Coral
ECC Time Warp Goniopora
Goniopora sp.PoritidaeFlowerpot corals
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The ECC Time Warp Goniopora is a standout LPS coral whose flower-like polyps feature glowing red and orange tentacles with neon yellow and green centers, creating a high-energy appearance under reef lighting. Best placed on rockwork with room to extend, it is a slow but steady grower that thrives with consistent care, stable conditions, medium light (150-250 PAR), and moderate flow; it is semi-aggressive and requires space from neighboring corals.
Quick facts
Identity
- Also known as
- Flowerpot Coral; Daisy Coral; Ball Coral; Sunflower Coral
- Synonyms
- Bernardpora stutchburyi (some "micro goniopora" trade forms)
- Environment
- Saltwater
- Native to
- Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef
- Habitat
- Lagoon patch reefs and reef flats, usually rooted in sand or rubble in areas with steady, gentle current and moderate light
- Sourcing
- Both
- Conservation
- Not Evaluated
Care
- Care level
- Difficult
- Coral type
- LPS
- Temperament
- Semi-Aggressive
- Growth form
- Massive
- Adult size
- 2 – 8 in (5.1 – 20 cm)
- Spread
- 12 in (30 cm)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Low, Sand bed
Water
- Temperature
- 75 – 81 °F (24 – 27 °C)
- pH
- 8.1 – 8.4
- dKH
- 8 – 12 dKH
- Salinity
- 1.023 – 1.026 SG
- PAR
- 75 – 150 PAR
- Flow
- Low-Moderate
- Light
- Medium
Reef care
- Nutrient preference
- Medium
- Alk/Ca uptake
- Medium
- Target feeding
- Required
- Give it room
- 6 in (15 cm)
- Colors
- Green, Red, Orange, Pink, Purple, Yellow, Brown, Multicolor
Feeding & breeding
- Diet
- Photosynthetic
- Foods
- Coral food, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Frozen
- Propagation
- Fragging
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Care guide
Overview
Flower-like polyps extend with glowing red and orange tentacles centered in neon yellow and green, most visible under reef lighting once fully open. Growth is slow and steady on rockwork given room to expand. It needs medium light around 150-250 PAR, moderate flow, stable parameters, and clearance from neighboring corals due to its semi-aggressive nature.
Care
Goniopora carries a reputation for wasting away in captivity, a problem seen mostly in wild-collected colonies rather than aquacultured frags, which have a much better track record of long-term survival. Success depends on very stable calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium, along with measurable but modest nitrate and phosphate rather than an ultra-low nutrient system. Give it moderate, indirect flow so the polyps sway rather than thrash, and moderate light in the 75-150 PAR range, acclimating slowly since both bleaching and browning out are signs of the wrong intensity. Choose a captive-propagated colony whenever possible and be prepared to watch it closely for the first few months in a new tank.
Placement & acclimation
Acclimate light slowly over several weeks when introducing a new frag, starting in the lower half of the tank and moving it upward gradually if more light is desired. Mount on stable rockwork or set directly on a sand bed in the lower to middle part of the tank, leaving ample clearance on all sides for polyp expansion.
Feeding
Although it carries zooxanthellae and gets some energy from light, Goniopora is a more demanding feeder than most LPS and tends to decline without supplemental nutrition. Target feed fine planktonic foods such as phytoplankton, rotifers, or fine coral preparations several times a week, ideally with flow paused briefly afterward so the polyps have time to capture the particles. Broadcast feeding fine foods into the tank at night also works well since the polyps stay extended and can catch drifting particles passively.
Neighbors
Its extended tentacles reach well past the skeleton and can sting close neighbors, so give it generous open space even though it is not considered a strongly aggressive coral. It lacks the long sweeper tentacles seen in Euphyllia and is generally regarded as one of the calmer LPS in terms of neighbor interaction. Avoid placing small polyp stony corals nearby since their tissue is easily irritated by contact with Goniopora's fleshy polyps.
Fragging
Colonies are fragged by cutting the calcareous skeleton with a diamond band saw or similar wet-cutting tool, then dipping the cut piece in an iodine-based solution and a stress-reducing coral dip before returning it to stable water. Frags are best allowed to heal in low-flow, dim conditions for several days before being moved to their permanent display spot.
Pests & problems
Polyps that stay retracted into the skeleton for extended periods signal stress, often from unstable parameters, insufficient feeding, or trace element deficiencies such as manganese or iodine. An iodine dip followed by a few days of stability can help a struggling colony recover before tissue loss becomes irreversible. Watch for recession at the base of the skeleton, tissue that fails to reinflate at night, or algae growth on bare skeleton, all of which point to a colony in decline.
Sources
Varieties in the catalog
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In the community
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