Good morning friends, I had a question sent in asking if leaf, plate and sheet corals react under blue-light and YES they do!! These thin very breakable stony corals are turning out to be one of our favorites on any given blue light dive and most of them react differently. The tiny star-like polyps (all the yellow spots) have this beautiful yellow glow to them and the rim of the coral is almost a fluorecent lime green, it’s so beautiful to see in person!

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[embedded content] Further to their recent announcement which we broke here on Digital-Reefs, Red Sea have just published a detailed video tour of their REEFER™ series on Youtube. You have to hand it to Red Sea, the presentation is very slick and gives plenty of useful information. The systems look great too and you can be sure we’ll be watching what hobbyists across the globe make of them in the coming months.

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Sustainability is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit these days. As America moved towards a “green” revolution a few years back, the word sustainable and green got tacked on to many things. Here where I live in Maryland, a local HV/AC provider started advertising that they offered a “green” way to heat or cool your home, tagging the slogan “sustainability you can count on” right to their service trucks. Nothing had changed, they still installed HV/AC systems based on whatever technology client’s selected. Clorox released a line of “green works” cleaners, the sustainable way to clean up your messes. Many other companies jumped on the bandwagon of green, and suddenly consumers were left wondering if these were truly sustainable products, or if it was all hype.  Sustainability is a tough cookie to understand. It usually is the high road, the tougher way. It’s not easy to make sustainable products. I liken it to a roll of paper towels. You tear off a towel, use it and just throw it away, out of sight and out of mind. Yet behind our backs, trees are tumbling down to create those towels, and paper is filling up landfills across America. I’m surprised Bounty, or some other paper towel manufacture hasn’t snapped a green nameplate on one of their products. You can find something sustainable about nearly anything, but that doesn’t mean that it truly is. Merriam-Webster says this about the word sustainable: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. In the reef aquarium world, we are harvesting a resource, whether it be coral, fish or any other form of marine ecosystem. We aren’t harvesting it as food, or to provide shelter, or to better the natural environment. In essence, we are harvesting it for our own personal enjoyment and entertainment. I often make the argument that benefits of this harvest include learning more about what keeps marine life healthy, or fostering a love of marine life in those who are unexposed to coral reefs. While I think those arguments have merit, they exist in the eye of the beholder. So what is a sustainable reef aquarium, what is a green reef aquarium? Is it an aquarium that uses the least amount of electricity possible, or one that holds only captive bred livestock?… More:

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Ok, and a few dozen other incredible species, but check this out! Every now and then a photograph shows up that really just strikes you, capturing the incomparable, delicate beauty of a certain species. In this instance, this image of a robust Paracentropyge boylei, the candy cane striped specimen known lovingly as a Peppermint Angel, comes to us just in time for the holiday season from Chingchai Uekrongtham.  P. boylei has been a prized fish in the industry for quite some time now, and as with most every highly sought after species, it’s no secret why. This deepwater dwarf angel of the South Pacific features arresting coloration – milky-white pearlescent scales sit in perfect juxtaposition to prominent, deep scarlet bars. Perfectly flared ventral fins are laced with fine white tips, and its derriere  traced in fine, inky black. This particular image is stunning down to the paper-thin translucency of the fins and the impossibly fine crosshatching of the scales. It reminds us once again as to why this is a lust-worthy creature. Given its hefty price tag, however, it may be a few years before I can hope to find one under the tree.      … More:

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“Beneath the ocean waves, hidden from our view, a spectacular profusion of life flourishes. The vast majority of marine creatures are invertebrates, animals without spines, and they embody some of nature’s most exquisite creations. They are nature’s fashion show, the haute couture of marine life.” A few weeks back I went in with the intention on reviewing Susan Middleton’s gorgeous book ‘Spineless: Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, The Backbone of Life’ when I became completely submerged just a few pages in thanks to a powerful forward written by Sylvia Earle. I decided at that point to split the review into two parts, allowing proper attention to each element. I want to first stress to you that not only do I recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in aquatic life or even just fine photography, but if you ARE inclined to get it, please, get a physical copy. Some books really deserve to be read properly and not on a screen.  Another crucial point i want to add here is as tempting as it is to become completely taken by the commanding imagery, be sure to tear your eyes away and actually read the book. There’s a wealth of information hidden between the cephalopods, snails and nudibranchs. Middleton’s pages are filled solely with marine invertebrates, the spineless creatures lurking and floating about the deep. Laced with cephalopods, this book has my attention right of the bat, but of course there’s a profusion of other fascinating subjects to be found here. The San Francisco based photographer has taken a deep interest in invertebrates for over 25, her interest initially sparked when photographing a vernal pool tadpole shrimp – the first on a list of one hundred endangered species in collaboration with photographer David Liitschwager. She became obsessed, completely mesmerized by their textures, patterns, shapes and colors. “Colorful, quirky, quivery, spindly, spiky, sticky, stretchy, squishy, slithery, squirmy, prickly, bumpy, bubbly, and fluttery, the invertebrates appear almost surreal, even alien”, as she describes them in the most utmost Seussian fashion. Delving further into the pages, you’ll learn a great deal about each photographed subject, as they’re all allotted a species profile written by scientist Bernadette Holthuis, describing the species size, habitat and interesting little tidbits. For example, the Textile Cone Snail’s (Conus textile) venom is the  basis of a painkiller found to be one hundred times more potent than morphine carrying no risk of addiction according to a 2013 preclinical trial.… More:

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When planning a holiday party, we tend to worry about things like an undercooked main entree, running out of “spirits” before the evening is over, lacking adequate seating for all the guests, little Billy’s tree nut allergy, etc., etc. What we may not fret over—but probably should—is what bizarre eventualities might befall our marine aquariums while the party is underway. Here are just some of the hazards holiday parties can pose to aquariums. Some of these may sound familiar, and you can probably add a few more based on your personal hosting experiences. #1: “Uncle Ed” Whether it’s Uncle Ed, Sister Susie, Brother John, or Auntie Gin, we all have that family member or friend who, after drinking too much eggnog, may decide to do a little freelance “vodka dosing” of the aquarium (and not in that good nitrate-reduction way, either) because, the fish and/or corals “look thirsty.” #2: Airborne toys For some reason, young kids don’t feel as though a toy has been truly played with until they’ve tested its aerodynamics. Once while hosting a Thanksgiving dinner party, I looked on in helpless horror from across the room as my then four-year-old nephew launched a hard plastic toy into the air, the arc of its trajectory ending right where my 125-gallon tank began. Watching this unfold in slow motion, all I could do was yell, hoping the shockwave of my voice would somehow alter the toy’s flight path. What came out was an incomprehensible “Myyyaaaaaa!” (My wife said she thought I was doing an Edward G

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Mr. Clean Magic Erasers lead off our annual list of stocking-stuffer ideas.

It’s time for another podcast and we happen to have one. This week we announce our Where Do You Listen contest winner, offer some stocking stuffers, and play our version of 20 questions. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

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Coral Morphologic is at it again in this time premiering their new film in a custom designed room at DesignMiami/ 2014. They’ve taken it to the next level making this film viewable on the Oculus Rift lending a 360° virtual reality experience to visitors. The room alone would be something to experience, and I have to imagine the film they created is nothing short of amazing. Here’s what Coral Morphologic had to say about the release of ‘Coral Therapy’: 

‘Coral Therapy’:

 “For Design Miami/ 2014, we were honored to be asked to create a conceptual room in which we debuted ‘Coral Therapy’, a 360-degree virtual reality film experienced via the Oculus Rift. When viewing ‘Coral Therapy’, the viewer is enveloped by fluorescent corals and sea anemones; much like being inside a virtual planetarium theater. ‘Coral Therapy’ is designed to convey a virtual out-of-body experience in which the viewer is transported to a tranquil tropical reef in outer-space. An original ambient score enhances the cosmic coral perspective while accentuating the peaceful and relaxing experience.

 

Photo: Coral Morphologic

 The Oculus Rift is not yet commercially available to consumers, so for Design Miami/ we utilized a developer’s kit prototype. When the commercial version is released in 2015, ‘Coral Therapy’ will be available to be purchased and experienced in high-definition resolution.Our Curio was developed in collaboration with George Christopher Echevarria aka Flying Pyramids, a Miami-based photographer and graphic designer. The walls featured innovative magnetic wallpaper installed by Visual Magnetics. The back wallpaper displayed a single macro photograph of the tentacles of a man-o-war, while the side wallpaper was of a brain coral fossil found in Miami Beach’s South Pointe Park. Magnetically overlaid on each of the sidewalls were six different color morphs of a new species of zoanthid soft coral that we discovered here in Miami. A looping film of flower anemones was displayed on the ceiling of the booth from a projector hidden within a mirrored dome that sat upon a hexagonal plinth crafted by Miami Industrial Arts, such that it reflected a full 360 image of the room. 

Photo: Coral Morphologic

 We would like to thank Design Miami/ for inviting us to participate in the tenth edition of their prestigious show, along with the Knight Foundation for supporting our vision of elevating corals into the popular iconography of 21st century Miami as part of our ‘Coral City/Aquacultural Transformation’ project.” We’re very excited to check out ‘Coral Therapy’ once Oculus Rift becomes available to the masses sometime next year.

… More:

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Very often I meet reef aquarium hobbyists that believe Acropora species corals are too difficult or even imposible to keep.  A majority of them will have success with other corals but encounter failures when attempting to sustain this particular variety. They can be more demanding and apparently more sensitive to pests and instability.  I have found some particular specimens are more sensitive then others.  Captive grown Acroporas that have been cultured under artificial light and sea water seem to be the hardiest.  Generally wild colonies tend to be the opposite.  Even within the captive grown corals there are specific specimens that tend to tolerate more then others.  The coral in the image above is one I believe to be very hardy and can survive when others perish.  This coral grows very fast when speaking about this species and will tolerate instabilities that others will not.  It also seems to be less susceptible to parasites such as parasitic copepods and flat worms.  I believe the copious amount of slime this coral produces tends to help it survive these invasions.  This particular captive grown coral was grown from a seed fragment over several years and has been in the hobby for many years.  For hobbyists without success in keeping this species, this particular coral would be a good starting point.  Starting out with a more sensitive specimen or a wild colony would lower chances of success.  Many times the choices one makes on particular specimens lends to the higher failure rate with this species.  Paying attention to parameters and keeping alkalinity, calcium and magnesium within range and stable is key.  Also strong light and good random flow is essential.  Keeping these things in mind will put the odds in your favor with Acropora success.… More:

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If there is a dead horse that’s been beaten, picked at by vultures and left to decompose in the hot savanna sun, it’s the topic of water changes. Now that the maggots, coyotes and other scavengers have had their way with it, I’ve decided to take another swing, cracking hard into the exposed skeleton of this long debated topic. Water changes represent the very basic level of marine or reef aquarium care, and in reality are the most archaic and simple way of removing unwanted nutrients, and balancing crucial water chemistry parameters. Take dirty water out, and replace it with pure water, what could be easier. Today, there are numerous gadgets that filter our aquarium water, and the rise of bio-pellets and zeolite even gives nitrate a run for its money. So is there really any reason for aquarists to be hauling buckets, making water and dealing with salt mix on a regular basis? Water changes historically:I came to the marine aquarium hobby after keeping freshwater fish for many years. For a long time I bred the popular Discus fish, a South American cichlid that is known to thrive in very pristine, low ph water. It wasn’t uncommon, when trying to get Discus to make babies, for aquarists to do an 80% or even 100% water change daily. Needless to say, when I arrived at marine aquaria’s doorstep, I was well versed in regular partial water changes. Back then, regular water changes were part of general aquarium maintenance. Some reef aquarists were doing them three times per week, even completing small 5% water changes daily. It was before RODI units became popular, and typically we used warm tap water treated with a de-chlorinator. Back in those days, I did two 35% water changes per week, turning over 70% of my tank water weekly. When I stepped into reef keeping, I adopted the daily 5% water change schedule. Oddly enough, my tank was full of hair algae, brown algae and diatoms. Reality was, it didn’t matter if I changed 100% of my tank water daily, my source water at the time had traces of phosphate and nitrate, and I had no RODI unit to remove it. Since the weapon of choice those days was wet-dry filtration, high levels of nitrate were common, and often we didn’t worry about it unless nitrates exceeded 50 ppm. On the reef side of things, there was no “reef specific salt” so changing water was a tireless exercise in testing, additives, more testing, and a bit of luck.… More:

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Jared McKay (left) and Colin Foord of Coral Morphologic in the ‘Coral Therapy’ Design Curio at Design Miami/ 2014. All photos by Flying Pyramids. For Design Miami/ 2014, we were honored to be asked to create a conceptual room in which we debuted ‘Coral Therapy’, a 360-degree virtual reality film experienced via the Oculus Rift. When viewing ‘Coral Therapy’, the viewer is enveloped by fluorescent corals and sea anemones; much like being inside a virtual planetarium theater. ‘Coral Therapy’ is designed to convey a virtual out-of-body experience in which the viewer is transported to a tranquil tropical reef in outer-space. An original ambient score enhances the cosmic coral perspective while accentuating the peaceful and relaxing experience. ‘Coral Therapy’ in action via Oculus Rift VR The Oculus Rift is not yet commercially available to consumers, so for Design Miami/ we utilized a developer’s kit prototype. When the commercial version is released in 2015, ‘Coral Therapy’ will be available to be purchased and experienced in high-definition resolution. A side view of the Curio Our Curio was developed in collaboration with Flying Pyramids, a Miami-based photographer and graphic designer. The walls featured innovative magnetic wallpaper installed by Visual Magnetics. The back wallpaper displayed a single macro photograph of the tentacles of a man-o-war, while the side wallpaper was of a brain coral fossil found in Miami Beach’s South Pointe Park. Magnetically overlaid on each of the sidewalls were six different color morphs of a new species of zoanthid soft coral that we discovered here in Miami. A looping film of flower anemones was displayed on the ceiling of the booth from a projector hidden within a mirrored dome that sat upon a hexagonal plinth crafted by Miami Industrial Arts, such that it reflected a full 360 image of the room. ‘Coral Therapy’ in effect via Oculus Rift VR We would like to thank Design Miami/ for inviting us to participate in the tenth edition of their prestigious show, along with the Knight Foundation for supporting our vision of elevating corals into the popular iconography of 21st century Miami as part of our ‘Coral City/Aquacultural Transformation’ project. Coral Morphologic Mission Statement: Coral Morphologic is a Miami-based art-science endeavor founded by Colin Foord and Jared McKay in 2007. Together we present coral reef organisms as archetypal life-forms via film, photography, site-specific installations, and multimedia artworks. Technological advances in the new millennium have enabled Coral Morphologic to explore a new frontier in the aesthetic interpretation of nature. In doing so, we have discovered corals to be the living embodiment of science and art converged. The combination of vibrant colors, fluid movement, geometric tessellation, and limestone architecture establish corals as the irrefutable icons of 21st century Miami. It is the remarkable ability of corals to adapt and evolve that inspires Coral Morphologic to establish them as the paradigm-shifting organisms of the global future. By elevating corals into the iconography of modern design and popular culture, Coral Morphologic entreats mankind to better understand and preserve Earth’s imperiled reef ecosystems through works that convey color and depth to the human experience. Jared McKay (left) and Colin Foord of Coral Morphologic in the ‘Coral Therapy’ Design Curio at Design Miami/ 2014. Tags: Art Basel, Borscht Corp., Coral Morphologic, Design Curio, Design Miami, Flying Pyramids, Miami, Miami Industrial Arts, Visual Magnetics This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2014 at 7:37 pm and is filed under Installation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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 Here in New York on December 8th it snowed a just a bit, little fluffy white flakes flickering about the sky under the street lamps, creating a beautiful scene with the holidays ever so quickly approaching. Meanwhile, in the 125 gallon reef aquarium of James Fatherree, something much more magical is happening as his corals spawn for the first time, creating their own snowy display as they release eggs and sperm into the water. Mass spawning normally occurs in the wild following lunar cycles and tidal flows, with corals usually timing their spawn with a slack tide allowing the eggs and sperm to meet, followed by a stronger tide to pull the fertilized eggs away. It’s quite the sight in a home reef. Slight temperature adjustments of even a few degrees can trigger a spawn, given all of your parameters are on point and your tank healthy. Fatherree is no beginner aquarist, the successful author of multiple books, public speaker, instructor, diver, photographer and geologist has been a hobbyist since his childhood, keeping aquariums for nearly two decades successfully. Be sure to watch all four of the videos, it’s not often we get to witness such a natural wonder in our own home!  … More:

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For the first time scientists have discovered a fish that can chemically camouflage itself through its diet. The new research, published in the journal Proceeding of the Royal Society B, shows that the Orange-spotted Filefish Oxymonacanthus longirostris camouflages itself by not only looking, but also smelling like its food source. Feeding exclusively on SPS coral polyps, the Filefish ingest chemicals from the corals and, since the coral reefs where the Filefish live are also home to predatory species, the researchers speculated that the filefish might also be using a form of chemical camouflage. To test their theory, study leader Rohan Brooker and colleagues captured filefish near Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. The team then placed the fish in large aquariums and divided them into two groups. For four weeks, the first group was provided an exclusive diet of Acropora spathulata polyps, and the second only Pocillopora damicornis (which is not part of the filefish’s normal diet).

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I have a lot of faith in marine aquarists as a whole. If I didn’t, I would have stepped out of the hobby the first time I saw a wild coral reef. Many of us have experienced these beautiful undersea cities firsthand, and have made a commitment to care for our captive charges with appreciation and respect. The first step to achieving the goal of a sustainable aquarium is keeping your livestock healthy, so that you aren’t constantly replacing dead fish. In the previous two installments of this little series, I introduced some ideas about getting healthy livestock, acclimation and quarantine. Also, I discussed a reverse acclimation process that minimizes the time a fish is stuck within a shipping bag, as a drip line fills it with water. It is without a doubt that nutrition is by far the most vital link in the chain of long-term success as an aquarist. It goes deeper (no pun intended) than that. Imagine you are offered a thick, medium rare, porterhouse steak. You can practically taste the juices oozing from the sides. Yet the steak is sitting on a concrete driveway during the middle of July in Florida. Sure steak is appealing for those of us that eat meat, but eating off the ground isn’t. Often in our reefs we are expecting a wide variety of species to eat the same thing, the same way. By far, the most popular way to feed fish is to simply disperse a clump of food into the water column, and allow the current to spread it throughout the tank. Often it’s effective, yet it assumes that every species in your aquarium has the same feeding habits. Look at that mouth: Anyone familiar with marine fish can see that mouths come in all shapes, sizes and placements. Harlequin tuskfish have menacing teeth jutting out of a downturned mouth. Butterfly fish have small, plier like mouths that look like surgical instruments. Anthias have tiny mouths centered in their heads. Could this all be nature’s unique way of making fish diverse? Actually no, those mouths tell you a lot about your fish. Species like the anthias, with small mouths centered in their head are often mid-water plankton feeders. Those with down-turned mouths like that of the tuskfish are suited at grabbing food from the bottom. The precision jaws of the butterfly fish are apt at nabbing tiny prey items from deep crevices in the rock.… More:

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A mystery is unfolding on the shores of Ardrossan, Australia where a pod of seven Sperm Whales was found beached this Monday. Something of a rare occurrence, the beaching of whales rarely has any explanation and this case is no different. Dr. Deborah Kelly, an animal welfare managing the case stated “I haven’t seen a marine event like this in South Australia since the mass stranding of 58 dolphins at Nepean Bay in the 1990s.” The Department of Environment is considering options for removal of the carcasses adding “It’s a very big logistical task.” Read more and check out the video here. … More:

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As experts in ‘high level reefing’, Germany-based Nyos Aquatics have been on our target sponsors list for a fair while now, indeed we’ve been most impressed with their offerings when we’ve had a chance to see and handle them at various trade-shows. Tailored to fulfil the specific demands of marine aquarists, their products should appeal to hobbyists both beginner and advanced alike featuring a range of skimmers, pumps, test kits, fish and coral feed, trace elements, salts and other watercare products. It’s also great to welcome a company with a clearly innovative approach, and one who’s highest aspiration is to offer nature-inspired products that are equally uncompromising, practical, and rigorously tested over the long-term. So, if you are searching for a solution which blends these qualities with a simple, user-friendly approach, click the banner below to see what they have to offer. Oh, and keep your eyes on the blog as we’ll also be reviewing selected products from their range ourselves in the coming weeks.

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Sometimes adding specimens to an already heavily-stocked aquarium will be too much for existing biological filtrationYou come home from a long, vexing day at work only to notice that the fish in your marine aquarium are all gasping at the surface of the water or cowering in a corner of the tank and behaving lethargically. Panicked, you promptly test your water parameters and discover that ammonia is present. The tank has long been cycled, so no ammonia should be detectable. What gives? When an ammonia spike occurs in an already-cycled system, one of the following circumstances is usually the underlying cause: #1: Overstocking Adding “just one more” specimen to an aquarium that’s already close to being maxed out with respect to stocking capacity can easily lead to a situation in which more dissolved waste is produced than the biological filter can accommodate. It’s always better to stock lightly—even if that means the tank looks more sparse than you might prefer (the usual state of my aquariums)—than to push your luck with the bioload. #2: Overfeeding Excessive feeding of fish or invertebrates, which often results in uneaten food left decomposing in the system, is another surefire way to overwhelm an established system’s biofilter and cause ammonia to spike.

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Many dream of having a forest of large Acropora colonies thriving in there own captive reef aquarium.  This colony is almost two feet across.  It is a very hardy specimen that was grown from a small fragment.  The rapid growth rate of this specimen can send branches up and out of the water in time.  It typically has a staghorn formation with thick branching at the base.  The branches that grow to the surface will eventually develop a blunt dead zone if not trimmed as they approach the surface.  Although the color of this coral is a more common green it still has much appeal.  The formation and fast growth rate are its best qualities.  This coral has been called a green slimmer as a common name and is well known for the thick slime it produces.  Strong lighting and large amounts of random flow are essential as the colony matures to continue growing.  If flow is reduced or too much shading occurs the colony can begin to show necrosis.  Understanding these few things and providing a stable environment with good water quality can make this dream come true.  With some dedication and a little luck anyone can own a giant Acropora of their own.… More:

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Sensationalism in nature television gets talked about quite a bit these days. Whether it’s an anaconda eating a person, or a bunch of backwoods hillbillies grabbing catfish with their hands and chasing around distressed animals, it’s becoming a problem. MTV, (which used to be about music) even jumped on the bandwagon for a while, with their show Wildboyz, which was dedicated to harassing animals all over the world. Animal Planet was called on the carpet recently, due to a variety of animal abuses on the set of their show, Call of the Wildman. You don’t have to look far to find disturbing content in nature programming these days, and it all goes without mentioning the misinformation filled, over-hyped cotton candy television that is Shark Week. I’ve spent quite a bit of time underwater with sharks, and the past several seasons of Shark Week have been so bad, I can’t even watch.  The Animal Planet series Tanked is now in its eighth season, and follows the exploits of Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM) of Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its inception, the show has gotten mixed reviews from aquarists. Some have panned the series, saying it offers no real information about marine fish keeping, and creates a less than realistic picture of aquarium husbandry. Others seem to chalk it up to fun and games, admitting they find it semi-entertaining. For me, Tanked is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Damage is piling up, bits and pieces of train are flying off and striking vehicles, the vehicles are blowing up, chaos is breaking loose in all directions. Not only is the show outrageously corny and full of stereotypical innuendos, it’s dangerous. It creates an image of reef aquariums as nothing but toys for the rich and famous, great big plastic boxes full of fish, which you plop in on a whim, oohing and awing as they stress out, suddenly placed in an unfamiliar captive environment. The aquarium systems created on Tanks are impressive, but bare little to no resemblance to natural reef ecosystems. Some include televisions under the water, while others recreate man made spectacles that undermine the incredible natural beauty of a coral reef. If this is what many conservationists see when they think of a marine aquarium, no wonder they are pushing to shut the hobby down in. My assumption is that somewhere at ATM, actual thought, testing and research is placed into these large aquatic displays, though it makes me nervous that a company that installs pool panels, is also creating and stocking a marine aquarium.… More:

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Along with an international team, researchers from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science simulated the impacts of elevated CO2 levels (and associated decrease in PH aka ocean acidification) on the calcification rates of Eunica fusca, a species of soft coral known as gorgonians. Ranging through the Caribbean from the Gulf of Mexico, to the Bahamas, frags of Eunica fusca were collected and subjected to mid and high levels of CO2 concentration allowing researchers to “suggest that gorgonian coral may be more resilient than other reef-dwelling species to the ocean acidification changes that are expected to occur in the oceans as a result of climate change,” said Chris Langdon, UM Rosenstiel Professor and Director of the Coral Reefs and Climate Change Laboratory. “These findings will allow us to better predict the future composition of coral reef communities under the current “business-as-usual scenario” added Professor Langdon. Read more here!… More:

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