Corals

Corals are so cool to me. You wouldn’t think they are alive because of the way they look, but they are all animals. We have quite a few corals in our tank and they make it look awesome. There are 3 types of corals which are Perforate, Hermatypic, and Ahermatypic.

They are marine organisms in the class Anthozoa and they typically live in compact colonies of many individual polyps. A coral “head” is a colony of genetically identical polyps. Each polyp is a spineless animal typically only a few millimeters in diameter and a few centimeters in length. A set of tentacles surround a central mouth opening. An exoskeleton is excreted near the base. Over many years, the colony then creates a large skeleton that is characteristic of the species. Polyps and corals multiply, and they grow bigger and bigger.

            A coral gets the majority of their energy and nutrients from algae called zooxanthellae that live within the coral’s tissue. However, corals can also catch small fish and plankton, using stinging cells on their tentacles. Most corals require some sunlight and grow in clear, shallow water, usually at depths shallower than 200 ft. Other Corals do not have associated algae and can live in much deeper water. Some can even survive in water as deep as 9,800 feet.

Corals are huge contributions to tropics and subtropical waters, such as the Great Barrier Reef. They come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. I have put some pictures together to show you how cool they really are.

The Lion Fish

I always thought this was a pretty cool fish. We could never have one in our tank because it would kill all the other fish including our shrimp. It’s called the lion fish. This fish shoots venom out of its needle-like dorsal fins purely out of defense. It relies on camouflage and lightning-fast reflexes to capture prey, mainly fish and shrimp. It will often spread its pectoral fins and herd small fish into a confined area where it can more easily swallow them.  A sting from a lionfish is extremely painful to humans and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal. However, if it were to sting a fish, the fish would die.

The lion fish is native to the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific. The largest a lionfish can grow is about 15 inches but the average is about a foot. They are even popular as food in some parts of the world, but are far more popular in an aquarium.

The Great Barrier Reef

My dream one day is to visit The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching over 1,600 miles, over an area of approximately 133,000 miles. It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland In north-east Australia.

The reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. The reef structure is composed of the billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. This reef supports a wide diversity of life, including vulnerable and endangered species. It makes a great home for many fish.

Here is just some of the life that abides in the Great Barrier Reef: 30 species of whales, 6 species of sea turtles, salt water crocodiles, dolphins, porpoises, stingrays, 125 species of sharks, 49 species of pipefish, 9 species of seahorses, etc.

All of the pictures i have posted so far are of the Great Barrier Reef.

My love for salt water

I chose to blog about the world that lies under the ocean because I find it fascinating and thought it would be a great topic. I first got into salt water fish when my family and I went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay in Hawaii. I was in 7th grade at the time and thought it was the coolest thing I had ever done. The fish were so beautiful; there were so many different creatures, so many colors, so many different looking corals, etc. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Ever since then I have always wanted to go back.

Also, when I first met my boyfriend he introduced me to his salt water fish tank. Although they can be expensive to keep up, and the fish and corals aren’t cheap, they are very nice to have. We still have it in our house and we love it. We love to sit in front of it and watch it from time to time. It’s interesting to see how corals and fish live together and how it all works. It’s like having a small piece of the ocean in your living room.