“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.
