PhD project looking for input

BeardedDragon21 · May 3, 2016

Hello,
I'm new to R2R but was looking for input on a couple of things. I am soon to be starting a PhD project with a focus on coral and wanted to brush up on captive maintenance of corals. Now,
I haven't decided on which species of coral I will be studying but I want to study a fairly common coral that is derived from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) so I'm trying to determine like a top ten list of most commonly kept corals from the GBR. Furthermore I'm looking for referrals of products used commonly in the home aquarium including but not limited to filtration systems, pump systems, lighting and temperature systems so as to maximize the quality of tank (tanks) that I start. Any thoughts and input are greatly appreciated

melypr1985 · May 3, 2016

Welcome to R2R! The answers to your questions will be so varied and packed with info I'm not sure how you will be able to sort it all out. How about this. Here's a guide that is very thorough and has pictures. http://www.reefedition.com/291/ this may help get you started.

McMullen · May 3, 2016

Check to see if there are any local reef clubs in you area. If so, connect with them. You'll be able to see what they do in person, probably even get free coral!

BradB · May 3, 2016

Unfortunately, most of us don't know where most of our corals come from. If we are lucky, a vendor might tell us, but we have no idea if they are accurate. Corals from Australia tend to cost more, so I would not be surprised if vendors call Indonesian coral Australian to make money. Even if they are honest, their suppliers might not be, and people make mistakes. Trade names also play a role - if someone lists Japanese toadstool for sale, I know what they are talking about even though I doubt it actually came from Japan.

You are better off picking a species in trouble in the GBR and look at how we take care of it, assuming care requirements are the same for the species even if it from somewhere else.

If it were me, I'd focus on Acropora in general.

McMullen · May 3, 2016

Lots of great Euphyllias from GBR

stunreefer · May 3, 2016

BeardedDragon21 said:
top ten list of most commonly kept corals from the GBR.

This is in no particular order, and I have no data to back this up. This is also not going to delve into the species level, rather step up to genus. With that said, since Australia exports opened up these are the top ten genera I've seen imported into the US:

Acropora
Euphyllia
Scolymia
Acanthastrea (most commonly A. lordhowensis, which is now Micromussa lordhowensis)
Montipora
Goniastrea
Lobophyllia
Favites
Cataphyllia
Favia

Also, I'm sure coral collectors in Australia have data they could supply you if necessary. I'm friends with several of them; feel free to PM if you want to be put in contact.

ndz98 · May 4, 2016

Welcome to r2r!

120reefkeeper · May 4, 2016

Kungpaoshizi · May 5, 2016

If I had the time and tools at my disposal, I would study or try to find a way, to identify the symbiodinium corals house, and if there were identifiable traits with commercially available tools.

You ask for a coral, but the truth has come out since genome sequencing has advanced. When someone looks at a coral, they see a species. But since sequencing has come about, each species can actually be different than the identical species, because of the mechanisms and differences between the symbiodinium.

This drives flow, light, and most likely nutritional differences amongst what seems to the naked eye, exactly the same coral. They have found different symbiodinium in neighboring corals in the same reefs. So the questions keep piling up!

How do you tell a difference? Is there traits visible to the naked eye? What about with a scope? What magnification is needed? Could there be certain compounds that might compound (ba dun ching) subtle differences to allow major differences to surface?

Many times I think the fate of a coral is mostly chance given the limited guidelines for coral care in the hobby, which don't even take into account such questions. This is why 98% of tanks out there probably run 77 degrees, a specific gravity of 1.025, and the general consensus of "the more flow the better".

This all is regardless to even newer info from the last few years. It's been tooted for awhile that vitamin c dosing is more a "fringe benefit" than necessity. But one of the last sequencing papers I've seen identified in coral skeletal growth, an expression for vitamin c use! This still has not caught on in recent discussions as necessary.

Anyways, hopefully thats some info you may find useful as to just how "shoot from the hip" coral care can be. The biggest lesson I myself have learned, if the corals start to have issues, feed more small micronic foods to allow the coral mucous to become nutritional. (nutricell is my fav because of its size and microencapsulation)

Otherwise if you want quality system check out the red sea stuff. Their care system is a step above the rest and by far easily worth the cost. They've been in the game for awhile now and have had the capital to do the homework.(at least that's my guess as to why it works so well)

Good luck!