Flowerpot Coral are beautiful creatures of nature. Even though reef tank owners often introduce Flowerpot Coral in their tanks, it is actually difficult to take care of. Flowerpot Coral Care needs assurance that all the necessary factors for the survival of Coral are present indefinitely.
For the healthy survival of Flowerpot Coral, it is necessary to balance the temperature, lighting, and all the other parameters of water. If any of these parameters are in excess or deficit, Flowerpot Coral will change color and will face death in no time.
Another important part of caregiving is spot-feeding Flowerpot Coral. Unlike its natural habitat, Flowerpot Coral doesn’t get access to proper feeding in aquariums. Therefore you need to ensure that the Coral is well fed and blooming properly.
Whenever we are talking about taking care of Flowerpot Coral it is important to keep in mind that we need to replicate the natural habitat of the coral in the aquarium.
We know it is not possible to introduce all the natural factors but we should at least try to introduce proper nutrient factors. In this post, we will get to know all the parameters and their ranges.
Important Factors for Taking Care of Flowerpot Coral
1. Placement
Placement of Flowerpot Coral is a very important part of Survival for the coral. Especially if the placement is done in an already established aquarium. In such aquariums existing living organisms have taken over places that are suitable for them. Therefore you will need to take a proper look and find a place that makes the adaptation process for Flowerpot Coral easier.
For surviving and growing healthily Flowerpot Coral needs a place where it can expand its polyps to collect plankton to leave from all directions. Also, it must have access to proper lighting and moderate water flow.
If you consider the factor of polyp expansion, accessibility to light, and the water flow, then the best place to place Flowerpot Coral is in the middle range of the aquarium. During this placement, another important factor is the species of Coral near it. In the following, you get a clear idea about the compatible partners of Flowerpot Coral.
2. Water Parameter
To keep Flowerpot Coral healthy and well balanced it is necessary to balance between parameters in the water. These parameters not only decide how the nutrients are to be balanced in the Coral but also they decide the access to the required nutrients.
It is the mass to balance the parameters of the water
Hardness
The most important factor in Flowerpot Coral care is the parameters of different factors in the water. The water hardness should be in the range of 8 to 12 dKH. Which is considered as the mid-range for hardness.
pH Balance
While measuring the pH level keep in mind that Flowerpot Coral is a sea creature. It needs more alkaline water than acidic water. Thus the ideal range of pH is 8.1 to 8.4. If the level of pH is less than 8 then the color of the Coral will start to change and give a darker shade. It will also disrupt the nutrition processing of the coral.
Temperature
Once the pH level of water is balanced it is time for balancing the temperature. Being a Mediterranean creature, Flowerpot Coral prefers to have a moderate temperature. The ideal range of temperature is 73 degrees Fahrenheit to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the temperature is less than 72 degrees Fahrenheit the coral slows down any of the biological processes. And in case of higher temperatures, the Coral might get cooked.
If you see any reason the temperature is more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit, cool down the water temperature as soon as possible. For this, you can do a partial change of water and introduce a new filter of cold water into the aquarium. Also if the aquarium is directly under sunlight then replace the aquarium in a Shady place for a few hours.
Mineral
Among the minerals, calcium is a major mineral that Flowerpot Coral requires. The physical formation of Flowerpot Coral depends on the presence of calcium concentration. The Coral needs 400 to 450 ppm of calcium in the water.
In case the level of calcium is very low in the water at the beginning, then do not introduce 400 or 450 ppm at a time. Introduce 80 ppm of calcium at a time and then at 5 ppm of calcium on alternative days. Continue the adding process until you reach the required level.
Minerals like Iodine, Phosphorus are necessary for Flowerpot Coral. While adding them to the aquarium make sure the salinity of the water is balanced. The salinity should be 35 grams per liter.
3. Lighting
Along with spot feeding, Flowerpot Coral produces energy through photosynthesis. An important element of photosynthesis is the presence of Sunlight. Therefore for Flowerpot Coral, it is mandatory to have a moderate to high presence of Sunlight.
The ideal range of lighting for Flowerpot Coral is 80 to 120 PAR. If you are planning to place new coral then do not put it 120 PAR directly. At first, put it in a low to moderate lighting system and then gradually increase the PAR. This gradual increase in the lighting system makes the new Flowerpot Coral more adaptable to the new environment.
Even though Flowerpot Coral needs moderate lighting and it can survive in a high level of lighting it should not be put under direct sunlight or heavy lighting all the time. Heavy lighting will bleach the color of the coral. This is known as Coral bleaching. On the other hand, low lighting will slow the process of photosynthesis, and due to the lack of energy, the color of Flowerpot Coral will turn to Brown.
Therefore keep in mind that both heavy lighting and low lighting are harmful to Flowerpot Coral. To maintain the balance of lighting, keep a PAR meter with you.
If you have introduced artificial lighting then, do not provide light for more than 16 hours and less than 8 hours a day. It will give Flowerpot Coral time for photosynthesis and the resting period for using its nutrients. Thus it is necessary to balance the darkness and the lighting within 24 hours.
4. Flow of Water
The beauty of any Coral with polyps and tentacles enhances when they get a flowy look. This means the coral will flow with water and create a rhythmic movement. The key factor in this flowy movement of the Coral polyps and tentacles is the flow of water.
The flow of water not only in hands is the beauty of Flowerpot Coral, but it also makes sure that the polyps move around and catch plankton from the water. This ensures that Coral has proper access to the food supply. Thus the Coral stays healthy.
Even though the flow of water is a necessary factor for the health and look of Flowerpot Coral it doesn’t mean you need to provide aggressive ways in the water. The most preferable term to describe the flow of water that your Flowerpot Coral needs is the gentle breeze in the aquarium.
If you are using any wavemaker in your aquarium, set it to a moderate level. It should be enough for the polyps to get rays from the bed and flow in water. But it should not be so harsh that the tissue of the polish gets harmed.
Harsh Waterflow can even damage the root of the polyps in the skeleton of the Flowerpot Coral. While setting the water flow, put your hand in the aquarium or put a thread attached to a stick in the aquarium before placing the Flowerpot Coral.
Your hand should feel a gentle Breeze and if you are placing a thread the be should be enough to give the straight a flowing movement. Then it is ideal for placing Flowerpot Coral.
5. Companion
As we have discussed earlier Flowerpot Coral is a very aggressive animal. They tend to use their tentacles to attack nearby species of corals. In this attacking process, they don’t only harm the other coral but get attacked.
Corals like Hammer Coral, Torch Coral, or Frogspawn Coral are the worst companion possible. They are also aggressive in nature and use their tentacles to attack Flowerpot Coral nearby. Therefore it is very necessary that you do not put any of these species of Coral near Flowerpot Coral.
Along with this species of Coral, you also need to be aware of other fishes and aquatic animals. Fishes or other aquatic animals that tend to nibble the polyps of the coral end up harming the tissue of the coral. It is necessary to do a proper check on an aquatic animal before placing it with any sort of Coral.
If you place a new Flowerpot Coral into the colony of Flowerpot Coral it becomes easier for it to get adapted to the new situation. Even though they attach other corals, they like their own genre.
6. Feeding of Flowerpot Coral
Spot feeding is the most necessary state of caregiving to Flowerpot Coral. As we already know that Flowerpot Coral receives energy from photosynthesis, but it is also a meat feeder. This means Flowerpot Coral is an omnivorous animal.
Photosynthesis Flowerpot Coral is dependent on algae and for meat-based food in aquariums, it is dependent on spot feeding. When they are in their natural habitat they feed on different zooplankton. But in an aquarium, it is not possible. For this reason, most of the time the coral and the survival rate get lower.
The best food you can provide for spot feeding is introducing amino acids, phytoplankton, and zooplankton into the aquarium. You can find them in liquid and flaky forms. Depending on your priority and necessity choose a proper brand. You can also take help from aquatic experts to learn more about these feeding techniques.
What Is Flowerpot Coral
Flowerpot Coral is also known as Goniopora Srokesi. Whenever you hear the name Flowerpot Coral you get a picture of a delicate coral in your head.
But in reality, the picture is quite the opposite of delicacy. Flowerpot Coral is quite aggressive in nature. They have elongated polyps like the sweeper tentacles of other corals. With these sweeper polyps, they can harm corals nearby. Sometimes the tissue of the affected Coral gets damaged beyond repair.
Like other Reef-building corals, Flowerpot Coral also contains algae known as zooxanthellae in their tissue. All these algae perform photosynthesis and create energy for nutrition.
Also with their elongated polyps, they can grab plankton to feed on them. This way they balance their nutrition even if there is a deficiency of Sunlight for photosynthesis.
An interesting fact about Flowerpot Coral is their male and female coral colonies. From those colonies, they release eggs and sperm into the water for fertilizing externally. After fertilizing a larva will form which will float in the water and gradually settle down. From there it will form new colonies.
Flowerpot Coral is a bit more exceptional than other existing corals that people usually put in the aquarium. The care for the Flowerpot Coral is different from other general corals that people introduce in the aquarium.
FAQs
Are Flowerpot Corals Easy?
The Flowerpot coral is very difficult and takes substantially more consideration than your typical LPS. Assuming that you are past the principal year with your vase you have beaten one of the most troublesome considerations of practically all photosynthetic corals in the leisure activity.
Does Goniopora Coral Sting?
The red Goniopora is an exceptionally forceful coral and mind ought to be taken with its situation in the tank. We had an opportunity to see Hwee’ Goniopora showing its sweeper limbs supercharged with nematocysts, prepared to sting and take on any coral that barges in its space.
Is Goniopora An LPS?
Goniopora is perhaps the most baffling of all Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals. On one hand, Goniopora is the absolute most strongly shaded coral on the reef. They are ordinarily alluded to as window box corals for the presence of their limbs that look like a rose bouquet.
How Fast Does Flowerpot Coral Grow?
When the tissue arrives at the fitting or rock encrusting development can be basically as fast as 1 mm a month. The subsequent stage in Flowerpot Coral spread (and for all corals so far as that is concerned) is sexual multiplication in imprisonment.
What Is The Difference Between Alveopora And Goniopora?
Where they contrast is the number of arms on every polyp. Alveopora has 12 arms on every polyp while Goniopora has 24. That is the fastest and most straightforward method for separating the two.
Final Words
Hopefully, in this post, we have been able to introduce some basic necessities for Flowerpot Coral care. No matter which Coral you are introducing in your aquarium try to adjust the environment of the aquarium l likewise. To save your efforts it is wise to place similar categories of Coral and aquatic animals together.
Flowerpot Coral is a beautiful creature. If you want to keep then feed it properly planktons and provide the necessary elements in the aquarium.
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