Rehabilitation Archives - Page 3 of 5

Coral Inspection, Dips, and Quarantine

reefdup How To, Rehabilitation February 25, 2022October 16, 2022acclimation, AEFW, coral dip, CoralRx, diagnosis, Dying Coral, gluing coral, grow-out, hydrogen peroxide, quarantine, Rehabilitation, Rescue Coral, superglue 12 Comments

A blog on coral rehabilitation is quite useless without a discussion on basic coral evaluation; a proper coral inspection, dip, and quarantine procedure deserves recognition. While there are many differing views on how and what to quarantine, this is my approach. If it seems a bit neurotic and obsessive, well, that’s because I’m taking in some of the most sick corals in the hobby. Hopefully learning from the worst case can help for the best. Find what works for you, and stick with it.

The Preparation:

Before bringing home dying coral, I have an established reef aquarium that I keep running continuously with no fish (this helps prevent Cryptocaryon irritans infestations or other outbreaks in my aquariums). Contrary to popular belief, long-term survivability of a reef tank without fish is quite easy (I’m measuring success in terms of years without fish). Lighting must also be adequate for what you intend to keep. A good skimmer should not be overlooked as well. If the tank will be a hospital tank, then a carbon reactor is essential to help remove coral mucus. Basically, this aquarium system does not have to be fancy or have all the frills. It just has to work. I’ve had many different quarantine setups over the years, and the best were always the ones that were the easiest to maintain. Honestly, most of my quarantine tanks just received the “hand-me-downs” from my other tanks. The coral rehabilitation system fish room shown was circa 2012.

The Acquisition:

I obtain my corals from everywhere, but I only recommend purchasing them from reputable vendors/hobbyists. Each of my coral acquisitions is worked out individually with the owner (e.g., sometimes I pay, trade, or make other arrangements) on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of the source, I inspect every coral visually for pests, nuisance algae, or hitchhikers prior to purchase to assess probability of survival. Depending on the coral species, I may look for pest-specific parasites (e.g., Acropora-eating flatworm bite marks (AEFW), red bugs on Acropora, Montipora-eating nudibranchs). Once the coral arrives home I acclimate it into the quarantine tank.

Coral Dips and Inspections:

Acclimation:

Acclimations are short (approximately 15 minutes for temperature adjustment), unless I have a specific reason for a prolonged drip. These corals are often damaged through poor water conditions in their previous home, so it is typically best to remove them from the cause as quickly as safely possible. If they were damaged from other causes (e.g., high light, stinging), then a short acclimation is not as important. After the coral is acclimated, I open the bag and put the coral in one cup of tank water in a separate container. For this part, I absolutely love my Magnetic Stirrer Coral Dip Station and my DIY face shield.

Coral Inspection and Diagnosis:

At this point, I perform a more thorough inspection to provide me with a usable “diagnosis” (again, I’m not a medical professional, but having an idea of what is wrong is still critical.) This “diagnosis” helps me determine how to treat the coral. For example, if the coral is bleached, I try to look for other markers to determine why (e.g., high light, extremely low light, poor water quality, disease), so I can arrange the most appropriate treatment (e.g., correct husbandry, additional feedings, disease treatment). The flowchart below depicts my typical “triage,” where I try to determine the most appropriate reaction as quickly as possible. This process helps when I bring home a cooler full of dying corals; I have to prioritize treatments and move fast.

The coral is then removed from the plug/base, and all dead skeleton is removed as much as possible. I find this especially critical for rescue corals. In my experience, corals have an easier time growing new skeleton rather than growing over old, especially if the old skeleton has sharp edges. If the coral was placed in strong current, the coral’s tissue could catch on a sharp edge of its old skeleton and rip. In cases where removing all excess rock/ skeleton would harm the coral further (example below – the coral’s tissue was not stable enough to cut the skeleton with a band saw), I just trim down any sharp points.

Coral Dips:

Hydrogen Peroxide Coral Dip:

First, all LPS coral receive a dip in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and tank water. This helps kill off some nuisance algae and some pests. Hydrogen peroxide isn’t great for the coral tissue itself (prevents calcification), but it isn’t immediate death either. I just use the normal 3% pharmacy-grade type, as the high-strength hydrogen peroxide is very dangerous (can cause blindness in humans). The ratio I use depends on the coral’s condition, but a 10:1 tank water:hydrogen peroxide (3%) is fairly safe on LPS corals for about 20 seconds. In severe cases, I go up to 4:1 for 60 seconds, but I rarely recommend this.

CoralRx, Iodine, and Other Dips:

Second, all corals except smooth-skinned Acropora (they die frequently) are treated with one milliliter of CoralRx mixed with the one cup of tank water (or scaled to the size of the coral). Smooth-skinned Acropora are instead treated with Lugol’s Iodine mixed to manufacturer’s instructions. There are other suitable coral dips, but CoralRx is what I prefer (no real reason – it works, and I haven’t found a reason to switch).

The small amount of water volume limits where pests can hide after the dip draws them out. While the coral is sitting in the dip, I use a pipette to gently baste the coral to blow any remaining pests out of the crevices. I also use a magnifying glass to identify the hitchhikers.

If I find any pests or evidence of them (bite marks or eggs, like this Acropora coral with AEFW), then I will do an additional pest-specific treatment. I keep all treatment medications on hand so I never find myself looking for drugs at an odd hour (hmm…that sounds bad…).

Aquarium Medications (circa 2012 – oh, how this has grown over the years!)

After dip time is completed, the corals are rinsed with quarantine aquarium water (NOT the bag water.)

Final Coral Preparation:

After the peroxide dip, if there is any ripped or cut tissue, I place a small amount of superglue gel along the line (as shown on the Fungia coral). This helps prevent water flow from literally ripping the tissue off the coral. Superglue gel reacts with water to form a type of plastic mesh. However, this reaction is exothermic, which means it releases heat. This can cause cell death, so extreme care should be used. That’s why I prefer wound-grade superglue gel, like Liquid Skin or Vetbond (this is pricey, especially considering when I get my regular superglue gel from the dollar store, but the medical type is worth it in these cases). I also seal any remaining skeleton or base rock in regular super glue. This way, if there are any remaining pests or algae spores, they will have a hard time getting past the glue barrier. The coral will quickly grow over the super glue, and within about a month the super glue should not be noticeable.

Coral Quarantine Tank:

Corals are then transferred to the quarantine tank where they will stay for at least 30 days. During that time I visually inspect each coral about every three days for pests/bite marks/and overall health.

During this time, it is essential to keep hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp, and the like away from the coral. These critters will go after the dying tissue and often take away healthy tissue in the process, which can quickly lead to the coral’s demise. It is especially essential to keep them away during feeding, as the process of stealing food from a coral’s mouth can be extremely damaging.

Lighting and flow should be kept low to allow the coral to acclimate. However, the flow rate must be high enough to keep the coral mucus from building up on the coral.

Coral Grow-out Tank:

After the 30 days, I go through the entire dipping process again. Also, if the corals weren’t stable enough to have the excess skeleton/ base cut, I do that at this point. The corals then go into a grow-out tank/secondary quarantine where they live for another 30 days. After those 30 days, I repeat the dipping process a third time. But, I leave the entire base of the coral or a nice fragment of the coral in the grow-out tank. This allows me to have a healthy backup in case I lose my main colony. The main colony is moved to the main display after the dipping process or fragmented for sharing.

Grow-out Aquarium for Rehabilitated Corals

Coral Inspection, Dips, and Quarantine Conclusion:

Yes, it takes a whopping 60 days for a coral to make it to my main display. But, through a proper process of coral inspections, dips, and quarantine, I can rest assured that I minimize pests and nuisance algae. I will not have to rip out my corals to treat for AEFW or go almost two years without Montipora corals to treat for Monti-eating Nudibranchs. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I can also sell my coral clippings knowing I’m providing a very healthy specimen to another hobbyist.

No matter where you buy a coral from, always quarantine. Do not trust anyone, even me. Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes even a backup safety fails. You do not have to quarantine like I do, but any amount is better than nothing. I hope this post provides some insight on how to improve your procedures.

Assessing Coral Health: An Introduction

reefdup DIY, How To, Rehabilitation June 26, 2021October 16, 2022AEFW, bleached, brown jelly disease, Coral Health, disease, Dying Coral, fragged, fragmentation, husbandry, infected, infested, parasite, poison, starvation, Stung, Tegastes acroporanus 10 Comments

Coral Disease Assessment: Dark Spot Syndrome with purple lesions

Even on a smaller scale than global reef decline, the ability to assess coral health is essential. I am often asked how I know where to even start to rescue corals. In my opinion, determining how healthy the coral is, or what the problem might be, is usually the first step. This is an introduction on assessing coral health to determine what might be causing the coral stress.

Assessing Coral Health for Stung Corals:

Corals stung by another coral are probably the most easy to save. These corals are healthy overall, but a portion of them is damaged. As long the coral avoids infection and no further damage occurs, then healing is rather quick. When a coral “stings” another coral, the stung coral is sometimes actually “digested.” When corals have to compete for territory, they expel their digestive organs, called mesenterial filaments, and use them to digest a nearby coral. This typically results in one area of severe damage and no damage elsewhere. A coral stung this coral shown, but the remaining tissue was very healthy. You can read more about the Trachyphyllia’s recovery here.

Lack of Proper Husbandry:

A lack of proper husbandry is typically a slow process. It can result in the tissue between polyps receding first. As shown here, portions of recent die-off right are beside healthy tissue and coralline-encrusted skeleton. With these corals, good water parameters are essential. Removal of invasive algae is also critical. These corals typically do not need much additional care. You can read more about this Lobophyllia’s recovery here.

Assessing Poorly-Fragmented Corals:

When a coral is improperly fragmented, various outcomes are possible depending on damage. Sometimes the tissue rips apart improperly, or the skeleton is crushed underneath intact tissue. As long as there is about half the polyp left, the coral typically survives with the natural healing process. This Euphyllia coral unfortunately became infected and died.

Corals with Pest Damage or Parasites:

Attempting to rescue an infected coral is risky, as it may infect other corals. This type of rescue requires a proper quarantine tank and medications on hand. Typically, once the pests and any eggs are removed, the coral will heal quickly on its own. Here, this infected Acropora has both Acropora-eating flatworms and red bugs (Tegastes acroporanus). With proper treatments to remove both pests, this coral made a full recovery.

Assessing Coral Health due to Infections:

Attempting to rescue infected corals can be dangerous, complex, and expensive. Any attempts require a dedicated hospital tank, proper supplies (including a microscope), and extensive knowledge in coral diseases and treatments. Furthermore, keeping a low expectation for coral survival is key. These infections vary by cause (e.g., bacterial, viral, fungal, ciliate, etc.), so the owner must tailor treatment to the cause. Determining the cause can be nearly impossible without the proper equipment. Any attempts also require the utmost caution, as some infections are transferable to humans. This coral shown had “brown jelly disease.”

Bleached Corals:

Coral bleaching also has a variety of causes, and knowledge of the cause can help determine possible solutions. Assessing a bleached coral’s health can be challenging as high light, chronic low light, high temperature, low temperature (rare cases), lack of oxygenation, and some infections can cause bleaching. Since a bleached coral is lacking its typical zooxanthallae population (the symbiotic algae that lives inside the coral’s tissues and produces food for the coral), it will need regular feedings. Unfortunately, in my experience, sometimes these corals never thrive again, even with coloration return.

The photo below shows several corals that were poisoned with household bleach. An angry customer poured it into a local fish store’s tanks, which killed all the livestock. I attempted to save everything that still had tissue, but even these corals eventually died.

Starved Corals:

Although starvation is more commonly seen in non-photosynthetic corals (NPS), it is still possible in photosynthetic corals as well. This is more likely to occur in in ultra-low nutrient systems, also known as ULNS. Here, a Dendrophyllia coral is starving, shown by the algae-encrusted skeleton. Regular feedings are essential in these cases.

Poisoned Corals:

Poisoned corals usually have retracted tissue with areas of white skeleton showing. Tissue colors are usually brown or white, depending on the toxin. Any other typical colors (e.g., blues, reds, greens) are muted. This coral was poisoned by either the flatworm treatment a LFS used, or by the flatworm toxins themselves. You can read more about this coral’s amazing recovery here.

As shown, coral health has a multitude of causes, and only a few examples were shown here. If you would like to continue learning about coral pathology, a more technical source is available on NOAA.

Dying Sarcophyton Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Rehabilitation, Sarcophyton May 30, 2021May 30, 2021Dying Coral, Leather, Rehabilitated Coral, Rescue Coral, Sarcophyton, Toadstool 0 Comment

“Is this…gum? What is this? Ew!” I honestly had no idea what the off-white algae-covered blob on my rescue coral was. When I touched it, it reminded me of a leather, but there was no sign of polyps. Finally, I decided to just place it in my quarantine tank – after all, that’s what a quarantine tank is for! Turns out, I had a dying Sarcophyton coral rehabilitation on my hands.

Assessing the Coral’s Health:

I took in this Favia-type coral on 31 May 2020, as it had two tiny little polyps remaining (the local fish store was about to throw the entire rock into the sump, which would’ve meant death for the coral). As I was preparing the two polyps, I cut off the weird off-white algae-covered chunk in the top right of the photo. I had a million thoughts running through my head as to what it could be (e.g., is this a new type of epoxy?). But, a nagging feeling kept telling me to put it on a frag plug because it might be a dying Sarcophyton coral. It might just be a really unique rehabilitation.

This is a close-up of the same image above, just rotated. It seemed grown-into the coral skeleton, which made me think it could be a leather, although I did not see any polyps.

Of course, this “blob” went through my usual dip process and mounting in preparation for quarantine.

Quarantined Coral:

A few weeks later, on 19 June 2020, I still did not have any real new information. The algae covering it was gone, but there was still no sign of life. But, this was the day that I thought if I squinted really hard, I could start to see polyp pores in the center of the coral. Was I just getting my hopes up?

Just a few days shy of a month after I got the coral (and a change in tank placement), I was sure. Yes, those were polyp pores right in the center! It *is* a leather!

By 15 June 2020, I was totally excited! It was a “toadstool” Sarcophyton coral. The polyps were out, and I was starting to get an idea of how this coral would recover.

On 17 August 2020, the previously dying Sarcophyton coral was fully rehabilitated. All it needed was a healthy aquarium and a chance to live.

Coral Grow-Out:

Here is the coral on 15 November 2020. I think the coral agreed with me, because it started growing up rather than out. Although its stalk is hidden, it grew about an inch in height between this photo and the previous. (Although, I did move the coral just for logistics purposes).

Rehabilitated Sarcophyton Coral:

Even until April 2021, the coral was only really growing up. The stalk in the photo was about four inches tall (it would’ve been growing out of the water in its previous location, so I had to move it again).

Although it is not the most colorful or unique coral, it is still attractive, hardy, and would make a great addition to a new hobbyist’s aquarium. I plan to keep this coral in my collection for fragging, so that the story of this previously dying Sarcophyton coral rehabilitation will be passed on hopefully for generations.

Dying Acropora Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Acropora, Rehabilitation May 29, 2021May 29, 2021acropora, acropora eating flatworms, AEFW, brown coral, Dying Coral, red bugs, Rescue Coral, Tegastes acroporanus 0 Comment

Acropora Rehabilitation Before and After

Back in 2012, I took in several corals from a fellow reefkeeper, knowing they were all rescues. Included in the bulk were a few dying Acropora corals that desperately needed rehabilitation. However, rehabilitating small polyp stony (SPS) corals has its own challenges, and in many cases, these sensitive corals may experience a more rapid death than their large polyp stony (LPS) counterparts. Below I will cover the initial inspection, diagnosis, treatment, for a complete dying Acropora coral rehabilitation.

Assessing Dying Coral Health:

All dying Acropora coral were brown, not extending polyps, and had white marks on them. Upon initial inspection (and not shockingly), they had red bugs (Tegastes acroporanus) and Acropora-eating flatworms (AEFW). I treated the AEFW and red bugs with a series of coral dips as part of rehabilitation efforts. I also inadvertently subjected the tank to a reduced temperature (thanks power outage), which quite possibly killed the red bugs. (At the time, Interceptor was the normal protocol for treating red bugs, but there were also several other suitable treatments.)

Since AEFW lay eggs, it was critical to regularly inspect the coral and re-treat to completely eliminate the parasites. Thankfully, red bugs are live-bearers, so once they were initially eliminated, I no longer had to worry about them.

Quarantined Acropora Coral:

Of course, Acroporas require stable salinity, alkalinity, magnesium, calcium, etc. Given that I had over 50 corals undergoing rehabilitation at the time, my quarantine tank was not exactly a healthy aquarium. I had to focus particularly hard to make sure the other dying corals did not adversely affect the SPS. Water changes to remove excess nutrients were crucial. Once the Acropora parasites were gone, I maintained my alkalinity at 9 dKH, magnesium at 1350, and calcium at 450. I also performed 20% weekly water changes.

Previously Dying Acropora Coral Rehabilitated:

With stable parameters and a lack of parasites, this previously dying Acropora coral was quickly rehabilitated. They can heal quickly and add a beautiful touch to the aquarium. However, I don’t recommend Acropora rescues for beginners as they can have more severe pests than LPS corals, are sensitive to poor water conditions, and require careful monitoring of water parameters.

Dying Acanthastrea Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Acanthastrea, Rehabilitation February 20, 2021February 20, 2021Acan, Acanthastrea, quarantine, Rehabilitation, Rescue Coral 2 Comments

Assessing the Coral’s Health:

This dying Acanthastrea (“Acan”) coral came out of a hobbyist’s tank that had been neglected due to an impending move. Notice the lack of tissue between the polyps. Luckily, corals in poor water conditions usually recover quickly in a mature, well-maintained aquarium. Rehabilitation should be easy with just proper, basic care. (Photo taken 9 June 2012)

Preparation for Quarantine:

Since the coral just needed a healthy environment, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do. There was some nuisance algae on it, so I cut those sections off. I gave the coral a dip in Coral Rx to check for pests just in case. Within less than a month, the polyps were already expanding out more and growing larger. (Photo taken 30 June 2012)

Quarantined Coral:

Within a month, the previously dying Acanthastrea coral looked almost like it had never had a problem. Unfortunately the remaining skeleton kept growing nuisance algae, so I kept having to remove it to facilitate its rehabilitation (white areas in the photo, taken 7 July 2012.)

Coral Grow-Out:

After a month in quarantine, I was able to re-dip the coral and place it into a grow-out tank. In a grow-out tank, I can continue to monitor the coral for any remaining issues while not exposing it to other incoming quarantined corals.

Within only two months the polyps were fully expanding and growing tissue between them (14 August 2012). Around this time I purchased a band saw, so I cut off the part of the disc that kept growing nuisance algae.

Rehabilitated Acanthastrea Coral:

Not too shabby! All this coral needed was a bit of TLC and some good water to make a full recovery within six months. (7 October 2012)

I had this coral for several years, during which time I fragged it many times to pass along to other hobbyists. For all I know, I may still have some of it, but I’ve lost track of which Acan coral it may be in my tank after a few moves and having several similar corals (what a great problem to have!)

Dying Lithophyllon Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Lithophyllon, Rehabilitation February 8, 2021February 8, 2021carbon, chalice coral, Coral, Dying Coral, flatworm, Lithophyllon, poison, quarantine, Rehabilitation, Rescue Coral 0 Comment

A local fish store (LFS) called me to ask if I wanted to try to save some of their corals. An employee had overdosed their reef tanks with a chemical used to treat flatworms (I was not told what chemical it was). When I arrived, honestly, I was shocked at how bad many of the corals were. I don’t know if these corals were dying from an overdose of some unknown chemical or if the flatworm toxins were killing them. Either way, something was poisoning these corals to death. I picked up two “chalice” corals, amongst others. These dying Lithophyllon coral mouths were gaping open, the tissue was falling off, and what tissue did remain was barely hanging on. Rehabilitation was going to be dicey. (Photo of Litho#1 taken 11 May 2013)

Dying Lithophyllon Coral Inspection and Dipping:

When I brought them home, I temperature acclimated them to my quarantine tank and prepared the dips. Like most of my rescues, I dipped the corals for pests. (Photo of Litho#2 taken 11 May 2013)

*NOTE: This post tracks the corals as “Litho#1” and “Litho#2” to show individual progress.

Coral Quarantine:

After the dips, I placed the two dying Lithophyllon corals into my quarantine tank in a low light, low flow area. I made sure that no crabs would bother the coral, especially with all the decaying tissue. Since the corals were poisoned, I made sure the quarantine tank had new carbon to help absorb anything that the corals might leach. Both corals did start to quickly recede, so I tried to stop it by smearing a bead of superglue gel along the receding edge (white lumpy band in the photos below). Rehabilitation was definitely already proving rough. (Photo of Litho#1 taken 11 May 2013)

Receding Lithophyllon Coral (Photo of Litho#1 taken 9 June 2013)

The corals also refused to eat until about a month after I received them. I started them on fish food pellets (shown here and above) since they are quite processed. In my experience, sick corals seem to digest fish pellets better than whole foods (like mysis, etc.) This helps them recover faster. (Photo of Litho#2 taken 9 June 2013)

Coral Grow-Out:

After stopping the recession with superglue and maintaining regular feedings, the corals started to heal quickly. And how great they started looking! After 30 days in quarantine, I inspected, re-dipped, and placed them into the grow-out tank. (Photo of Litho#2 taken 4 August 2013).

Regular feedings likely helped the coral recover. (Photo of Litho#1 taken 12 October 2013)

Here is Litho#2 on 3 November 2013.

A month later (8 December 2013), Litho#2 was growing down its skeleton.

Fully Rehabilitated Lithophyllon Coral:

Nearly a year later, both previously dying Lithophyllon corals were growing rapidly. This Litho#2 is shown on 1 May 2014, when it was fully rehabilitated. Below is a close-up shot showing the corals’ beautiful patterns.

Conclusion:

I had very little hope for these dying Lithophyllon corals due to their poisoned state. However, the fast reaction of the LFS along with continued care over a year fully rehabilitated these two corals. Shown below are the before/after photos of the dying Lithophyllon coral rehabilitation. One coral was nearly immediately rehomed, and the other coral was rehomed a couple years later.

Dying Cyphastrea Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Cyphastrea, Rehabilitation February 2, 2021October 16, 2022Coral, Cyphastrea 0 Comment

Cyphastrea coral are usually very hardy and prefer low light (and sometimes do best partially shaded) but can be acclimated to higher-light areas. They also adapt well to a variety of flow conditions. I received this dying Cyphastrea coral from a reefkeeper who was getting out of the hobby. Good husband would likely be key to this coral’s rehabilitation. (Photo taken 22 May 2012)

Unfortunately, most corals in the tank were suffering from poor water quality, and this Cyphastrea was no exception. The reefkeeper did the responsible thing by recognizing that the corals needed proper care and attention.

Note how some of the polyps still have tissue while there is no tissue between the polyps. This is a good indication of poor water quality (in addition to actually speaking with the previous owner). Regardless of the damage root cause, I still dipped and checked it for pests.

Coral Quarantine:

As mentioned, the coral was declining due to poor water quality. After the initial dipping process, I placed the coral into my quarantine tank for observation and acclimation. Here, the coral was fairly low in the tank to allow it to adjust to the lighting. Notice that by less than a month later (15 June 2012), the coral was already regrowing!

Just another 15 days later (30 June 2012) and slightly over a month total time with me, and the coral was gaining coloration and growing rapidly! Given the proper light and water conditions, this coral grows extremely
fast.

Fully Rehabilitated Coral:

This previously dying Cyphastrea coral was completely rehabilitated in less than three months (pictured at 14 August 2012). The coral had completely covered the old skeleton and had encrusted onto the base. In fact, it started to grow so quickly, that I had to frag it several times. Coral reproduction via fragmentation reduces hobbyist impact on the oceans.

Troubleshooting Dying Cyphastrea Corals

As mentioned above, if the Cyphastrea coral has started to lose tissue between the polyps, then there is probably a water quality issue. If the coral is bleaching, then it’s likely in too high of light (or might’ve been in absolutely no light.) If the coloration isn’t great (too brown), then it may need more light or less nutrients. Or, if there’s recession from one side to another, then it may be a pest, bacterial/fungal infection, or a sudden water quality problem.

Dying Pectinia Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Pectinia, Rehabilitation January 21, 2021October 16, 2022coral dip, Dying Coral, ostracod, Pectinia, Rehabilitation 2 Comments

A fellow hobbyist in my local reef club at the time contacted me about his dying Pectinia coral. He said no matter what he did, the tissue kept receding, and it was just a brown color. Knowing the hobbyist and his system, this was out of the ordinary. So, after much discussion, I took it in to attempt a rehabilitation of this dying Pectinia coral. (Photo taken 8 March 2014)

Inspection:

Upon inspection, I noticed that the tissue recession was slow (notice the coralline algae growing on the old skeleton). I also noticed it was covered in very tiny, moving, white dots (and majano anemones!)

I wanted to take a closer look at the “white dots,” and found that they were Ostracods – seed shrimp. This was the first coral I’ve encountered that had a massive pod population covering it during the day. Typically I’ve only seen ostracods out at night.

Although a microscope isn’t ideal for examining seed shrimp, it was still neat to see.

Treatment:

As with all my dying corals, I started the coral out with a series of dips.

During the dipping process, I trimmed off all of the excess skeleton to expose any hidden issues, reduce the likelihood of pests, and allow the coral to regrow a skeleton unencumbered.

I didn’t really believe the ostracods were the source of the problem, but dips are always wise.

Quarantine:

After three dips and a skeleton trim, the Pectinia coral was quite stressed, but it went into my quarantine tank for observation.

Continued Care:

The coral started to regain color, but the ostracods came back. Interestingly, they only covered this one coral during the day. I decided to perform the dips again.

Final Results:

After the second set of dips, I never saw the ostracods again, and the coral started to recover. By 1 May 2014, the coral was turning a beautiful blue and starting to grow. Shortly after this photo was taken, I gave the coral back to its owner. Below, you can use the slider to see rehabilitation of a dying Pectinia coral from beginning to end!

Dying Echinophyllia Coral Rehabilitation

reefdup Echinophyllia, Rehabilitation January 18, 2021October 16, 2022brown coral, chalice, dying, Echinophyllia, Rehabilitation, Rescue Coral 0 Comment

A friend of mine asked about this dying Echinophyllia coral’s rehabilitation, “How did you even know there was any living tissue on that one?” That’s a really great question, because this Echinophyllia sp. (also known as a “chalice”) coral was in a really bad shape and dying.

There was a local fish store (LFS) near me back in the day that used to have massive coral runways with massive runway sumps below. If any corals died, the employees would just throw the pieces into the sump. I used to take a UV-light and run it along their sump to see if there was anything with the tiniest hint of life clinging to it. Although I didn’t get this particular coral there, a UV pen was what gave me hope. This coral might be brown under regular light, but it fluoresced a beautiful green under UV.

This dying Echinophyllia coral got its start with me on 22 May 2012. Of course, I dipped it to check for parasites and placed it in a low light, higher flow area.

Coral Quarantine:

Just a little over a week later, on 3 June 2012, the transformation was amazing. With regular target feedings, this previously dying Echinophyllia sp. coral was no longer clinging to its skeleton, showed off its orange mouth, and it developed what can only be described as “glitter” throughout its tissue (notice the specks around the mouth). I was getting excited! Its rehabilitation was coming along!

By the end of June (30 June 2012), just a little over a month later, and the Echinophyllia sp. coral had nicely filled out. It was time to transfer the coral from quarantine to the grow-out tank, so it was dipped again and inspected to ensure it was clean.

Coral Grow-out:

This photo was taken on 14 August 2012. The grow-out tank’s lights were much stronger, so this coral started out in the sand again. Even down in the sand, the coral began to develop some beautiful coloration, with blues, greens, and orange mouths.

Fully Rehabilitated:

By 19 February 2013, the coral looked as if it had been beautiful all along. There were no signs of fragging, and the coloration was fantastic. This previously dying Echinophyllia coral was rehabilitated!

After about a year-and-a-half recovery (2 November 2013), the coral was ready for a permanent home (excuse the oversaturated photo!) This coral went from essentially the “trash bin” to having a new start.

Catalaphyllia Rehabilitation

reefdup Catalaphyllia (Elegance), Rehabilitation January 17, 2021February 25, 2022catalaphyllia, Coral Restoration, dying, Dying Coral, elegance, Rehab, Rehabilitation 0 Comment

Catalaphyllia Rehabilitated Before and After

This dying elegance coral (Catalaphyllia) came in on 24 November 2012 covered in aiptasia anemones and flatworms. Although I believed the flatworms were just Waminoa (nuisance, but not parasitic), but the previous owner was convinced the flatworms were actually parasitic. At the time, reports of LPS-eating flatworms were becoming more prevalent, so I wasn’t about to take chances.

This photo shows the coral in a dip to remove the flatworms and any other unseen parasites. I had to manually remove the aiptasia (chopping off parts of the old skeleton).

Only two days later (26 November 2012), and the coral was looking much better. (Only one piece of the Elegance is shown here.) With good water quality, I was hoping the coral would grow well.

Unfortunately, even seven months later (16 June 2013), the coral had not grown. Many rehabilitated corals often have stunted growth for about six months or so (some have had stunted growth for about two years). The coloration was significantly better though, with beautiful pink tips and fluorescent blue streaks reminiscent of lightning in the center.

Shortly after this photo was taken, the coral was permanently rehomed.