Another coral stung this Trachyphyllia, and then the trachy continued to die after the initial injury. (8 January 2012)
Here’s another view of the damage.
Unfortunately, I don’t have good photos of the coral throughout the recovery process, but here it is, roughly a year later, on 6 January 2013. Although it looks significantly smaller than the original colony’s healthy tissue, there is a frag not shown.
This was never a fast-growing coral for me, but here it is on 16 June 2016, over four years later.
With just a year and proper care, the coral went from dying to thriving.
On 3 March 2012, I received this badly stung Scolymia coral.
By 14 April 2012, a little over a month later, the coral was healed and starting to recover.
At the two-month point (14 May 2012), the coral was a voracious eater.
After nearly four months (30 June 2012), the coral was starting to fill out.
By 7 October 2012, only seven months later, the coral was just looking a bit lop-sided.
One year later (31 March 2013), and the coral was nearly back to its original condition.
Here is the coral on 16 June 2013, as beautiful as ever.
Even after three moves across the country (this coral has been with me in Nevada, Utah, and Virginia), I still have this beautiful Scolymia. Interestingly, in 2016, the coral underwent color changes, as shown here (3 July 2016).
When I received this dying Homophyllia bowerbanki coral, I had no idea what was happening to it, but it was obviously rotting. Most of the tissue had come off in the bag, and the coral stunk extremely bad. I had absolutely no hope for its rehabilitation, but, I couldn’t give up on it either. (8 January 2012)
*Note – Acanthastrea hillae was recently recategorized as Homophyllia bowerbanki.
Coral Quarantine:
By 27 January 2012, the coral had stopped rotting and started to heal.
This is half of the remaining coral, as of 6 February 2012.
Fully Rehabilitated:
Nine months later (7 October 2012), the previously dying Homophyllia bowerbanki coral was fully rehabilitated. One half of the coral is shown. This coral, more than any other, reminded me to keep hope.
I believe this is a Physogyra coral (closely related to Plerogyra), and I received it on 8 February 2020 in quite bad condition. Most of the tissue was rotting along the edges, and the skeleton was exposed.
By 9 May 2020, the coral was no longer receding, had polyp expansion, and was starting to regrow over its old skeleton.
Here the coral is fluorescing under actinic lighting.
Only three months later, and this Physogyra was well on its way to full recovery!
