Eliminating coral-eating nudibranchs with potassium permanganate.

 

An Effective Solution

Further Research

     The project was successful in finding an effective solution to remove nudibranch infestations, but there is yet more research that could be done to build upon the conclusions from these tests.

     The tests examined several common species of Montipora corals, but there are dozens of other, less wide-spread species that may or may not have the same tolerances. This would require greater resources than were available for this project; many coral species are rare and difficult to acquire.

     It would be beneficial to vary both concentration and immersion time to minimize stress on the coral colonies being treated. This could be done by analyzing a very large number of samples subjected to varying test conditions. It is likely that some species of Montipora corals have different tolerances to the KMnO₄ solutions, so the ideal concentration and immersion time would vary. Alternatively, research could be done to determine an effective immersion time for a given species at a standard concentration, or vice versa.

     Another possible avenue of research would be application for other  genera of coral or for other pests, or both. A common pest in saltwater reef aquaria is flatworms which eat corals of the genus Acropora. This genus is the largest in the family Acroporidae, and is also widely kept in reef aquaria. Montipora is also included in this family, so it is possible that Acropora corals will have a similar resistance to the harmful effects of the KMnO₄ solutions. If the solutions are effective against the flatworms, they may be an effective treatment for this problem as well. Tests for this idea would include tests of a similar design to those performed on Montipora corals for this project, but would need to include a larger number of species; there are hundreds of species in Acropora and many of them are regularly kept in captivity.

    

An Acropora coral