How’s it going everyone?
Let’s talk today about Alveopora.
Alveopora is a large polyp stony coral that has a beautiful flower-like appearance.
In all my years of reef keeping, I have not come across very many of these corals and
I didn’t have any in my tanks.
I was thinking about why that was and it’s probably for two main reasons.
On one hand, Alveopora are not all that common to begin with.
They aren’t the most rare coral by any stretch, but it is far more common to see their close
relative Goniopora.
The second thing is like Goniopora flower pots, Alveopora don’t have the best reputation
for survival.
That reputation may have kept me from buying a few in the past.
That reputation may or may not be deserved, but we will talk about that some more in a
bit.
So far I’ve talked about Goniopora and Alveopora interchangeably.
Let’s cover what the differences between the two actually are.
Both corals have round stony skeletons from which a bouquet of stalks extend from.
Where they differ is the number of tentacles on each polyp.
Alveopora have 12 tentacles on each polyp while Goniopora have 24.
That is the quickest and easiest way to differentiate the two.
Second, Alveopora may be a hardier specimen than Goniopora.
Goniopora for ages have developed a poor track record for survival.
There are about 20 or so species of Goniopora and some are actually quite hardy, but for
years there are varieties frequently imported that did not fare well.
A typical pattern would be to get a nice fully fleshed out colony and it would seemingly
thrive for about 6 months.
After that period however it would take a sudden downturn and be dead within 48 hours.
Today, there are some very robust species of Goniopora available but the stigma has
stuck and even covers similar-looking corals such as Alveopora.
So far, one observation I’ve made with Alveopora is they seem to heal from propagation very
quickly.
Just a few days after we cut a colony, I can see that the cut edge is growing back.
Let’s now go over some care tips:
In terms of lighting, Alveopora seem to do well in a variety of intensities.
Some corals are very light demanding and can change color dramatically under different
intensities or different spectrums, but Alveopora tend to maintain a consistent appearance.
I would recommend finding a spot in the tank where the coral would receive a middle of
the road intensity of around 50-100 PAR.
There is much greater risk when providing too much light rather than too little, so
if you are going to miss the mark, go for less light.
As for water flow, I like to see Alveopora in medium to high flow.
Again this coral is tolerant to a wide range of flow conditions, but seeing a large colony
of Alveopora blowing in the current is a wonderful sight.
I wouldn’t even worry about putting it into high flow because the coral itself will make
it obvious if you’ve overdone it.
Alveopora is very reactive to anything bothering it for example, if you pick it up, all the
polyps will quickly retract.
If you have placed the colony in too much flow, just look at the coral.
If the polyps are out and swaying, it’s likely fine.
When it comes to feeding, I’m on the fence.
Alveopora would likely benefit from regular feedings but they may be a challenge to feed.
What we have done recently here is make a mix of several commercially available powdered
plankton foods and feed them all together to all of our corals.
Basically the shotgun approach to feeding.
Having said that, it’s important to not overfeed because the downside to a nutrient
explosion far outweighs the benefits of feeding, so don’t over-do it.
For finicky corals such as Alveopora, it can be difficult to see if they are actually consuming
the food or not.
I always look for this pogo-stick behavior where one of the polyps will quickly retract
and then slowly re-extend.
I’ve heard anecdotally that is a feeding response, but I am not sure.
I’ve seen similar behavior in Goniopora.
I’m hoping that it’s a feeding response and not a sign of the food aggravating them.
Lastly, water chemistry.
Like with any stony coral, you will want to make sure your calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium
levels are all where they should be.
Alveopora are not a super fast growing coral compared to birds nest or something, but for
a large polyp stony coral, they are pretty fast, so they rely on a steady uptake of these
major elements to keep growing.
So who is this coral for?
I see this coral going into a mixed reef or stony coral dominated tank that wants to recreate
the movement of soft corals but using stony corals.
Corals such as hammers, torches, and frogspawn as well as elegance corals all fit into this
aesthetic.
Alveopora complement these LPS corals well because they come in pastel colors that aren’t
often seen such as bright pink.
Alveopora are also on the challenging end of the spectrum, so having thriving colonies
of these guys is quite an accomplishment.
There is definitely a subset of reef keepers that are looking to take on a challenge.
Ok, that does it for this overview of Alveopora.
So what do you think?
Is this a type of coral you can envision in your next reef tank?
Post your thoughts below and until next time, happy reefing.