Abstract Summary
The National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mexico is working on a reef restoration project where techniques are developed to optimize the production of coral colonies. In this year, the production of corals has been made by microfragmentation, technique developed by Dr. David Vaughan of the MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, in order to optimize the production of coral tissue. However, the application of new techniques implies new problems that have to be solved. In the microfragmentation process, the injury that is produced by the cut leaves exposed the coral skeleton making it susceptible to infections caused mainly by ciliates. These infections have been treated with a germicidal and fungicidal iodine solution, in concentrations and time already tested, obtaining favorable results in almost all cases. There are antibiotic-resistant ciliates, such as the ciliate Halofolliculina sp., which represented a potential problem during the March to May, 2018 causing significant losses in the production. To eradicate this ciliate, good practices in aquaculture were implemented, such as: to improve the input water quality in the systems, to supply minerals and vitamins for cultivate corals, and to install a temperature control. As a result of these actions, at the moment this ciliate is controlled (not eradicated) and work is being carried out to improve the facilities to prevent the entry of any pathogen that causes losses to the corals in cultivation.
