[Coral-List] [SPAM] coral feeding questions

[delbeek at waquarium.org]

Zac Forsman <zforsman2001 at yahoo.com.au> said:

> Great comments Charles!
> 
>   -I have one question though: the tanks at the
> Waikiki Aquarium all have live rock/sand/gravel. 
> Might these serve as refugia for populations of all
> kinds of micro organisms that the corals could feed
> on?  Increased nutrients might be used by the coral..
> but they could also cause a bottom up trophic cascade
> that benefit the coral.  Might also increase the
> detritus or 'marine snow' in the tank.

That is entirely possible but then given the surface area of coral to volume
of the systems, that is a pretty dense accumulation of mouths in a small space
.. I doubt there could be enough plankton generated ... put that is just a
gut feeling based on no data at all. :-)

Also, I only claimed that there was no plankton in the incoming water and that
we don't ADD any food to the tank in an attempt to feed the corals.

Aloha!

-- 
J. Charles Delbeek
Aquarium Biologist III
Waikiki Aquarium
2777 Kalakaua Ave.
Honolulu, HI, 96815

(808)923-9741