When monitoring elkhorn coral it is often very difficult to differentiate between coral bleaching, white diseases and coral predation by snails .

Algae begins overgrowing the coral after prolonged bleaching events and after disease has killed the living polyps. Active coral ailments are the easiest to diagnose because of the brilliance of the white corallite that is exposed.

1
New coral growth is indicated by the whitish clusters of polyps at the ends of the branches .

2 Active coral disease can be identified by the brilliant white exposed corallite that is void of living tissue.The brilliance fades as algae grows over the dead coral.

3
As time passes macro algae recruits to the dead area, blanketing the formation

4
The definitive edge between white (dead coral) and the mustard colored (living coral) is an indicator that often differentiates coral disease from coral bleaching.

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