''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 tentacles 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 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 and iron 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 and iron.

Fragging

Fragmentation (reproduction) ''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 ''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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' Veron, 1990 * ''

Goniopora ciliatus ''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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' (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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' (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 t ...

'' 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 t ...

'' Veron & Pichon, 1982 * '' Goniopora pearsoni'' Veron, 2002 * '' Goniopora pedunculata'' Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 * ''

Goniopora pendulus ''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 t ...

'' Veron, 1985 * '' Goniopora petiolata'' Nemenzo, 1955 * '' Goniopora planulata'' (Ehrenberg) * ''

Goniopora polyformis ''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 t ...

'' Zou, 1980 * '' Goniopora savignyi'' (Dana) * ''

Goniopora somaliensis ''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 t ...

'' Vaughan, 1907 * '' Goniopora stokesi'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 * ''

Goniopora sultani ''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 t ...

'' Veron, DeVantier & Turak, 2002 * ''

Goniopora tantillus ''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 t ...

'' (Claereboudt & Al Amri, 2004) * ''

Goniopora tenella ''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 t ...

'' (Quelch) * ''

Goniopora tenuidens ''Goniopora tenuidens'' is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Poritidae. It occurs in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being ...

'' Quelch

References

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