Alveopora spp. Tubular polyps with twelve tentacles per polyp. Massive or branching colonies. Skeletal structural is overall light, made of interconnecting rods and spines. Corallites made up of lattice-like walls and septa, making up a "columellae tangle" (after Veron 2000). 

help with Alveopora /RMF    4/18/11
greetings crew of WWM. Kudos for your amazing site and copious help. I'm hoping this questions isn't redundant as that I have not found the answer in your archives.
<Me too>
I have a Alveopora (Daisy coral) that had been doing quite well until a few days ago. I noticed that over the last 72 hours it has failed to fully open (the colony consists of 2 bulbs, with the rear bulb appearing less afflicted), and one portion seems to show receding tissue and dead 'honeycomb' cells. I didn't notice the dead tissue until later in the day, leading me to believe that it was not there in the morning, but presented itself around 3pm. By 6pm I have noticed little to no change.
About the tank: I have a very full 55 gallon with a 30 gallon sump (3 chambers) running a Coralife protein skimmer (which has been off for the last 48 hours due to foaming in reaction to some putty application for coral movement).
<Turn this back on>
I have 3 power heads running, all a medium flow, 2 of which are set to 10 second pulses from a wave box. Lighting consists of 6 54 watt T5HO's, 3 10,000k Daylight and 3 Actinic Blue (48" Nova Extreme Pro fixture). Also, retrofit with 4 LED moonlights, 2 white and 2 blue.
Conditions: PH 8.1, Alkalinity 3.5mEq/L, Nitrate ~10, Nitrite under .2,
<... has to be zero. Zero. Trouble here>
Ammonia 0, Calcium 500ppm,
<Too high... and Mg conc.?>
and Salinity 1.025
Alveopora is in the lower front center of the tank, above an open brain and to the right of pulsing xenia. All other fish and corals appear healthy and happy, including a Red Goniopora (former in tank for 4 months; latter in tank for 6)
<... and this Poritid may well be mal-affecting it>
I sure hope you can help!
Best,
Eric
<See WWM re NO2, Cnidarian allelopathy. Bob Fenner>
Help With Alveopora/Poritidae Health 4/19/2011  /James
Greetings crew of WWM. Kudos for your amazing site and copious help.
<Hello Eric, and you're welcome.>
I'm hoping this questions isn't redundant as that I have not found the answer in your archives.
I have a Alveopora (Daisy coral) that had been doing quite well until a few days ago. I noticed that over the last 72 hours it has failed to fully open (the colony consists of 2 bulbs, with the rear bulb appearing less afflicted), and one portion seems to show receding tissue and dead 'honeycomb' cells. I didn't notice the dead tissue until later in the day, leading me to believe that it was not there in the morning, but presented itself around 3pm. By 6pm I have noticed little to no change.
About the tank: I have a very full 55 gallon with a 30 gallon sump (3 chambers) running a Coralife protein skimmer (which has been off for the last 48 hours due to foaming in reaction to some putty application for coral movement).
I have 3 power heads running, all a medium flow, 2 of which are set to 10 second pulses from a wave box. Lighting consists of 6 54 watt T5HO's, 3 10,000k Daylight and 3 Actinic Blue (48" Nova Extreme Pro fixture). Also, retrofit with 4 LED moonlights, 2 white and 2 blue.
Conditions: PH 8.1, Alkalinity 3.5mEq/L, Nitrate ~10, Nitrite under .2, Ammonia 0, Calcium 500ppm,
<A little high.>
and Salinity 1.025
<How about magnesium, just as important as calcium.>
Alveopora is in the lower front center of the tank, above an open brain and to the right of pulsing xenia. All other fish and corals appear healthy and happy, including a Red Goniopora (former in tank for 4 months; latter in tank for 6)
I sure hope you can help!
<Alveopora catalai colonies tend to waste away slowly in captivity, much like the related Goniopora corals and are not likely to survive in most home aquariums.
Low water flow and low to medium lighting with a higher nutrient load seems to work best for these corals. Daily feedings of phytoplankton are recommended and live phyto such as DT's is preferred over prepared formulas.>
Best,
<Ditto. James (Salty Dog)>
Eric

Coral ID 06/29/09 Hello! I started marine reef keeping back in December of last year and your site has helped avert a few disasters and relieve chronic curiosity! Thanks for your hard work. I have a hitchhiking coral on my Blue Star Polyp frag I was hoping to get an ID on. I've posted the photos on a number of boards already and the best suggestions coming back seem to be Alveopora sp. but I'm not convinced. Your opinions would be much appreciated. <I also think it's Alveopora sp.> In the attached photo, it is the whitish disk shaped polyps I was hoping to have identified. When I first got this frag they were quite small and I thought they were clove polyps that hadn't opened up. This is of course not how clove polyps grow and after a month and a half these disks have grown as large as the biggest clove polyp and more seem to be coming up underneath them. The polyp stalk is thin and the entire polyp retracts into the rockwork at night or if disturbed. The really attractive thing about them, I think, are the creases on polyp face which divide it up into 12 segments. I am told these 12 segments are characteristic of Alveopora but I have not been able to find photos of Alveopora that match my specimen. <Check this one out: http://www.asira.org/alveopora.jpg/ (photo taken by Gene Schwartz) To me, looks just like yours. What do you think?> Any info you could provide would be great and let me start researching the requirements of this little fellow. All the best, Mark <Cheers, Sara M.>

Re: Coral ID 09/29/09 Yeah that is looking right. Apparently the requirements are quite difficult to meet but I will try my best with it. Thank you very much for your help! <Yes, they tend to be... but if this is a hitchhiker, I would take that as a sign that it's a little hardier than usual.> Mark <Best, Sara M.>