The quiet beauty of Goniopora coral’s flowery polyps swaying in an aquarium has always captivated me. Despite their notorious reputation as difficult, Goniopora coral also contrastingly flourish in other aquariums. When I spotted this remaining speck of a fragged dying Goniopora coral dwindling away at a local fish store – its skeleton exposed and polyps retracted – I knew the chances of success were low. But, the alternatives were also unacceptable.
This is the rehabilitation journey of how I brought this dying Goniopora coral back from the brink. (Photo taken on 10 May 2020)
Prepping the Quarantine Tank: Setting the Stage for Recovery
Before I even headed out the door to look for corals that I could help, I made sure my quarantine system was fully prepared and stable. This aquarium system runs independently of my grow-out and main display systems, which allows tight control over water parameters and treatment options without additional risk to or from other systems. And, it facilitates easy, daily inspections of new corals, as the tank is small and has elevated frag racks for easy viewing. Additionally, this tank has no fish (minimizes risk to my main display and reduces risk of fish irritating the new corals) or crabs (minimizes risk to the corals of nuisance or predatory picking-behaviors).
I confirmed all equipment was working as expected, and I re-installed a carbon filter on the tank (I do not typically run carbon 24/7, but I do run it during the first week or two during a recovery). Chemical parameters were within range and stable, with salinity at 35ppt, temperature hovering around 76 degrees Fahrenheit (I run my quarantine tank on the cooler side, as it seems to inhibit issue progression), alkalinity around 9 dKh, calcium around 425 ppm, and magnesium around 1350 ppm (alk/ca/mag parameters mirror my main display just for ease of transition). Since my quarantine is often filled with corals in various stages of decay or recovery – and I feed the tank a ridiculous amount – the nutrient levels are typically horrifyingly high (imagine hitting the limits on all the tests… it’s eye-popping). However, this tank also never has nuisance algae while I am rescuing coral (if I stop bringing in dying corals, algae starts to grow). It’s a fascinating observation, and I wonder if either the expellant from the dying corals inhibits the algae – or maybe the bacterial profile of the aquarium affects algal growth (the tank’s bacterial profile is vastly different from a “typical” aquarium). But, I digress.
The hardware itself on the quarantine tank is nothing impressive; it’s mostly hand-me-downs from my main display upgrades or random items I’ve won at raffles. It’s a simple 20 gallon top with a 20 gallon sump. It has a small skimmer, hang-on-back carbon filter, heaters (I always run two smaller ones to help prevent overheating), a return pump, a sump light, and an older Radion light. I do not run an extra powerhead for flow, as I try to keep the flow fairly low through the display. However, I do like to add a bubble stone during the early stages of coral recovery. This combination seems to help remove excess coral mucus gently without disturbing fragile tissue.
Only after ensuring the quarantine system was adequate for a new inhabitant did I head out on my coral adventure for the day.
Coral Assessment: First Impressions Matter
It was in the first few months of COVID when I found this dying Goniopora coral. The local fish store visited was running with minimal personnel, and I had to make an appointment to visit. The employee pointed me to a set of fresh red Goniopora frags, which were all exhibiting rapid tissue necrosis to the point that the tissue with extended polyps was only attached at a couple of points to the skeleton (I haven’t managed a recovery of this magnitude yet). This small speck of a dying Goniopora was in the same section, but a few polyps remained – retracted amongst a sea of exposed and algae-covered skeleton. Although the store did not post their water parameters, I knew they typically had excellent husbandry (but who knows how COVID restrictions affected their operations). Based on my coral triage flow chart (Slide 14 from my MACNA presentation), I considered this an “urgent” case – but not an emergency or doomed (terminal) case. There were no signs of an active infection (e.g., “Brown Jelly Syndrome”) or parasites, so my guess was that this Goniopora just might’ve needed higher nutrients (especially given that maybe the tanks weren’t fed as much as pre-COVID) – or that the water parameters were not as stable or correct as usual.
Inspections and Dipping: Clearing the Path to Recovery
Upon arrival at home, I placed the dying Goniopora coral frag (along with all the others I brought home) into my quarantine tank while still in the containers so that they could temperature acclimate. Typically, my “rescue hunting” trips are about six or more hours long. While I do try to maintain the temperature during my trip, a 15-minute acclimation also helps. I also have to prepare the inspection and dipping process anyway.
When I am ready to inspect, I take the coral out of the bag (and dispose of the water), and I set the coral in a container of quarantine tank water. I perform a visual inspection with a high-intensity white light, followed by a UV light inspection in a dark room. Comparing photos of these inspections can highlight issues, particularly certain parasites that camouflage in one spectra but not another. Again, I did not identify any macro-parasites with this Goniopora coral. Then, I walk through my coral triage flowchart again. There was tissue, fluorescence, plenty of full polyps, no gaping mouths, and no visible mesenterial filaments. So far, so good – it wasn’t a terminal case. As far as I knew, it wasn’t exposed to improper chemicals, the skeleton only had a film algae, and there was no sign of “Brown Jelly Syndrome.” Cool – not an emergent case. Although the coral was pale, it was obvious that it was naturally a pale color – not white from bleaching. There was no evidence of pests or other infections, but the tissue was clinging, and the mouths were unresponsive (not abnormal for Goniopora). So, this led me to treat the coral as an “urgent” case.
Then it was time to assess the lesion as part of a coral disease assessment.
I built a catalog for my coral rescues (and am still populating it), based on a few coral disease assessment processes (e.g., NOAA’s Coral Disease Assessment Form). I assessed the dying Goniopora coral as having a small but severe tissue loss lesion with subacute/moderate progression. Although the coral’s color was white, it was not bleached. The lesion presented with an irregular pattern and diffuse distribution with an indistinct border and serpiginous margin. There was no discernible band.
This combination of signs often correlates to a water quality issue or a lack of adequate nutrients in some corals. As I am not a medical professional, this was the best I could do for a “usable diagnosis” to help provide proper care for this coral.
After the inspections, it was time for dips. I removed the coral frag from the frag plug to help prevent any nuisance algae from entering my systems, and I trimmed off all exposed coral skeleton with no remaining tissue. This task exposed more surface area for coral dips.
I prepared a hydrogen peroxide (typical grocery-store 3% stuff) and tank water dip at a 1:10 ratio in my Magnetic Stirrer Coral Dip Station, and I placed the coral in this solution for 20 seconds. This dip’s ratio and duration varies by the coral and “usable diagnosis.” Since this coral frag was so small (few crevices for pests to hide), and I did not suspect an infection, I went with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and a short duration. Of course, I monitored the coral for the entire 20 seconds to ensure the coral did not become overly stressed. After the 20 seconds, I rinsed the coral in quarantine tank water, and then I placed in a Coral Rx dip according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Again, I rinsed the coral in quarantine tank water (out of the aquarium). Typically, I use a third dip between the hydrogen peroxide and Coral Rx to treat for any specific issues, but I did not identify a need in this case. Some studies have shown that exposure to hydrogen peroxide can inhibit calcification in corals, so I try to use the lowest amount possible to accomplish my intentions.
After the last dip, I typically superglue any exposed tissue edges with wound-grade superglue and along any exposed skeleton with regular superglue. However, this was such a tiny frag with no visible exposed tissue edges that I just superglued the frag to a plug. Before final placement into my quarantine tank, I re-checked all of my assessments and assumptions. This coral’s intake was fairly straightforward.
Quarantine: A Coral’s Safe Haven
I placed the Goniopora frag in my dedicated coral quarantine tank, which only has snails as a clean-up crew (there are no fish or crabs). Parameters closely matched my display tank (other than nitrate and phosphate), although light and flow were lower. Based on the coral’s good coloration and placement in the Local Fish Store’s system, I placed this frag on a rack higher in the tank. I was not worried about light acclimation in this case (but I highly recommend light acclimation in many cases). Flow was indirect and just enough to cause the polyps to sway gently – whenever they emerged.
Despite all the cure-all products on the market, I stick with standard tank husbandry and my own homemade foods that contain a high variety of foods and particle sizes. Each day, I inspected the coral for any issues and basted it gently with a pipette to clear off any settled detritus, and every other day, I fed the tank. It was quite a while before this Goniopora coral’s polyps emerged, and even when they did, I did not directly feed them. However, I did feed the tank upstream from the coral, which allowed the coral to catch food more naturally than a direct-feed. Also, the tank’s nitrates and phosphates were extremely high.
Eventually, the polyps emerged, and at the end of Day 30 it was time for the next phase.
Ongoing Coral Rehabilitation: The Next Phase
After 30 days in quarantine with no additional issues, I repeated the dips and fragging before moving the coral to the grow-out tank. Unfortunately a small portion of the coral did not survive, so I removed it when I re-fragged the coral. Over a year later, and the coral had made practically no progression (photo taken on 18 June 2021) (please ignore the hair algae – I needed to replenish my clean-up crew). This growth delay is not uncommon with some of the corals I rescue; their growth stagnates for a year or more. However, they usually show other signs of health and recovery, such as extended polyps and improved coloration.
Outcome: A Flourishing Flower Pot Coral
Nearly two years later, and this previously dying Goniopora coral was finally rehabilitated. After it regrew over the exposed skeleton, its growth exploded. (Photo taken on 3 January 2022)
About a month after the coral regrew over its skeleton, its polyp extension increased dramatically. (Photo taken on 21 February 2022)
Eventually, I was able to move the coral into my display aquarium, where I placed it in high flow and high light, based on observed preferences over the preceding two years. It has continued to flourish and is now the size of a golf-ball. Although growth has been slow, its humble beginnings place the growth in perspective. (Photo taken 12 March 2022)
Final Thoughts
Rehabilitating corals is not for the faint of heart, nor are Goniopora corals. But with knowledge, patience, and proper care, even delicate corals can make a comeback. A good portion of rescuing corals is just personal resiliency – not giving up on corals that haven’t yet themselves given up. While this coral may have needed almost two years to recover, the reward of seeing its polyps waving back at me each day was worth it.
