''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial

stony coral Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a ...

found in

lagoons A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

and

turbid Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging

tentacles In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

which surrounds a mouth.

Distribution

Species of ''Goniopora'' can be found in the Persian Sea areas, the Indian Ocean, and various tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Various species live as far north as Hong Kong (where they are the dominant colonial non-reef-building coral) and southern Japan. Goniopera were present in the Caribbean during the ''Miocene Epoch'', although they have since gone locally extinct there.

Care

''Goniopora'' is a sensitive coral that when probed can sensitise and contract . Goniopora are a very difficult coral to keep alive and are not recommended for a novice

reef aquarium A reef aquarium or reef tank is a marine aquarium that prominently displays live corals and other marine invertebrates as well as fish that play a role in maintaining the tropical coral reef environment. A reef aquarium requires appropriately ...

hobbyist. The short, greenish-colored species are less sturdy and durable than the pink or purple species. Many precautions must be taken to raise ''Goniopora''. First, they require moderate to high lighting, depending on species. They must also have some water movement so their polyps can move freely. However, it should not be directed right at the polyps or the movement might be too vigorous. The water temperature must remain between . There must be adequate amounts of

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

and

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

in the tank to help

skeletal A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

development. Placement in the tank is also crucial. They must be well positioned on a sturdy rock to avoid damaging falls. When placing ''Goniopora'' they must have enough room to grow and move their tentacles. ''Goniopora'' should be monitored for shriveling after being moved to a new tank to make sure they are getting enough sunlight.

Feeding

''Goniopora'' are avid feeders susceptible to death from nutritional deficiencies. There are many different ways to feed ''Goniopora''. For example, they can be directly fed with a syringe (avoiding a hard, straight flow into the polyps or that triggers them to close up) or food can be sprinkled on the top of the tank and let to reach the ''Goniopora'' on its own. However, direct feeding seems to work best. Alternately, plankton can be placed in the tank with all

filtration Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...

systems off so the food does not get swept away. The filters should be turned back on after one to two hours to keep the tank clean and livable for all of the creatures. ''Goniopora'' need foods high in

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...

and

Fragging

Fragmentation (reproduction) Fragmentation in multicellular or colonial organisms is a form of asexual reproduction or cloning, where an organism is split into fragments. Each of these fragments develops into mature, fully grown individuals that are clones of the original org ...

''Goniopora'' grow daughter cells in a type of

asexual reproduction Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the fu ...

called fragging. The mother corals have wounds from the daughter corals that usually heal up in about two weeks. The daughter corals grow about 1 millimeter a month. Some scientists suggest that the daughter ''Goniopora'' live inside cells of the mother coral before breaking out and growing on their own

Issues

There are many issues that go along with keeping ''Goniopora''. The first one is that it is very hard to locate and buy, especially the red species. ''Goniopora'' may grow in murky or clear water depending on the species. Because different species have such different requirements, it adds to the challenge of keeping them alive.

Species

This genus contains the following species: * '' Goniopora albiconus'' Veron, 2002 * '' Goniopora burgosi'' Nemenzo, 1955 * '' Goniopora calicularis'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''

Goniopora cellulosa ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Veron, 1990 * '' Goniopora ciliatus'' Veron, 2002 * '' Goniopora columna'' Dana, 1846 * ''

Goniopora diminuta ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' (Veron, 2000) * ''

Goniopora djiboutiensis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Vaughan, 1907 * ''

Goniopora eclipsensis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Veron & Pichon, 1982 * ''

Goniopora fruticosa ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Saville-Kent, 1891 * ''

Goniopora granulosa ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Pillai & Scheer, 1976 * ''

Goniopora lobata ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Milne Edwards & Haime * ''

Goniopora norfolkensis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Veron & Pichon, 1982 * ''

Goniopora paliformis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' (Veron, 2000) * ''

Goniopora palmensis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Veron & Pichon, 1982 * ''

Goniopora pandoraensis ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' Veron & Pichon, 1982 * ''

Goniopora pearsoni ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial Scleractinia, stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 ...

'' Veron, 2002 * '' Goniopora pedunculata'' Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 * '' Goniopora pendulus'' Veron, 1985 * '' Goniopora petiolata'' Nemenzo, 1955 * ''

Goniopora planulata ''Goniopora'', often called flowerpot coral, is a genus of colonial stony coral found in lagoons and turbid water conditions. ''Goniopora'' have numerous daisy-like polyps that extend outward from the base, each tipped with 24 stinging tent ...

'' (Ehrenberg) * '' Goniopora polyformis'' Zou, 1980 * '' Goniopora savignyi'' (Dana) * '' Goniopora somaliensis'' Vaughan, 1907 * '' Goniopora stokesi'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 * '' Goniopora sultani'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2002 * '' Goniopora tantillus'' (Claereboudt & Al Amri, 2004) * '' Goniopora tenella'' (Quelch) * '' Goniopora tenuidens'' Quelch

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3007986 Poritidae Cnidarian genera Taxa named by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville