Why does coral die when you put it in fresh water?

Answer by  malone (4817)

Coral lives and grows in salt water, where it uses the minerals found in salt water. Fresh water creates an entirely new environment, without the necessary minerals, and the coral cannot survive.

Answer by  rbiales (3441)

Fresh water life forms should live in fresh water. Salt water forms should live in salt water. If you put one type in the other environment they cannot live because they were designed for the other.

Answer by  Hoardy (454)

It dies for the same reason salt water fish won't survive when you put it in fresh water. That is not their environment and simply can't be forced on them.

Answer by  river (1226)

Because fresh water doesn't have the same amount of minerals that salt water has. It needs a high saline count.

Answer by  Betty46 (60)

Because coral is a saltwater organism. Just like a saltwater fish would die if you put it into a freshwater tank. It's not the environment they're used to.

Answer by  Melissa76 (282)

They must have the salt to stay alive, they breath the saltwater, they have to have the nutrients, for it is imperative.

Answer by  SunnyStars (836)

Saltwater coral can only survive in Salt Water. Coral are highly sensitive to any water quality fluctuations. They will die if the temperature or salinity changes too much or too rapidly. Coral can't live out of their native saltwater parameters that they've evolved to live in. If you expose a coral to fresh water or oxygen it will die.