Dying Cyphastrea Coral Rehabilitation
Dying Coral
Dying Cynarina Coral Rehabilitation
Dying Cladocora Coral Rehabilitation
Dying Caulastrea Coral Rehabilitation
Dying Blastomussa Coral Rehabilitation
Dying Australophyllia Rehabilitation
Dying Acropora Coral Rehabilitation
Under construction! (2012-ACRO001)
Dying Acanthastrea Coral Rehabilitation
This coral is still with me, which is over 11 years since I rescued it. During that time, it has had quite the identity crisis. When I first rescued it, I wrote on an old blog, “Many large polyp stony corals are difficult, if not impossible, to identify without examination of a coral’s skeleton. Thankfully, the genus Trachyphyllia is not, as it only has one species: geoffroyi.” HAHAHA, oh how much we have learned since then! So, not only did this dying Acanthastrea coral go through an amazing rehabilitation, but it also fell into a few different genera along the way.
Assessing Dying Coral Health:
When I found this coral at a Local Fish Store (LFS) in November, 2010, I believed it was a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, mostly due to its hourglass shape (and lack of good reference material on coral septa patterns at the time).
Although it is pure speculation, I believed the coral’s condition was due to rapidly deteriorating water conditions. The freshly exposed skeleton showing bright in white suggested something drastic changed, and the fairly uniform amount of exposed skeleton suggested the source of the problem surrounded the coral. The good coloration (albeit slightly bleached) indicated that lighting and some infections were not likely. But, the tight skin against the skeleton along with the gaping mouths suggested the coral was probably not eating and possibly acting defensively to reduce its exposure to poor water quality. (For more information, see Assessing Coral Health: An Introduction.)
Quarantined Acanthastrea Coral:
Poor water conditions could have meant allelopathy (chemical warfare between corals), high nitrates/ phosphates, unbalanced alkalinity/ calcium/ magnesium, et cetera. To treat this coral I purchased for $10, I decided the best course of action was just a good aquarium. After completing my coral examination and dip, I cut the coral’s septa (the teethy-ridges). I have found that if a large polyp coral was to suddenly inflate in excessive flow, the flesh will easily rip on the septa. With a sick coral, one small tissue tear can continue to rip or become infected and quickly lead to the demise of the coral. To prevent this, I carefully trimmed back the septa and removed all sharp points. The coral could then expand with little difficulty. Additionally, corals seem to have more ease in growing back over the existing skeleton this way.
Acanthastrea Coral in Grow-out:
Only a few weeks later (21 November 2011), the coral was inflating and starting to grow over the exposed skeleton.
I regularly fed it pellet food, as highly processed food seems to be easier to digest for injured corals. Notice the orange ring developing! (30 January 2011)
The progression in only a couple weeks was rapid. The coral nearly covered all previously exposed skeleton, by only 24 February 2011 (about four months after I purchased it). However, by this point, I was starting to question my initial assessment of Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. It was starting to look more like a Lobophyllia, but it was still more hourglass-shaped.
Previously Dying Acanthastrea Coral, Fully Rehabilitated:
By October 2011, I realized I was probably wrong about the genus. It was splitting more like a Lobophyllia. But at that point, I really didn’t care, as the coral was fully healed (less than a year later!)
Not just Surviving, but Thriving!
Although this coral’s recovery was impressive under daylight conditions, under actinics it became a showstopper!
Around 2016, several studies and articles starting making me rethink the classification on this coral. Rather than Lobophyllia pachysepta, it seemed to fit more within Acanthastrea (Huang, et al., 2016).
Here’s the previously dying Acanthastrea colony in 2021, which was still large despite a few fraggings over the years!
Conclusion:
From nearly dead to thriving in less than a year… to over 11 years later… this coral continues to awe and confuse me! This dying Acanthastrea coral’s rehabilitation also went from Trachyphyllia geoffroyi to Lobophyllia pachysepta to Acanthastrea pachysepta, or at least so I think!
References
- Huang, Danwei, Roberto Arrigoni, Francesca Benzoni, et al., “Taxonomic Classification of the Reef Coral Family Lobophylliidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 178, 436-481.
- Arrigoni, Roberto, Francesca Benzoni, Danwei Huang, et al., “When Forms Meet Genes: Revision of the Scleractinian Genera Micromussa and Homophyllia (Lobophylliidae) with a Description of Two New Species and One New Genus”. Contributions to Zoology 85.4 (2016): 387-422.
Coral Inspection, Dips, and Quarantine
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…).
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.
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.
Blue Sun Coral (Tubastraea sp.): A Natural Rarity?
When I started in the hobby in 2008, there was a legitimate problem with dyed corals and anemones. Sadly, this was not a new problem at that time either. Bleached corals (or even healthy corals) were subjected to dye baths in a dizzying variety of colors, especially in rare shades, such as yellow and blue. Unfortunately, that practice had unsurprisingly deleterious effects on the animals, as the dye interfered with their photosynthesis via zooxanthallae. Fast forward over a decade, and the frequency of dyed corals showing up in local fish stores for sale substantially decreased. So, imagine my shock when a fellow reefkeeper sent me a message about a potentially dyed blue sun coral. The earliest reporting of blue sun corals in the hobby I could find dated back to 2017.
Panic Hits – Artificially Dyed Corals in a Pandemic:
In June 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic, I was appalled to see reports popping up all over multiple reefkeeping forums and other social media sites claiming that there was a sudden influx of dyed corals. Rehabilitating dyed corals is no picnic; it takes daily feedings, lots of carbon to absorb any free dye, and fast removal of necrotic tissue. Even then, I have never had success with them long-term. Panic started to hit me, as my aquariums were severely neglected thanks to trying to telework and homeschool young children simultaneously. Not only were my tanks ill-prepared, but I couldn’t get the supplies necessary for rehabilitating dying coral. Chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide are two of my main staples to keep clean equipment, and they were nonexistent on shelves at the time.
Assessing Blue Sun Coral Health:
Then, on 8 July 2020, a fellow local reefkeeper posted on Facebook that she had just received one of these (on 18 June) and suspected it was dyed and dying. She was concerned that it was affecting her yellow sun coral too, as it seemed to be losing color. So, it was time for me to do some research!
Although I had a lot of questions, my first question was on how to stabilize the coral. Since the owner believed it was dyed, I needed to determine what dyes could have been used so I could figure out how to remove it. Sun corals are often various shades of orange or yellow, so the idea of getting a solid blue coral seemed a bit crazy to me. In other words, I thought that just adding blue dye to a yellow coral would likely result in a greenish coral. However, I’ve used methylene blue extensively, and I know its staining power! It seemed a plausible dye to overcome the yellow.
While researching the various dyes, I found research suggesting that anemones could safely tolerate methylene blue dye, as it did not affect the anemones’ growth or survival. Additionally, the research found that the anemones only retained the methylene blue for approximately six weeks. This gave me hope. Maybe the sun coral was dyed with methylene blue, so it might live if I could feed it adequately (as a non-photosynthetic coral, there is no zooxanthellae interference). I was also prepared with activated carbon to absorb any leaching dye (although this research on using dragonfruit skin was super interesting!)
Bringing the Coral Home:
Only three days later, on 11 July, we met in a mall parking lot, while wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Even in the hot mid-day sun, the coral was a shocking blue color. I quickly took both the blue and yellow corals home. I followed my standard coral assessment procedure, and several things concerned me.
Determining the Coral’s Condition:
First, I’ve never previously had my hands or equipment get any sort of coloration on them while fragging. Was this the “dye?” I could see blue, yellow, and green colors on this while towel.
Second, the yellow sun coral had a case of “brown jelly disease” starting. This was not good.
Although the tissue appeared dyed, the skeleton of the coral was white as usual. This was not what I expected, especially if the coral was submerged in dye. However, the anemone research referenced above suggests a dye method that may work on just the tissues. At this point, I wasn’t convinced either way on if it was dyed.
Quarantining the Blue Sun Coral:
After initial treatments, I placed the corals into my quarantine tank for observation. I started them on small pellet food, as sometimes that seems easy for corals to digest. Once the coral was regularly eating, I switched it to a varied diet of Roti-Feast, Oyster-Feast, Phyto-Feast, Reef-Roids, and baby mysis shrimp.
Unfortunately, the “brown jelly” spread to my other corals in quarantine, but I was able to keep it from progressing on the yellow sun coral or to the blue sun coral.
About a week after arrival, I was once again convinced that this coral was dyed, as the healing fragmented portion was a dark greenish-yellow. Ah ha!
But this coral decided to just keep me guessing. Wouldn’t the tentacles be blue as well if it was dyed?
Blue Sun Coral Grow-out:
By a month after arrival, I was sure it was natural, as it was just becoming more blue with bright yellowish green polyps. How was that possible?! Methylene blue should’ve mostly dissipated by that point. It had to be natural, right??
Oh but wait… This coral just wants to keep us on the edge of our seats! After four months in my tank, the shadowed areas were turning yellowish green! But, notice the baby polyp – it’s blue! My head was starting to hurt. (And yes, unfortunately I was not feeding the coral as much as necessary, so it was receding. My tanks were quite neglected during COVID-19, as you’ll see by the algae and aiptasia.)
In reviewing the 2017 post photo, the shaded regions display similar coloration.
Spawning of the Blue Sun Coral!
On 12 December 2020, five months after getting the coral, I woke up to find this blue sun coral spawning! And, the planulae were orange (not blue) – suggesting the coloration was natural (and reproduction hopefully not affected).
One of the planulae immediately settled onto the glass, where I watched it eagerly (until it disappeared about three days later).
Here are some of the planulae. Unfortunately, none of them survived, or maybe they weren’t even fertilized in the first place.
According to username, “Tennyson,” on Nano-Reef, the dark orange/ brown ones are “duds” while the more yellowish planulae are viable (assuming this is consistent across all sun coral colorations).
(For more reading on sun coral reproduction, please see the references below.)
Although the tank wasn’t exactly clean, both sun corals were appreciating the high nutrient levels!
Final Thoughts:
Although I took this photo under actinic lighting, the blue of the sun coral is very similar to the blue of the Oregon Blue Tort Acropora coral. This amazes me as one is photosynthetic while the other is not. In advertising the Oregon Blue Tort, there are plenty of websites that describe the blue as “so vivid it makes you wonder whether it was injected with an artificial blue pigment,” “often considered the bluest Acropora coral you can buy,” “one of the bluest of the blues,” and “so blue it almost looks fake.” I can see why this blue sun coral was also believed to be dyed!
Conclusion:
Over 13 months later, here it is (under actinics again, so the yellowish green polyps are hard to capture on the camera). I lost four polyps, and a few polyps shrank but are now re-growing. The coloration hasn’t changed a bit. The tissue is brilliant blue, the tentacles are yellowish-green, the oral cavity is yellowish-green, and the center of the polyp is blue. Shaded areas turn yellowish-green, but they regain the brilliant blue color once exposed to light again. This makes me believe it’s a structural blue versus a pigment.
Although I lost four polyps, this gives me an opportunity to clean the skeleton to help identify the coral (to be included at a future point). I am convinced that this coral is not dyed, but I have no explanation for its coloration, especially as blue is rare in nature.
So, let’s celebrate this amazing coral with a happy ending. It was fate that on 25 July 2021, the Washington D.C. Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) hosted a virtual meeting with guest speaker, Matt Wandell, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. His topic was on “Use and Care of NPS Corals.” Of course, I had to chat with him about this unusual beauty. I am happy to report that we have made arrangements for at least half of the coral to go on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the fall of 2021 (once the weather cools down).
References:
Arthur Jen, 2017 (original post is now deleted). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/baby-jb-for-trade-southern-california.333673/
BSA Corals, “Blue Emerald Sun Coral!,” 26 June 2020. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blue-emerald-sun-coral.733669/
Calfo, Anthony, “The Tragedy of Artificially Dyed Live Corals,” September 2002. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-09/ac/feature/index.php
Fatheree, James, “Aquarium Corals: A Look at the Sun Corals,” Advanced Aquarist, 2011. https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium-corals-a-look-at-the-sun-corals/
Mizrahi, D., Navarrete, S. A., and Flores, A. A. V., “Groups travel further: pelagic metamorphosis and polyp clustering allow higher dispersal potential in sun coral propagules”, Coral Reefs, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 443–448, 2014. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/37522324.pdf
ReefdUp, “Blue Sun Coral Spawning!” 12 December 2020. https://wamas.org/forums/topic/95817-blue-sun-coral-spawning/?_fromLogin=1
Rowlett, Joe, “A Field Guide to Sun Corals,” 2015. https://reefs.com/magazine/field-guide-sun-corals/
Tennyson, “How to tell if a coral is dyed a different color?” 6 July 2020. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-a-coral-is-dyed-a-different-color.736716/
Tennyson, “HUGE Sun Coral Spawning event,” 9 October 2019. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/huge-sun-coral-spawning-event.654328/
Wells, CD, Sebens, KP, “Individual marking of soft-bodied subtidal invertebrates in situ – A novel staining technique applied to the giant plumose anemone Metridium farcimen (Tilesius, 1809),” PLOS ONE 12(11): e0188263, 21 November 2017. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188263