Aquarium Corals
Corals make the wild reefs, both figuratively and literally. Both hard and soft corals decorate the reef beautifully making it what it is to the eye. At the same time, corals are the reef builders, taking centuries to achieve what can be seen today.
Anyone snorkeling over a wild reef could wonder how such a creation could ever be mimicked in an aquarium; it is so large and varied. Yet there are many aquariums that do just that and their owners are justifiably very proud of them.
The captive reef aquarium does not have the diversity of life that occurs on a wild reef, but it does have sufficient life to make it ‘natural’ and interesting. Modern aquarists try to use natural methods and materials for filtration and decoration and this is usually the most apparent in a reef aquarium. How those marine aquarists of yesteryear would have stood amazed!
The captive reef aquarium represents the pinnacle of achievement for most marine aquarists. It needs considerable care in setting up and care in ongoing maintenance. The aquarist must pay attention to the corals needs very carefully or it is likely they will fail.
There are different types of marine aquarium and the reef aquarium is one of these types. The reef aquarium itself can be divided into three types and the aquarist chooses that which he or she finds the most attractive and interesting. Whichever type is chosen, the requirement for care and attention remains.
One reef aquarium type is said to be easier to keep than another. In some respects this is true. However, a trap awaits the unwary; the so called easier type could have corals introduced that are very difficult to keep for any length of time, even for aquarists who are very experienced. Whatever type of reef aquarium the aquarist intends to keep, the intended livestock characteristics should be understood.
There are specific needs for the different reef aquarium types which the aquarist should be aware of. The corals of whatever type have become accustomed to particular conditions in the wild and to remain healthy these conditions need to be reasonably replicated in the aquarium. ‘Reasonably’ means that absolute accuracy is not required, the corals have tolerance boundaries dependant on species, but the aquarist must reproduce good conditions.
Seawater quality is the number one requirement particularly for a reef aquarium. The aquarist should be fully aware of what ‘seawater quality’ relative to reef aquariums actually means. What are the tolerances previously spoken of? How are they checked and measured? What is needed for these checks? How often should these checks be made?
As a reef aquarium is being kept are there any particular points about seawater quality that require special attention? Corals are being kept and this does have an impact on some aspects of seawater. As already mentioned there are different types of reef aquarium and the points that need monitoring are affected to an extent by this. Corals demand particular constituents of seawater and in the confines of an aquarium these can be exhausted. It is therefore important to know what the situation is and keep things favourable for the corals. There are guidelines on how this can be done and the methods for doing it.
Anyone who has snorkeled on a wild reef will know of seawater movement. Some corals sway around in it, others don’t. Is it important or not? It has already been said that good conditions are required and this includes seawater movement. So does the seawater movement present on the wild reef have to be duplicated? What is the strength of movement required? What type of movement is needed? How is seawater movement generated and are there different methods of doing so? Do all corals need the same movement or not? There are guidelines for seawater movement in a reef aquarium.
In a garden the plants need light to grow and be healthy. This is provided by the sun. The sun also shines on the wild tropical reefs and is very important, not so much to fish but to the corals. Most commonly kept corals require light and they need a particular kind of light or they will not thrive. Light is a complex subject but the aquarist does not need to delve deep into science, but does need to know the basic needs of the corals. There are various ways of providing light to corals and this depends to a considerable extent on the type of reef aquarium being kept. It also depends on the size of aquarium which could seem strange but nevertheless is important. The sun cannot be reproduced over the aquarium but there are aspects to sunlight which can be utilized to advantage. How is this done? What methods are available to achieve acceptable coral lighting? How can the aquarist be sure that the lighting being provided is acceptable? How can the aquarist be sure that the light is reaching the corals in sufficient strength? Can aquarists ignore the whole colour output of the sun and, if so, why? Are there any indications that lighting is insufficient, indications given by the corals themselves? Once set up and switched on, are lights effective for ever, or do they need changing? If they do need changing, at what periods should this be done? If changing is required, why is this?
The aquarist usually wishes to keep fish in a reef aquarium, though this is not always the case. Most aquarists like fish to be present as it adds movement and makes the captive reef seem more natural. However, the aquarist needs to be wary if fish are added. Fish add the greatest load to the filtration system and if the load is too great, that is there are too many fish, the seawater quality will suffer. In turn this will mean that the corals are not in the best environment and they could suffer as well. The aquarium as a whole will not be at its best. Therefore fish numbers have to be limited and there are guidelines for stocking reef aquariums.
Another reason that aquarists need to show caution with fish is that, on the wild reef, something is present that will eat something else. As an example, the aquarist will not wish to introduce fish that will eat corals!
The requirements of a reef aquarium can be very confusing. It could seem that setting one up and its ongoing maintenance are complex and only for very experienced well-heeled aquarists. The truth of the matter is that setting up an adequate reef system is straightforward and will cost money, but properly planned without wastage this is not as unattainable as it could seem. What is required is a plan, a methodical way forward. The aquarist needs to know the answer to many questions, and the basic reason why a particular answer is given. A successful captive living reef can be achieved.
If you are interested in purchasing fish then we recommend either using your local fish shop or on online aquarium store like Live Aquaria or That Fish Place.