Bleaching Research

[Akash_Agarwal]

I am currently trying to find a coral I can purchase that can reef-build, and whether or not 5x5 mm pieces taken off the coral will survive. These pieces will be put in seawater and incubated for 4 weeks. The coral also has to have zooxanthellae so I can add menthol to test bleaching. I'm very new to this, Thanks!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am currently trying to find a coral I can purchase that can reef-build, and whether or not 5x5 mm pieces taken off the coral will survive. These pieces will be put in seawater and incubated for 4 weeks. The coral also has to have zooxanthellae so I can add menthol to test bleaching. I'm very new to this, Thanks!

Many small polyp stony corals will grow from small pieces like that (maybe not quite that small though, 1 cm would be better) - if handled properly, and if held under suitable conditions; Acropora and Montipora are two common genera. It would be best that these small pieces are first allowed to settle in and begin to grow before using them for any research.

I'm not sure where you are going with menthol as a bleaching agent. Do you have some thoughts as to the amount of that which would induce bleaching? That certainly isn't something that happens in nature. Most bleaching events on natural reefs are caused by high temperatures, while in aquariums, bleaching can also be caused by extreme increases in light levels.

 

[Akash_Agarwal]

Menthol 20% w/v in ethanol works effectively to simulate the effects of bleaching, without causing mortality, according to the research papers I have read so far. Also, where would I go about purchasing these corals? Corals at pet stores have them dyed in a lot of colors, and I'm not sure whether or not that would impede research or even function the same way corals in nature do.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Menthol 20% w/v in ethanol works effectively to simulate the effects of bleaching, without causing mortality, according to the research papers I have read so far. Also, where would I go about purchasing these corals? Corals at pet stores have them dyed in a lot of colors, and I'm not sure whether or not that would impede research or even function the same way corals in nature do.

Dyed corals may exist, but are rare. I’ve never seen one in person.

 

[Akash_Agarwal]

Wait so are the corals in stores with vivid colors natural? Ive always been under the assumption that corals like the one in the picture are not at all similiar to ones in nature

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Menthol 20% w/v in ethanol works effectively to simulate the effects of bleaching, without causing mortality, according to the research papers I have read so far. Also, where would I go about purchasing these corals? Corals at pet stores have them dyed in a lot of colors, and I'm not sure whether or not that would impede research or even function the same way corals in nature do.

Sometimes sea anemones are dyed, but not corals (at least in the US or the EU).

What happens is the anemones are held in the dark to expel their zooxanthallae, then a dye is added to the water to color them (usually bright yellow).

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Wait so are the corals in stores with vivid colors natural? Ive always been under the assumption that corals like the one in the picture are not at all similiar to ones in nature

The vivid coloration you see is prized by some aquarists - it comes from a variety of factors: the lights above the coral, the species of coral, and sometimes local variation. The interplay between zooxanthallae and coral pigments also comes into play. It’s complicated and I don’t know all the nuances of coral color….

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Wait so are the corals in stores with vivid colors natural? Ive always been under the assumption that corals like the one in the picture are not at all similiar to ones in nature

If you place them under the right lighting the colors are more vivid in many corals but the pictures you see online for advertising purposes also involve color editing many times...

 

[blecki]

If you've only ever seen coral in the wild you'd think they are all brown.

Anyway you can grow just about any montipora from a frag that small as long as it contains at least one 'mouth' but you're going to have a large mortality rate. If you're looking to murder some coral in the name of science I would suggest a birdsnest: They're cheap, they grow fast, they're easy to frag, and they have a reputation for growing like a weed then spontaneously dying anyway.