Flower Pot Coral, Red (Goniopora sp.)

The Red Flower Pot Coral is a showy sculptural variety of Goniopora coral commonly known as the Daisy Coral, Ball Coral, or Sunflower Coral due to its lovely floral appearance when all of the polyps are opened. As its name implies, the Red Flower Pot Coral has elongated polyps that give it a full, bushy appearance. The Red Flower Pot Coral is sure to introduce fantastic visual interest full of beautiful color and architecture to your reef aquarium landscape.

Caring for the Red Flower Pot Coral is moderately difficult and as such, it is generally not recommended for the novice or beginning reef aquarist. The Red Flower Pot Coral should be housed in an established reef aquarium with high water quality. In the wild, Goniopora corals are often found in nutrient-rich shallows near the shore or in lagoons with turbid water conditions. To best replicate these conditions, the Red Flower Pot Coral requires moderate lighting conditions achieved by T-5 fluorescent, powerful LED, or more intense metal halide light fixtures combined with medium water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, the Red Flower Pot Coral will benefit from the addition of calcium, strontium, iodine, magnesium and trace elements to the water column.

The Red Flower Pot Coral has an aggressive temperament and will extend its sweeper tentacles at night well beyond its base, potentially stinging other species of corals and animals within reach. Therefore, it is important to leave ample space between the Red Flower Pot Coral and neighboring corals. In the home reef aquarium, Clownfish will often host within the polyps of the Flower Pot Coral if no anemone is present. Keep in mind that this relationship may not be beneficial for the Flower Pot Coral as over-eager clownfish may stress or inadvertently damage the coral.

The Red Flower Pot Coral satisfies much of its nutritional requirements by means of symbiotic photosynthetic zooxanthellae algae hosted within its body. However, it will benefit from regular supplemental feedings in the form of micro-plankton or foods designed for filter-feeding invertebrates.

Care details

• Temperature: 72 - 78° F
• dKH: 8 - 12
• Specific Gravity: 1.021-1.025
• Color: Assorted
• Family: Poritidae