at MACNA!
As the slide says, I’m Nikki Bridges, and you can typically find me as “Reef’d Up” on various forums. When I was asked to speak, I reflected on the last few years, where we were unable to meet in most capacities. The theme for MACNA 2022: Gathering and Growing highlights the path forward for us as a community, but we need to translate that vision for gathering and growing corals as well. This presentation focuses on what is preventing that growth and how to move forward.
To help wake you all up a bit – I have a question. Just raise your hands – don’t be shy. Who has watched a coral die, despite all attempts to save it? This presentation on coral triage and rehabilitation covers my approach.
Slide 2
As most of us are well aware, reef degradation is ongoing globally. While our knowledge is rapidly increasing, it may not be sufficiently rapid. Over the last forty years, there has only been an average of one coral disease described per year, and there are substantial gaps in the applicability of this research of native habitats to that of what we find in our aquariums. These native habitats are complex systems that we try to replicate at home, which can help or hinder our success. Aquarists have come up with some incredibly innovative treatments for various parasites, algae, and sick fish, but much of that information is insufficient for the scientific community – nor is it readily scalable. As a hobby, we can help ourselves and the broader scientific community by progressing toward evidence-based modern medicine.
Slide 3
This presentation is based on well over 250 successful rehabilitations – these are just a sample of the before and after photos. My rehabilitations have ranged from fish to corals to anemones to other invertebrates, but my specialty and the focus of this presentation is on coral rehabilitation.
Slide 4
We’ll walk through the most critical aspect, in my opinion, of rehabilitating corals in aquaria, some unique challenges, some pests and parasites that may be a bit uncommon, along with various diseases and syndromes I’ve encountered along the way.
Slide 5
Slide 6
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m an engineer by trade, and aquariums are my hobby. I’m a military spouse and mom to two awesome kids (that you’ve probably already heard by now). And for those of you that have had enough coffee and put it all together – you’re right – we move frequently, which means my aquariums do too. In my infinite free time, I also scuba dive and love to volunteer with reef clean-ups and restoration. That being said, I’m not a photographer, doctor, vet, or really anyone qualified to give opinions. This is just what has worked for me or what I’ve noticed.
Slide 7
After I put this presentation together, I realized I’m actually a daughter and grand-daughter of wildlife rehabilitators. I grew up with all sorts of “normal” and not-so-normal pets, including a fox! We always had aquariums too, so when I went off to college, I was thrilled when I found a “free” tank. The expensive part was over! HA!
Slide 8
After that, it was all history – so I have to thank my family for supporting my tinkering. This was one of my old rescuing systems. Unfortunately, being based in the Washington, DC area doesn’t allow such large working spaces.
Slide 9
So, while I may not have a medical background, I believe I can still contribute to the greater knowledge by my systems engineering approach, which anecdotally appears to work. Just like in my professional life, corals live in a complex environment, where all of the interacting parts affect each other in novel ways. We need to look at the biology, chemistry, and mechanical underpinnings of the systems to see the big picture. Systems engineering brings the thought-processes to connect the pieces of the system throughout the life-cycle, across various biological functions, anatomical structure, and behavior. With that interconnected knowledge, we can use tools to identify patterns, model to predict outcomes, determine how things went wrong and why.
Slide 10
As we go through this thought process, we have to start with assumptions. Down in the corner is a Venn-Diagram (don’t worry, we’re going to start nice and easy with this 8am presentation). Many problems in aquaria are multifactorial – something hosts an agent, but the environment has to also be conducive for the problem to manifest. When a coral is dying, the environment is often the easiest to begin to control. That’s where I start. I remove the dying coral from its previous habitat and place it in an aquarium that I know is as ideal as possible. From there, I work to minimize the host and agent interactions, thus minimizing this central area for issues to continue.
Slide 11
Slide 12
Whenever I can, I go searching for all corals that I can possibly help save. Typically, I bring home a box of 10 to 20, all in various stages of dying. Over the years, what I found is that categorizing them can have profound effects on their outcome.
Slide 13
Ultimately, I need to create a usable “diagnosis” – what is causing the coral to decline? Typically, in industry, I see the “Root Cause Diagram” with a tree, but to me, this alga is more akin to how we need to think about coral health issues. The signs are what we can physically observe at a surface level. Tracing back the signs can help identify the problems, and at the root of problems may be one or more causes.
Slide 14
At the hobbyist level, with a batch of declining coral, I use signs to determine what I need to do. This eye chart has worked for me, time and time again. I start at the top, in the terminal range. Corals here, in my experience, have essentially no chance at survival. If the coral is not in that category, I move down to the Emergent category. Corals with these signs need immediate, all-encompassing care to survive. If the coral is not in that category, I move down to the urgent category. Signs in this category mean that I need to move fast and provide a lot of resources, but the outcome is promising. The last category is just the routine category, which is the easiest category to manage.
Slide 15
Going back to the top of the flowchart is the Terminal section. First, I look for tissue – I know, to some of you, that sounds like an insane first step. But, sometimes, there is nothing left of the coral by the time I get home. Next, I look for signs of fluorescence, and of course, the amount expected varies by coral species. These corals were subjects of a literal bleach bath caused by an angry customer at a local fish store. Unfortunately, these did not recover. Next, I hope for more than 50% of a mouth. This, too, varies by species and comorbidities. If it had more than 50% of its mouth, I would look to see if the mouth was gaping, like shown in this coral. And, finally, if the mouth is gaping, I look to see if there are mesenterial filaments present. If the coral reaches this point in the diagram, I have never seen it recover. I consider these terminal cases, where I should minimize my resources. But, if the coral’s signs lead us away from a terminal case, we must next consider it as an emergent case.
Slide 16
Here, I consider if the coral has been exposed to improper chemicals, like in this case. If not, then I worry about bare skeleton cases, but more on that in just a moment. If the skeleton is not visible or is mostly ok, I look for any signs of a brown jelly substance, like in this bottom photo. Going back to the visible skeleton, I worry less if the skeleton is covered in algae as that means the coral has been declining for some time. If the damage looks new, I need to classify the signs by tissue loss speed and skeletal color: is it green, white, or pink (and by pink, I don’t mean coralline algae). These are all cases that I identify as Emergent – they need fast care with extensive treatment. All of these corals, except the last, made a full recovery.
Slide 17
As an example, this Homophyllia coral did not meet the signs for the Terminal category, and to my knowledge was not exposed to improper chemicals. However, its skeleton was showing with no signs of coralline or other macroalgae, and it looked like concrete. The coloration was light green, which meant this was an Emergent case. I trimmed the skeleton, removed obviously rotting tissue, dipped it according to my protocol (more on that in a moment), and used veterinary-grade tissue glue to help reattach the remaining healthy tissue to the skeleton. Over the next 30-days, I monitored the coral daily in quarantine. At that time, I determined the coral was on its way to recovery. I trimmed the remaining skeleton, performed my dip routine again, and moved the coral to the grow-out phase. The coral spent the next 30-days growing out before receiving its final set of dips, fragging, and then move to new homes.
Slide 18
If the coral has signs inconsistent with Terminal and Emergent, I move on to consider the Urgent category. This area has challenging signs, but many of these signs also indicate that there is ample time available for treatment. For instance, coral bleaching is a serious concern, but many corals can live for extensive periods – up to weeks – in this state. If the coral isn’t bleached, I look at signs in the tissue for treatment clues. Is the tissue clinging? Is the coral’s mouth unresponsive? If there’s slow tissue loss, is there a sign of pests or parasites? Or, is there a sign of infection in the coral that doesn’t meet the signs of an emergent category? If so, these signs warrant urgent treatment. Note, that all of these corals survived, and I have all of them except the last, currently in my tank. Let’s take a closer look at this coral, which I’ve had going on 12 years now, as an example.
Slide 19
The overall process for Urgent is similar to Emergent. Here, the tissue had fair coloration, but the tissue was clinging to the skeleton. Once again, I trimmed the skeleton, used my dip procedure, monitored for 30-days, grew-out for 30-days, then moved it into its permanent home. The difference is in the details – the time to treat, dip procedure, and monitoring process were all less intensive in this Urgent case.
Slide 20
The last category is the Routine category. Unfortunately, corals that look like this are typically destined for the live rock bin; however, these are some of the easiest corals to treat, in my opinion. Mild bleaching, poor fragging, mild recession, coralline-covered skeletons, browning, a lack of polyp extension, slow tissue recession, and burnt tips are all signs that indicate the coral has a good chance of recovery in the proper environment. Once again, all of these corals survived.
Slide 21
Now that we’re in the Routine category, we can go into more details with the basics of my process. This coral had browning and mild recession with a coralline-covered skeleton. Easy, right? I started off with a more in-depth inspection, with both white light and UV light. This helps me search for any evidence of pests and further assess the fluorescence health of the coral. Next, I magnify my view, typically with a camera so I can thoroughly inspect the coral over time – preferably in a comfy chair!
Slide 22
Next, I remove as much excess skeleton or other substrate as possible to open up the skeleton for treatment, remove hidden pests and eggs, and allow the tissue to regrow more easily. Of course, this all depends on the coral species – I do not perform this step on Fungia corals as a rule. Typically I use my band saw and heavy duty toenail cutters. I know some of you use bone cutters, but typically those are too large for my hands. Adapt and overcome!
Slide 23
At this point, it’s time for dipping. I have a partially 3D-printed dip stirrer tank, and if you’re interested in making your own, you can find instructions on my website. This stirrer helps get the treatment throughout the coral more gently and steadily than using a pipette, in my opinion. Plus, it has a removable rack so that I minimize my own interaction with the dip solution.
Slide 24
For the most routine-of-routine cases, I use a three-dip process. However, this process varies widely by coral species, signs, and triage category. Typically I start with a hydrogen peroxide and tank water dip, and you can see the Pectinia coral in that dip here. I then follow that dip by another that is specific to whatever I notice is going on. Last, the Pectinia went into a CoralRx dip, used according to manufacturer instructions.
Slide 25
Initially, I thought the coral was declining due to poor water quality; however, during my daily monitoring sessions while the coral was in quarantine, I noticed something else was going on. My triple dip process had failed. I then had to re-evaluate the coral’s triage category and treatment plan. It appeared that these pods – probably Ostracods – were possibly irritating the coral and causing it to decline in health. Typically Ostracods are harmless, but this was definitely suspicious. Without a better plan at the time, I decided to use a treatment plan to break the lifecycle over a series of dips.
Slide 26
Yes, this process was stressful to the coral, and initially, it looked terrible. However, it was successful and necessary to properly treat the coral. Once it was healthy and passed all quarantine inspections, it went to its permanent home.
Slide 27
Slide 28
As I’ve briefly mentioned, there are a lot of challenges to helping corals recover. Corals are dying for a *reason,* and I have to ensure I take into consideration all factors – especially my personal safety. The decaying tissue can wreak havoc with an aquarium, from both a nutrient and coral warfare perspective, which can increase the risk to other tank inhabitants. Some tank inhabitants may try to clean up the decaying tissue, only to exacerbate the situation. Some creatures try to have one last hurrah with a reproduction event – which can also affect the aquarium’s biological filter. Sanitization and ensuring I had plenty of the proper treatments available was especially challenging during the pandemic, and it still isn’t easy on a good day! Then, there are long-term growth issues; many of these corals can take years to finally achieve typical growth rates after a degraded period.
Slide 29
Going back to personal safety for a moment – I always try to avoid dying corals that I am unable to safety accommodate, especially if I have any open cuts on my hands. I always wear my personal protective equipment, including this 3D-printed face shield that I made during COVID. If you’re interested in making your own, the instructions are on my site. Bottom line – this is a risky endeavor, so all precautions are required.
Slide 30
In addition to all the logistics and safety challenges, there are also substantial ethical considerations for my efforts. Of course, the owner of a dying coral won’t want to take a loss, so the owner sells the coral. If it’s purchased, then that reinforces the idea that severely damaged corals are acceptable, which in turn could incentivize substandard coral quality. Additionally, I have to worry that this sort of presentation could inappropriately increase hobbyist confidence in their abilities to rehabilitate a damaged coral.
Of course, a dying coral could potentially spread the problem to other corals, and this threatening situation has to be mitigated through multiple levels of quarantine, segregated tools, and prioritized cleanliness.
Similar to purchasing dying coral is the idea of flipping dying corals for a profit. A hobbyist buys a discounted coral, gets it healthy, then resells it for a gain. But, corals aren’t houses; they are living creatures that need proper care. Profit optimization undermines that care. My husband can definitely tell you that there isn’t a profit if the corals are getting the care they need.
Then, there’s the more philosophical consideration of having to determine what lives and dies. I can tell you right now that if I had a choice between rescuing a crashing 75-gallon tank full of Xenia or taking in a single dying Scolymia, I’ll choose the Scolymia every time (and that’s not far from a hypothetical situation – I had a very similar situation once). I have limited resources, so I do have to prioritize care.
Bottom line, please take away from this presentation that coral rehabilitation is for researching problems and saving corals.
Slide 31
Slide 32
Most of you are probably familiar with Acropora-Eating Flatworms, but I thought I’d share some other interesting worms and flukes I’ve found over the years. If you’ll recall my intake procedure, where I mentioned using white light and UV or actinic, you can see the importance of that process here. On your left, is an LPS flatworm under actinics, where it is mostly camouflaged. On the right, the coral is under white light, where the flatworm is much more contrasted with the coral.
Slide 33
Once again, red bugs are fairly common, but I’ve also dealt with various spiders and gray bugs as well.
Slide 34
Of course, I’ve found my fair share of various nuisance crabs.
Slide 35
Then, there are various predatory nudibranchs. Thankfully I don’t see these often. I lumped the pyramid snails in here, as I’ve even taken in various invertebrates. These are quite a pain to address, especially if you have small snails, as I found them even on Collonista and Stomatella snails.
Slide 36
So, as a hobbyist with limited samples, I model. I modeled the life cycles of Acro-eating flatworms, red bugs, and Montipora-eating Nudibranchs. I also attempted to model various coral growth rates so as to see how the food source would affect the pest population. And then, I added various treatments that could be switched on and off. Systems engineering can help fill the gaps.
Slide 37
Although I may be able to model pest interactions, I haven’t figured out how to handle boring sponges. Thankfully, I rarely encounter these in my rescuing, but I have been unable to find sufficient information on treatment. Here, in the top right, you can see these orange sponges growing up and out of a coral in the wild. For those of you unfamiliar, these boring sponges essentially dissolve the host coral’s skeleton out from underneath it. I took in a hammer coral that wasn’t doing well, and I found this spongy orangish mass inside the skeleton. Here, on the left, you can see that the sponge has dissolved the coral’s skeleton, just leaving tiny pieces in the matrix. Once I realized what was going on, I took a slice from the coral’s skeleton, along with a slice from a previously healthy hammer coral. On the left, you can see the sponge has fully engulfed the skeleton. Then, I bleached the piece so that I could see what was left, and a substantial portion of the skeleton was gone. More interesting to me were the tunnels that the sponge had bored – you can see these in the center photos.
Slide 38
Slide 39
Moving into the diseases and syndromes section, you can see some of the corals I’ve brought back to full health that might’ve had bacterial-related bleaching. Whenever I see corals that have this blotchy, uneven bleaching, I begin to suspect it is bacteria-related. As I’ve mentioned, a lot of the problems we face in this hobby are multifactorial, so sometimes just moving the coral to a new environment may help. With Vibrio, in particular, there are quite a few studies that suggest it becomes more of a problem with high nutrients and higher temperatures. So, what could help these types of corals in the hobby? We need ways at the hobbyist level to confirm the cause and be able to treat – with responsible antibiotic use, if necessary.
Slide 40
Similarly, Brown Jelly is potentially multifactorial. I’ve personally dealt with it dozens of times, and it anecdotally seems to appear more often with higher temperatures and nutrient levels. And, each time, there are large masses of ciliates. Add in bacteria with some sort of relationship to the other factors, and this brown gelatinous mass appears, quickly leaving behind a bare, white coral skeleton. As far as I’m aware, Cipro is one of the most widely used antibiotics for this syndrome; however, I am concerned with the hobby creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. We need more options and a better understanding of the cause.
Slide 41
While I’ve successfully dealt with brown jelly and bleached corals, my success rate falls dramatically over the next few slides. I frequently encounter this pink skeletal staining in dying corals, and more often than not, I am unable to save the coral. This staining is not coralline; it appears to be caused by the coral itself, possibly as part of a defense mechanism. The causality and treatments are major gaps for me.
Slide 42
Although I’ve covered bleaching, I personally consider Trachyphyllia bleaching to be something else. Compared to the previous bleached examples, typically I see Trachyphyllia retain their fluorescent pigments longer. I’ve never managed to save one of these, so I would like to understand the causality. I do wonder if the corals are executing a type of programmed cell death in response to a stressor, which just runs out of control and results in the entire coral’s death. Again, I would love to see more information on this.
Slide 43
“Elegance Coral Syndrome” might be a bit more familiar, as it has been known in the hobby for decades. While I’ve saved a few Elegance corals, I was unable to save this one despite a variety of attempted treatments.
Slide 44
This is a problem I frequently encounter, and yet I have found no information on what could be occurring or what to do. Certain bleached corals regain coloration in my care, but they turn a dull grayish blue. Then, they slowly die. I even saw something similar out in the Florida Keys while diving; the coral had bleached, recovered to a bluish gray hue, and then was starting to recede. My only guess is that the zooxanthellae to repopulate the coral were unsuitable for sustaining the corals needs, so the corals eventually starved. I still have this bottom coral, and it has lasted longer than most with regular feedings.
Slide 45
So, in conclusion, we can all make a difference with whatever backgrounds we have. We all bring unique perspectives and experience to better our hobby.
Slide 46
Since death is a process, a systems engineering approach is uniquely situated to handle interventions through root cause identification, correlation of signs to usable diagnoses, and development of a systems-view of health and well-being. As each hobbyist can contribute to the overall knowledge, systems engineering can help crowd-source that information and utilize tools to pull it all together. With this sort of effort, we can develop better protocols for treating unhealthy corals and help transfer that information to efforts on the reefs. As hobbyists, we can reduce our losses and contribute to the broader scientific community.
Thank you all for coming and sitting through a nerdy presentation at 8am on a Saturday morning. We are short on time, so if you have in-depth questions that might lead to a longer discussion, let’s take those offline. Are there any other questions?
I was given this dying Caulastrea “Candy Cane” or “Trumpet” coral and was told it had “brown jelly disease.” Although I had seen plenty of corals with “brown jelly”-like substances, I hadn’t had the mass contagion and mortality that some reefkeepers claimed at the time (although since then, I certainly have). I viewed this coral as a good challenge for rehabilitation. Although, without having a microscope back then, I knew I was taking a huge risk.
Note the damage and “brown jelly” on the four polyps. Image dated 14 March 2012.
First, I assessed the dying Caulastrea coral’s overall health, which was quite obvious. Of course, there was nothing I could do for the polyps on the right, so they were fragged off. The other four polyps looked awful. I dipped them in both Coral Rx and Lugols (separate dips) to check/treat for anything. I also used a pipette to gently blow off all “brown jelly” I could, without damaging the rest of the coral. Essentially, I just followed my standard inspection, dip, and quarantine protocols.
The coral would not take any food for several weeks. Instead, I resorted to just removing the “brown jelly” and maintaining water conditions, which worked in this case.
By 20 May 2012, the four remaining polyps had fully recovered. Once it started eating, the road to recovery was very quick.
I can’t say for sure that this was the typical “Brown Jelly Syndrome (BJS),” but it was still nasty. It left the coral quite ill for some time; it took another seven months to create another polyp. I do recommend extreme caution in cases like this, as BJS can cause massive die-off in the aquariums.
14 March 2012 to 20 May 2012, Caulastrea “Candy Cane” Coral
To see more amazing rehabilitations of previously dying corals, click here!
Just moving an aquarium, reef or not, from one side of a room to the other can be extremely stressful or even catastrophic to the aquarium inhabitants. But what about moving a 150 gallon SPS-dominant aquarium 2000 miles across the country?? Oh yeah, we successfully moved our reef aquarium across the country, and then we did it again two more times after that. Several of our coral have lived in four different states and survived the three associated moves. This is how we did it one of those times, along with tips and lessons learned. Each time we’ve moved, we’ve learned more, so as every move will be very different, doing homework to prepare is essential.
Moving a Reef Aquarium Homework:
Well before moving the tank, I started doing some homework. Our move was across the country; however, a move across the room, up several floors to a new apartment, or across town to a new home could have similarities.
Before this move, we previously moved a smaller aquarium across the room. In that scenario, I just set up a huge tub with saltwater, a powerhead, and a heater. Easy. (Note the tub bowing; this was not a long-term solution!)
T-7 (or so) Days to the Move:
First, I needed to figure out the best transportation plan. For such a long distance, I could ship everything, or I could put everything into cargo on an airline flight. There were substantial benefits and risks with the various options. I went with a hybrid solution to balance speed with cost.
Next, I estimated my time backwards. I had to get everything to the post office and an airline to ship before they all closed, so I gave myself a two-hour margin from the worst-case scenario. I absolutely did not want to be holding a box of my babies while standing in front of a “Closed” sign, and even then, I barely made it.
To Do List (definitely not all-inclusive):
Driving to the shipping location(s), waiting in line, etc.
Driving to and having the local fish store add oxygen to fish bags (if available)
Physically moving stands, tanks, and equipment
Disassembling equipment and cleaning
Draining the aquariums
Removing rocks and letting them drain (they can take forever to drain)
Removing sand (grab a wet-vac!)
Catching and bagging fish
Removing and bagging coral
Catching all the little snails, crabs, etc.
Getting supplies (see below for a suggested list)
Extra time for some tears after accidentally breaking that gorgeous, huge, coral colony…
Margin for things to go wrong (Murphy’s Law)
T-2 Days to the Move:
I stopped feeding my fish for about two days prior to the move. This caused them to produce less waste during shipping (which could otherwise lead to deadly ammonia). They were healthy, so I was not worried (and the fish likely found some pods or algae in the tank on which to munch in the interim).
The Big Day – Moving Time:
Moving Supplies:
Fragging supplies:
Bone cutters of various sizes
Hammer (for those big pieces attached to rock)
Chisel (to go with the hammer)
Safety equipment (gloves, safety glasses, etc.)
Super glue for any fragging accidents
Tongs
Preparation supplies (especially for a local move):
Buckets
Tubs
Heaters
Battery-powered air pumps
Shipping/Moving supplies:
Thick, insulated boxes (with a surrounding bag to catch water)
Packing tape
Extra-thick plastic bags
Rubber bands
Newspaper
Heating/cooling packs
Glass suction cups, crating, blankets, etc.
Cleaning supplies:
Towels (lots and lots!)
Floor-protection sheeting (e.g., plastic sheets, drop cloths)
Extra-thick bags and/or well-sealing containers
Pipette or a turkey baster
Siphon and tubing to drain the water
Febreeze or other good smelly stuff
Wet-Vac
Other supplies:
Permanent marker
Scissors
Aquarium Moving Supplies
Getting Started:
Personally and Emotionally:
First up… I grabbed coffee… lots of it… (I needed a good kick-in-the-pants to get going). Here, I chose a lovely three cups of iced black coffee (ok, you’re allowed to say “ew”). I also had some easy-prep food available. Pizza is good for this, especially as a bribe for friends to help. If you’re tackling this project, your friends are going to remember this day for a long time. Treat them well.
Overall System:
Before starting, I made note of what the aquarium parameters were. There’s no point in shipping fish or corals that are in bad water already. I corrected all incorrect parameters before bagging the coral and fish. (And no, I no longer use an AquaController. This is an older photo, but the point is still the same!)
Livestock:
After gathering all the supplies, I took a deep breath. It was time for the real work. I put on all safety gear needed. Then, I started with the coral to bag and box, as they are likely to last the longest out of the aquarium. Soft corals came out first, then LPS, then SPS corals. Often it’s easier to remove the entire rock in order to break the corals off.
I placed each coral in a labeled bag with tank water. I recommend labeling the bags with the name of the coral as many corals will “brown out” during shipping and become hard to identify.
Next, I set up a few large containers. As I pull out the rocks to let them drain, I pick off the snails and crabs and place them separately in bags for shipping.
Once the corals and rocks were out of the aquarium, the fish were rather easy to catch. I bagged them in two to three 3-mil bags, size dependent on the size and energy of the fish (see one of the lessons-learned at the end) and taped temperature-regulating packs to the top of the cooler. I also had oxygen added to the bags by my LFS. If you are not comfortable with bagging fish, speak to the experts at a LFS that you trust. They should be able to guide you on your fish needs and may even bag them properly for you.
After the corals, fish, and inverts are bagged, tagged, and ready to go, I placed them in the box. I added the lid (ensuring the temperature-regulating packs were adequate and secured to the top of the box) and taped it shut. Then, I secured the bag around the box to prevent any water leaks from damaging the outer box. Next, I taped the outer box shut. The box was quite heavy from all the water, so I had to be cautious. Before delivering the box to the shipper, I doubled-checked to make sure someone was available to receive the shipment at the appropriate time.
Once I returned to the aquarium after all livestock was safely on the way, the rocks were adequately drained. I placed them in insulated boxes and surrounded them with wet butcher paper (unwaxed). I’ve used wet newspaper, but it tends to fall apart too easily. It’s not much fun to pick out wet paper from rock. Obviously, if the rocks need to be shipped with the fish/corals, then do that but in a separate box. Also, the rocks can usually be shipped a slower route (i.e., cheaper route) as die-off will not be as severe, especially if they are kept damp.
To ensure I didn’t miss some livestock, I double-checked everywhere for any remaining. Next, I started draining the water. This is usually a slow process, but using a pump can help speed it up. Make sure to turn off and/or disconnect all devices that may have issues with low water (e.g., heaters, powerheads).
When moving an aquarium, I absolutely do not reuse sand. It causes more problems than it is worth; saving a few dollars here is just not worth the risk, in my opinion. Used sand usually contains so much microfauna that massive die-off is next-to-impossible to prevent, despite thorough washing. If I absolutely need to be frugal, then instead of throwing it away, I rinse it out well (which is beyond time-consuming and gross) and let it dry while spread out in the sun. I reuse it in a future aquarium, but not in the one I’m immediately setting back up. I use all new, dry sand to prevent problems in the new setup.
Equipment:
Of course, I turned off all electrical equipment before removal and then gave it a good, thorough cleaning in a hot water and vinegar mixture for a few hours. With a little elbow grease, most coralline algae and other detritus comes off with no issues. Once cleaned, rinsed, and dried, I used electrical cable ties to tidy up the equipment before getting packed. I also keep and reuse the original manufacturer boxes for the weird or expensive components, such as light fixtures, Vortech powerheads, etc.
Probes:
Generally, I don’t reuse pH probes during a move, but that’s only because they’re typically due for replacement by then anyway. If you have pH probes that you plan to reuse, you’ll want to keep them capped with fluid and then have extra calibration fluid on hand to calibrate them after the move. Some other probes require submersion and/or capping during transportation, so consult the manufacturer’s instructions.
Lighting:
I usually remove light bulbs from fixtures and pack them separately, but I seem to have about the same breakage rate whether they’re in the fixture or packed separately. Thankfully this is much less of a problem with LED lighting fixtures.
Tank/Stand:
Moving the tank/stand can be physically exhausting and dangerous if not done correctly. I made sure to have more than enough people to help move (this is size/weight dependent on the tank/stand). I taped all doors shut so they didn’t open during the move. Since my stand had delicate pieces (fancy trim work), I used painters tape to mark off that section and wrote something like, “Do not lift here.” Unfortunately, that did not prevent people from lifting from that area, so I had to make multiple repairs after the move.
Then, the stands were wrapped in moving blankets since they were large. Our aquarium was professionally crated in a plywood crate the company made on site. This is not necessarily a requirement, but it was what our moving company required.
Reassembly after Successfully Moving:
Reassembly depends on the length of the move. For our move across the country, I was in Ohio packing and shipping everything. My husband was already in Utah with our new house. He set up a very… sketchy… 40 gallon breeder “holding tank.” He cycled some rock and sand before I shipped the corals/fish out to him. He picked up the boxes at the airport, brought them to the new tank, and acclimated them. When the equipment arrived with the moving company a few weeks later, we set the tank back up and started moving things over.
Lessons Learned from Moving a Reef Aquarium:
There is never enough time. If you plan for 8 hours, it’ll take 16.
Don’t ship in extreme weather, if avoidable. We shipped in the middle of a heatwave and lost some things.
Some cargo companies have live animal shipping insurance. Consider it seriously. It’s often 1%, depending on the company.
Very large, active fish (especially those with sharp areas) may need substantially thicker bags. Otherwise, they may puncture the bag.
Things happen. Our cargo company lost our box, and it took four days to arrive in Utah. We lost a few corals and a purple tang (hence insurance). No amount of preparation will fix that, but accepting the risks can help emotionally.
This Dipsastraea coral (previously classified as a Favia sp.) was not my first rescue coral, but it is by far one of my favorites. I picked it up in ~2008 from a local fish store’s discount $5 bin. I had no idea how to save it at the time, so it was mostly luck. I kept it in low light and medium flow. I also fed my homemade frozen food at least weekly. The colors really pop under very low light, actinic conditions.
The coral has moved with us to four different states over 14 years, so I have fragged it many times (so it is much smaller than it would have been otherwise).
1 November 200828 November 20085 April 20091 January 20107 October 201231 March 201325 May 202028 August 2021
