In situ transplantation of soft coral Sarcophyton sp in concrete pool

Abstract

Coral habitats; however, this is not easy. Strong currents, temperature fluctuations, competition with other organisms, predators, and food availability are problems in coral transplantation. The obstacles are eliminated by transplanting coral under controlled environmental conditions. This study was aimed to determine the growth of transplanted soft corals Sarcophyton sp in a concrete pool. The increase in length, width, and area of coral fragments only occurs at certain times. The growth rate of length, width, and soft corals fluctuates every week and tends to decline. The growth rate reached the highest at week-6, 0.388 cm for the coral without additional feeding and 0.744 cm for corals with supplementary feed. However, after that, the rate of growth fluctuated again. Despite the decline in development, all soft corals transplanted had a 100% survival rate until the end of life care. In addition, all the soft corals were in healthy condition.