Coral reefs are fascinating places with a massive diversity of life. These reefs are the foundation of an aquarist’s interest, it is the reefs that supplies most of the livestock, and from which all of it originated.

Some aquarists maintain a mixed reef, probably the most prevalent of aquarium systems. There also those who wish to keep their captive reef so pristine with absolutely perfect corals, or perhaps very difficult to keep corals, that fish have no place in them at all – these are coral only systems. Others keep fish only aquariums with the advantage that fish can be kept which are not reef friendly, such as many butterfly fish which would be likely to make a meal of corals. Yet others keep seahorses that need to be on their own as they cannot compete with fish for available food. Some keep shrimps only, perhaps Mantis that are not welcome in a ‘standard’ system, or groups of cleaner shrimps and similar.

Whatever system is kept the aquarist usually has a general fascination with the wild reefs. Some are very fortunate and visit them, many snorkeling over them with the occasional short dive a few feet down. Others are trained divers using scuba equipment; they can get much deeper and see the reefs in more detail.

Even if not divers ourselves, we can take advantage of some scuba divers skills with photography. Scuba divers visit many reefs in many parts of the world and so there are records available of the varied reefs.

No matter what the aquarist’s interest is there are usually photographs available with fish, big or small, and corals of many types.

Try the link and tour a few of these reefs. There are wreck pictures too though these are not as interesting to aquarists. The link opens the Red Sea page. Click on a photo to enlarge it.

http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photored.html

It’s very easy to identify the basis of the marine hobby that is so fascinating to so many aquarists. The basis of course is the wild coral reef which, despite increasing coral propagation and fish breeding, is where the majority of our livestock comes from.

There’s a lot of doom and gloom about all sorts nowadays including the coral reefs, and also including just about every natural domain there is, especially the rainforests. An area the size of a football pitch disappears from the rainforests about every four seconds! Makes the brain start thinking, the rainforests are often called the lungs of the earth and have a very large diversity of life.

A ‘head in the sand’ stance may be comfortable for a time but is not going to change anything, the facts that prevail will still be there when the head emerges again. I’m a realist with an optimistic leaning and certainly not a pessimist. I like to know what is happening generally and in particular on the coral reefs.

I’ve stated before and I’ll state again that I believe that the marine hobby is able to assist Mother Nature by coral propagation and fish breeding and it’s great to know that this is increasing within the hobby, and commercial interests are hard at work and also increasing. The more that is propagated and bred the less is taken from the wild reefs.

I’ve provided a link to a website that gives the facts on the coral reefs. There are also some more facts, which could be surprising, about how high economic dependency is on the reefs and how many people depend on them as well. The link goes direct to the page where photographs are available, click on them to increase their size. On the left hand side is a list of website areas, the ‘Coral Reef Facts’ are there plus other areas.

The majority of marine aquarists are doing just what they should be doing; keeping their aquariums in tip top condition and providing a habitat that should ensure health and long life for the livestock. This in itself is of direct benefit to the wild reefs.

http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/photos.html

For the most part marine aquarists are interested in the wild coral reefs. These reefs offer a diversity of life that challenges, or perhaps exceeds, the rainforests.

Very many corals are now being propagated and fish, once thought impossible to breed are also being bred in increasing numbers of species. These actions are occurring with home aquarists and commercial organizations, a great benefit to aquarists and the wild reefs.

The problem that sometimes arises with reading material about the wild coral reefs that goes into any depth is that the material becomes entangled with science. Unless the reader is a scientist then interest is rapidly lost in the material. What is wanted is something beyond a hobby book that advises ‘how to’, though these are of course very important themselves (how many fish and corals are lost because the habitat when initially created was below standard?). The information should advise on what happens on a coral reef, habits and instincts, reproduction, in fact anything that is relevant to a layman, and all the better if the material permits the aquarist to choose the subject that is of interest and ignore any other.

There isn’t a requirement to be a scientist to achieve a successful reef or fish only aquarium, there is only a need to have a basic understanding of what is needed to properly support the life that is to be kept. Beyond this, each aquarist as an individual has more general interest or not.

Here’s a website that gives general information on wild coral reefs covering most of the areas that an aquarist could be interested in. It is written in a straightforward way and not bogged down scientifically, if I can put it that way.

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/coral/index.htm

There is little argument nowadays over whether or not there is any decline in the health of wild coral reefs. The discussion now seems to be more about the speed of decline. Some reefs remain relatively fine, but others are getting into a sorry state.

Scientists tell us about the acidification, or reduction in pH, of the seas and oceans caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They also advise of the slow increase in temperature. Both of these, in the long term at least, are going to cause trouble we are advised.

Imported into the US and Europe are huge numbers of marine fish and invertebrates destined for the marine hobby. They are distributed all over these areas for purchase by hobbyists. Does the import of this reef life accelerate the decline in the reefs? I cannot completely answer that question as I don’t have sufficient facts – but at a considered guess I would say ‘no’.

First of all what of collection from the reefs? Huge strides have been made over the last decade in the correction of unwanted collection practices. Once collectors realized that their future jobs were at stake and subject to there being something to collect, they listened. Though there are still problems that have not been cleared in some areas, collection of fish for example is by net and not cyanide. Holding facilities are much improved. Distribution methods – packaging mainly – has been much improved.

In addition to better collection methods, in the reef areas something is being done about the removal of corals. Collectors are now, though not in all areas, propagating them. They are sometimes laid out on vast undersea trays like seedlings in a gardening nursery. As they mature, they are sold on. Each one that matures is one less taken from the reef.

When the packaged livestock reaches its destination, usually wholesale shops and then retail ones, it is handled in a better way. Though there are some distributors and shops that are poor in their handling practices, most are fine. The packages are opened in dimmed or red light and the livestock permitted time to adjust. This is good, and after all it is in the wholesalers and retailers interest to operate good practices and protect the stock which represents their livelihood.

What of aquarists? Are we guilty of anything? There are those in the hobby who should not be called aquarists. They are a minority fortunately. These are the ones who find a fish dead and go and get another without thought as to why or how it died. Just replace it, doesn’t matter! Of course it does matter, whether it is a coral, a fish or whatever. Fortunately the majority of aquarists can rightly call themselves that. From keen novice to very advanced they care for the livestock properly and maintain a high quality environment for them. Is that enough though?

The first thing is that this hobby is for enjoyment, there isn’t any arguing with that, and there’s nothing wrong with it either. The majority of aquarists maintain their aquariums properly – perhaps I could even say respect their aquariums – and enjoy the hobby immensely. Looking at a good marine aquarium it isn’t difficult to see where the enjoyment comes from. The first requirement to protect the wild reef is to care for captive livestock well. Then more will not be needed to replace it, unless the fish or whatever has reached the end of its allotted time.

Many aquarists, once they have gained experience in successful aquarium husbandry, decide to have a go at propagating easy corals, or easy to start with anyway. This decision may be caused simply because a coral or more have become too large and need reducing in size. The parts removed can be grown into new corals and once the aquarist has taken the plunge it is surprising how easy it actually is. The common name for propagation in the hobby is ‘fragging’. This practice can only be good, as the produced new corals can be taken to the LFS or given to an aquarist friend. This means that the demand for corals has reduced by that much, little as it may be.

Other aquarists go into propagation in a bigger way, by having a shallow dedicated tank for the task. This has a higher impact of course and at the same time could be helping to meet the running cost of the aquarist’s aquarium.

Commercial propagation is becoming more known and with far more facilities this has a big impact on imports and thus the wild reef.

It is not only corals that are being propagated by aquarists and commercial interests, fish are also being bred. It wasn’t that long ago that it was thought that breeding marine fish would be nearly impossible. The belief was based on the simple fact that the fish come from a reef situated in the immensity of the sea or ocean. However, more and more fish are appearing that have never seen a wild reef.

There is another plus with this propagation and breeding. This is that the fish and corals that have only ever had an aquarium for a home appear tougher – more resilient – than their wild counterparts.

As expertise within the hobby and commercially increases, so will the availability of livestock from these sources. At the same time the demand on the wild reefs will reduce. There will always be a demand on the wild reefs as it is quite probable that not all livestock is amenable to commercial and home production. In addition, as more and more propagation and breeding occurs there will effectively be a ‘bank’ for the livestock involved, as the knowledge of ‘how to’ once gained will not be lost.

The advance in knowledge by home aquarists sometimes surprises scientists, and many scientists do not dismiss aquarists as ‘amateur fiddlers’ any more. For example there are many scientists – those qualified in the scientific discipline of marine study – who regularly write for hobby magazines. Another example is taken from the book ‘Aquarium Corals’ by Eric H. Borneman. It is the foreword, written by Dr. J. E. N. Veron, who writes… ‘Just as comets are now being discovered by amateur star-watches rather than by professional astronomers, aquarists are now moving into an area of knowledge that was once the exclusive domain of marine biologists’. Of course this doesn’t apply to all of us but nevertheless demonstrates that aquarists are being noticed, and quite rightly so. Aquarists have hands on experience of salt water life.

No-one is going to try and state that all is right within the hobby and the commercial marine world. It isn’t, there are idiots. The majority however are not, they are careful in the choice of livestock and in its maintenance.

I have a positive view of the position of the hobby in relation to the wild reef. We aquarists are not causing Mother Nature much trouble; we are, albeit indirectly, assisting her. As time passes, this assistance will increase. Livestock imports from the wild reefs need to be sensible and at the same time causes of destructive pollution tackled. The wild reefs are truly wondrous natural areas and deserve our respect.

Most when asked the question could make a rough guess, saying it’s one built by people or something along those lines. They may even say it’s one in an aquarium, which is correct of course, and perhaps this is the answer that many marine aquarists would give.

However the artificial reefs in mind here are those that are out in the wild. They’re man-made and, as far as able, mimic the wild reef.

The wild reef is anything from a quite small affair to the huge 1000 mile + length of the Australian barrier reef. Why should anyone wish to create an artificial reef at all, what’s the point? Nature has done a wonderful job over a very long period of time.

Creating a reef may be to enhance the wild fish etc populations in an area, and at the same time help boost tourism by giving scuba and snorkel enthusiasts something to look at. Some scuba people are qualified wreck divers and no doubt really appreciate an extra wreck or two. So there’s a ship available which is no longer economical to run or repair and is ready to be broken up. On several instances these ships, military or mercantile, have been obtained by conservation/tourism interests. They are very carefully prepared, having all oil removed plus any electrical cable or other items that could be detrimental to sea life. Once prepared they are towed to the required area and sunk.

It takes a while for life to appear on the wreck, though the period of time varies. Encrusting algae often takes a hold, and soft corals. Later, hard corals appear. It can be years before the coral population is widespread. Eventually the whole ship is covered in sea life of one type or another. This can be seen on World War 2 ships that were sunk in action in suitable areas – they’re totally covered and in many cases not recognizable as ships. Many ship parts have rotted away but the corals cover the rest and maybe even keep some together. One of the high priorities of fish is a safe sanctuary and a ship offers many hiding places from the word go – once corals are present its even better. So there are myriads of fish present of different varieties approaching the diversity of the natural reef and perhaps in time equaling it.

Another type of artificial reef is one created again for tourism/conservation but this time it is created out of rock. Some land based rock was once part of a coral reef and this rock can be transported for building the new reef. Other land based rock is suitable if it does not disintegrate in seawater and is porous so that the creatures of the reef, including bacteria, can find a home. This rock is taken out to sea and dumped until there is enough for the required reef design. Though I don’t have any figures, I would guess that this is a more expensive option than the sunken ship. Again the same process occurs, with algae and corals of various types finding a home and multiplying. The fish find sanctuary and food and make it their home.

The rock built artificial reef could be a commercial project. The new reef will produce collectable corals and fish given time, and as there wasn’t a reef there in the first place it permits a supply of livestock and at the same time reduces the pressure on nature’s own products. In addition, live rock, which is much favoured by aquarists for filtration and aquascaping, can be collected and exported. When the rock is removed it is replaced by rock which then goes through the cycle of becoming live rock.

There is an artificial reef that has been constructed out of worn out vehicle tyres. It has not been in existence for very long and it will be interesting to see how this progresses and how the reef life reacts to the unusual material. If all is well what a good way of disposing of some of man’s discarded products.

I find it difficult to fault the creation of artificial reefs whether they are ship or rock structures. With proper supervision and given the time to populate, they can only enhance livestock numbers. If used with common sense, they are also of benefit to local people who should find extra revenue from employment that has been created in the export of livestock or in the service of the local tourism industry.

First of all it should be remembered that newspapers and elements of TV thrive on ‘doomsday.’ Without bad news there will be a struggle to find a good enough headline. The media, in my opinion anyway, often makes mountains out of not always molehills but hills. It sells, which probably says a lot for all of us!

The major concern with the natural world used to be the cutting down of the world’s rain forests and this remains a high priority. These rain forests have been called the ‘lungs of the earth.’ The issue is even more important now that science has accepted that global warming actually exists. The majority of the public also accept the situation, though there are still those who remain in denial and state it is just a massive scam. The rain forests are capable as I understand it of absorbing very large amounts of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) – provided the trees remain standing of course.

But this is a marine hobby website not a discussion forum on rain forests. So fair enough, what about the rain forests of the seas and oceans, the coral reefs. There’s plenty of doom and gloom in this area also. The oceans are acidifying because of absorption of carbon dioxide and also warming up. So if the corals don’t melt because of reducing pH they’ll die because they cannot tolerate the rapid increase in seawater temperature (rapid when compared to the length of time reefs have existed). Also seawater levels are rising and that causes additional problems for the corals. Now all of that’s nirvana for the gloom merchants!

There is a serious problem. There isn’t any denying it, the evidence is available for anyone to see, scientist or not. In some quarters it is said that the reefs are in terminal decline. It has been reported that the rate of decline is 2% each year. Doesn’t seem much but in fact it’s a lot. It has also been reported that around 1/5th of reef life has already disappeared overall, though of course some reefs are in better condition than others.

Reefs in general, though not all of them it depends a lot on location, have been getting into trouble because of us, mankind, for a while quite apart from global warming. This trouble has been due to overfishing, incorrect fishing methods (cyanide for example, which kills lots of creatures besides those targeted – those targeted often die later as well), using dynamite on the reefs to obtain building materials, run-off of silt from the land caused by de-forestation, and run-off of agricultural and industrial pollutants. There’s probably more.

These problems have been bad enough and the reefs now have to also deal with global warming, and they’re not doing well. What a sad and dismal sight it is to see pictures of dead reef areas – just rocks with a few forlorn looking fish around. I, like so many others, have been fascinated when snorkeling over reefs, with all the rainbow colours of the fish, swaying soft corals and the reef builders, the hard corals. How could it have come to such a situation! Sadly, it has.

However, I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist, but a realist. I see these as: optimist, ‘Oh, it’ll be all right, you’ll see,’ pessimist ‘It’s all a disaster, it’s too late, it’s all doomed,’ and a realist ‘Strewth, what a mess, hopefully the scientists might be mistaken though that’s unlikely. What can be done about it?’

There are some hopeful signs.

It appears that the politicians, usually never the ones to move at more than a snail’s pace, have accepted the overall problem (overall = global warming in general) and are looking to do something about it. They need by all accounts to move more quickly, but it has to be accepted that there’s a great deal to consider. The political area is of the utmost importance above anything else. If reasonable agreement can be achieved then the problem can be tackled.

In some of the natural reef areas corals are being grown from ‘frags’ (a frag is a cutting taken from a soft or hard coral). They are grown on extensive trestles beneath the sea. When they are large enough they are transferred to the reef and hopefully in time more corals can be grown from them. If the reef is in danger because of man-made problems, unless those problems are tackled, this action can only be at best a holding operation.

The marine hobby aquarium trade, which to my knowledge has not been accused of causing problems (unlike for example those who collect seahorses for alleged medical purposes or dry them for souvenirs), has tackled some recognized bad practices. Local collectors have been trained to collect in an ethical way and not use cyanide, thus protecting reef life in general and giving caught fish a better chance of continuing to live. Many retailers have voluntarily joined organisations that promote good retail practices, such as importing livestock from recognized sources only and keeping them in appropriate conditions until sold. Imports of livestock for the marine hobby overall are huge and it is obvious that the more sea life is protected the more the reefs will benefit.

What about us marine aquarists? Oh great, here it comes, we must try harder and ‘be good.’ Not at all! There are poor and ineffective aquarists who would be better off giving up the hobby, but they are a small minority.

The marine aquarium hobby has advanced unbelievably over the last decade. Aquariums of all sizes, reef or fish only, are being kept successfully, supported by advanced and reliable equipment. Aquarists have access to huge amounts of information, not only books but through that electronic wonder of the age, the internet. The results of all this can be seen by looking at pictures, a great number of these marine aquariums are truly beautiful.

Keeping a successful aquarium (that is, keeping it healthy for a long period measured in years) is not the major concern. Of course it is very important; a failed aquarium is a mini disaster in itself particularly for the unfortunate livestock. The major concern with the hobby now is production of livestock. It really heartens me when I see how many aquarists are producing home grown corals from ‘frags’ – corals that have not come from the wild but from an aquarium. These are appearing in such numbers now that, if it is not happening already, it will soon have a measurable impact on imports from the wild reefs. There is a further credit to this, and that is that the home grown corals are reputedly less sensitive in an aquarium than those from the wild, which makes sense.

On the same basis, but more difficult to achieve are the fish that are being home bred. These are not appearing in such numbers because of the inherent breeding difficulties. It was a great achievement when clownfish first appeared in dealer’s aquariums having been supplied from home sources. Now many more fish species are appearing as time goes by and one can only salute the patience and knowledge of those aquarists who are involved. How must those aquarists feel as they look upon a tank full of successfully grown saleable fish!

There’s another point about the marine aquarium hobby too. I’ve mused in the past about how big the hobby really is – could it possibly be the biggest hobby in the world? I don’t actually know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. With obvious exceptions, over the globe there are many, many marine aquarists. They keep fish or fish and corals. No matter which, what they have in total is a massive reserve of livestock, both fish and corals.

Already large numbers of corals can be home propagated. As said, the number of fish species that are being home bred is increasing. Perhaps in the future, when the politicians have reached some agreement and global warming and pollution problems have been tackled, marine hobbyists will be able to supply stock for the wild reefs.

How great would that be? Traffic in reverse. Beautiful reefs partially re-built from our aquariums.

As I understand it, much of the live rock is taken as rubble, that is, it is not part of the actual reef, but rock that lies loose. There is an argument to say that this rock should not be touched as it belongs to the reef. The opposite is that the reef is unchanged if it is taken away. I feel fairly certain that some rock may well be taken from the actual reef in some areas, in the same way that cyanide is/was used to obtain fish. Hopefully the latter practice is now minimal or has ceased altogether.

The amount of live rock that is being used nowadays is substantial. It is probably the most used filtration media in reef aquariums, and is often used in fish only aquariums as well. So it is reasonable that some attention is paid to its source. No-one wants damage to be caused to the reefs because of the aquarium trade.

It was a pleasure therefore to read of the efforts of a commercial concern that is providing live rock but is not taking it from the reefs – well, not from the wet reefs anyway.

What is happening is that land based rock that used to be a coral reef is being mined in quantity and then transported out to sea, around 20 miles off-shore. In the sea it has been left as a coral reef allowing it to develop. The area used is in the Gulf of Mexico.

The commercial concern involved has to be congratulated as the rock had to be left for 4 years to develop naturally, so for that period the company had the investment but no profit. That length of time is quite a commitment.

The reef is being harvested now, but not all of it. Part is left intact without interference, and the remainder is recovered in sections by divers, who fill baskets that are raised to the surface for the waiting boat. The areas that have been harvested are re-seeded with replacement rocks from the land, and in this way a continuous supply is available. The amounts involved are substantial. The quality of the rock is described as ‘premium.’

Of course the mining of the rock from the land could be damaging environmentally. I assume that in order to obtain authority to mine the rock, an agreement to landscape the mining areas would be required.

Separate from the live rock enterprise and in a different area of the world is hard coral production. Divers go down to the reefs and selected mother colonies have a part removed. This part is placed in a small tube which in turn is fastened to a small manufactured standard tile. These tiles are then left in the sea to develop. Again, harvesting is delayed pending development, but after a period a near continuous supply of corals can be obtained. The system means the mother coral remains in situ and continues to provide further corals as long as it continues to be deemed suitable.

Much of the coral programme came about through an education exercise, where local collectors have been taught sustainable methods.

With all the gloom about the potential future of coral reefs at the moment, usually with global warming as a foundation, and the known problems of sedimentation, over fertilization, destruction for building needs etc, it is very pleasant to learn of efforts such as those described. True, in the commercial case it may be simply that a profit source was identified but so what, it is a big step in the right direction. Corals are grown (‘fragged’) by many aquarists, but the majority are still obtained from the wild, so the fact that some are now cultured in the wild and at the same time protect the livelihood of local people can only be good.

Trying to Save the Coral Reefs
TIME - Aug 17, 2007
A school of fish pass over a coral reef at Hanauma Bay, Hawaii. Many coral reefs are dying from water pollution. Near the close of the 1960s, a squadron of ….

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Carib Journal
Indo-Pacific coral reefs are disappearing
Science Daily (press release) - Aug 9, 2007
full story Coral Reef Decline – Not Just Overfishing (August 31, 2005) — Scientists widely agree that coral reefs are in declining. ….
Coral Reefs Losing Ground Throughout the Pacific Scientific American
Study finds Pacific coral reefs dying Jordan Falls News
all 31 news articles

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