Previous studies have shown that culturing corals under controlled blue light can increase calcification rate and stimulate the production of pigments while reducing the photosynthetic capacity of the corals' symbiotic algae. Additionally, feeding coral can accelerate growth and enhance their resistance to environmental changes. However, most studies have left their combined effects on coral physiology largely unexplored. Here we investigate the effects of two blue light intensities and two feeding concentrations on coral growth rates and color expression during cultivation. We cultured Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora damicornis under different blue light intensities and fed varying concentrations of enriched brine shrimp (Artemia) twice a week. Both species maintained high survival (100%) and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/ Fm > 0.6). S. pistillata exhibited the highest growth under high-light and high-feeding conditions, while P. damicornis showed no significant growth differences among treatments. However, both species displayed reduced color scores under high-light conditions, as indicated by elevated red-green-blue values. Together, these findings highlight coral species-specific responses to blue light intensity with feeding interactions and demonstrate that manipulating environmental regimes can optimize coral cultivation. This approach supports high-density ex-situ cultivation, advancing both reef restoration and production of corals for ornamental aquariums.
Zhang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.