Bleached Corals in the Philippines

Some sad news from the Indo-Pacific region. According to Philippine Daily Inquirer, scientists have been following a massive bleaching event taking place all over the reefs surrounding the Philippines. The reason for the bleaching has been blamed on elevated water temperatures, a very common reef killer. Once pristine areas are turning into white reefs, completely devoid of life. Some areas have even experienced bleaching on the scale of “50-75 percent” of the corals.

Scientists in the Philippines are estimating that this bleaching event could exceed the damage done by a similar event in 1998. Both this event and the one that occurred in ’98 happened during the El Nino cycles and have caused millions of dollars in damages to the tourism and fishery industries. And although the most recent El Nino event has already come and gone, the waters surrounding the Philippines is still warm. Many speculate that this is due to a lack of typhoons in the area.

See below for information on why bleaching occurs, as well as how Philippine researchers are trying to raise awareness.

Bleached Reef in the Philippines

Elevated water temperatures, the proposed cause of this particular bleaching event, forces zooxanthella (simple algae living in coral tissues) to either die or leave the coral. This algae, which gives the coral its color, is responsible for a huge percentage of a coral’s daily nutritional intake. Up to 95% of a coral’s food is derived from this photosynthetic algae. If the warming event is short lived, the zooxanthellae could return and the coral could survive. However, if the event is too long, like what is currently going on in the Philippines, the coral will eventually starve.

To help raise awareness for the bleaching events in the Philippines, a Facebook group called Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch has been established. I encourage you to at least visit this page and scroll through some of the photos. They are very chilling to say the least.

ORA Acropora Solitaryensis

Just in time for MACNA, ORA has announced that they will be releasing a brand new coral…the ORA Acropora solitaryensis. This coral has apparently taken several years to develop before ORA was ready to take it public. A. solitaryensis is a notoriously slow grower, but it more than makes up for that with its beauty. A personal favorite, this coral grows in table form, often creating several layers. It’s certainly a move away from the typical branching Acros.

The coral above may not appear very striking to some, but keep in mind that the picture was taken under natural sunlight. Under appropriate lighting, this coral will develop a greenish tan base, with purple tipped branches and green polyps.

Here’s the official news release from ORA:

This month ORA is proud to introduce the ORA Solitaryensis. The base color is a greenish tan and branch tips are light purple with striking green polyps. Branches grow horizontally and fuse together forming a solid plate in the center of the colony with new growth remaining separated. As the colony ages, it grows into multiple layers of horizontal plates. This Acropora is extremely slow growing and after many years of working with it we are happy to be releasing this splendid coral to the public. Frags are approximately 1” and well encrusted on plastic plug.

Harlequin Filefish Eating Instand Ocean Gel Food

The beautiful Harlequin filefish are very difficult to care for. They primarily feed on Acropora polyps, but with proper attention and trial and error, they may eventually take prepared foods. Obviously this filefish isn’t reef safe, but it seems that SPS keepers are the primary owners of these fish. This may be for the obvious reason that you have to have a steady supply of food for the filefish, but it also might be because the “colored stick” keepers want a challenge or simply think the fish is very unique.

Case in point, Eric Borneman, a very well known author and a good friend of mine, fell in love with the Harlequin Filefish when he gave an identification workshop at a fish store where I was working. Eric let the filefish loose in one of his reef tanks and watched in amazement at this fish’s behavior. He told me the fish seemed to prefer one or two colonies and that it wasn’t a voracious eater. The corals were obviously not too pleased with the new resident, but there didn’t seem to be any tissue loss or death. Additionally, the filefish would take up residence in the branches of the larger Acro colonies at night, further adding to the fish’s intrigue.

Green Hammer Coral

I have noticed on a few occasions, several hobbyists using Photoshop and other photo editing/enhancing software to make their corals and fish appear more beautiful or more attractive. Some of these enhancements were meaningless, as the hobbyist was merely showing off pictures of their tanks and the image wasn’t significantly enhanced. However, some of the color enhanced photos made their way into posts in which livestock is being sold. I’m all for getting the most out of your pictures, but enhancing your photos in order to sell livestock is just flat out wrong.

Most photo editing is required because the camera user not being able to capture a coral’s true coloration. Other editing is required when an unwanted fish cruises into your perfect shot and needs to be cut out. Some photographers like to add watermarks or other forms of branding. All of these are fine for the most part, but this is where it should stop. I’ve seen people alter Picasso clownfish pictures to make their patterns more extreme. I’ve also seen some corals that are already receiving a heavy coating of actinic lighting get a little Photoshop help.

A word of warning, if you get caught altering images in a way that significantly changes the old image, you will lose a lot of credibility on whatever forum your images are being plastered on. Most people don’t like to be duped and this is an easy way to upset a lot of people. Be open and honest with your photography and it will pay off.

Continue reading for tips on how to spot altered images and fakes.

Green Zoanthids

I’m not an image editing pro, but from what I hear, the best way to tell if an image has been truly altered will require photo editing software of your own. Assuming you are skilled, you should be able to remove any edits to get to the real picture. You can also invert the colors of the image to find any signs of forgery or fraud. If you’re like me and not an expert in photo editing, you can simply look for a few tell tale signs. Images that appear too good to be true usually are. Also, look for weird things on the photo, such as blurred pixels or things not lining up. Look for the little things and be somewhat skeptical when viewing things online.

I have maybe altered one or two photos, and those were with Microsoft’s Paint application. I don’t own Photoshop and I find it hard to actually get time to really tinker with it. I frequently crop and resize pictures to upload here on the AquaNerd Blog, but other than that it’s what you see is what you get. I let the camera do all of the talking, though most of the time nobody wants to listen to what it says. That’s why I have to take a hundred pictures to get an acceptable one.

Acropora Granulosa Up Close

Pictured this week is a macro shot of an Acropora granulosa. This coral is extremely pretty, but there’s an issue with the coral in this picture. Can anyone spot it? I’ll give you a hint, it’s very tiny and is not desirable to have on an Acro coral. Click on the image and then zoom in to get a better look. You should see what I’m talking about. If nobody has guess it correctly in a week, I’ll spill the beans.

Plating Montipora Capricornis

Have you ever noticed that some corals grow upwards instead of outwards? A deepwater Acropora grows in a plating structure in your friend’s tank, but the branches begin to curl up in yours. The reason you’re experiencing this is probably due to your lighting. No, your lighting probably isn’t too weak. Instead, the change in growth comes from just the opposite. Your friend’s reef might have more subdued lighting, perhaps T5HO or a lower wattage of metal halide lighting. If you have metal halides, or anything significantly more intense than the lighting from which the coral came from, the coral will begin to grow upward. Believe it or not, corals can be exposed to too much light. When they do encounter more intense lighting, they adapt by growing straight up. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the coral does this so as to decrease the surface area and the amount of tissue exposed. Corals found in lower light levels grow outward, maximizing the usable surface area.

Continue reading below for before and after pictures, as well as some comparisons between growth forms and depth at which corals are naturally found.

Scripp's Acropora and A. Tenius

If you think about the depths at which certain corals are found, it will make more sense. Plating Montipora corals are typically found in deeper water, or at least in areas where the waters are more turbid and allow less light in. Acropora corals, on the other hand, can be found in very shallow waters. Acros are typically exposed to more light and will therefore exhibit a branching growth patter. Some of the branches can be quite thin and elongate, while others are shorter and thicker. More factors, such as water flow and available nutrients, certainly come into play, but light intensity can greatly influence coral growth in terms of shape.

Before and After Shots

Orange Montipora Capricornis Growing Under T5HO

Same Monti as above, but growing under metal halides

Please keep in mind that several generalizations were made in this article. Not all corals follow these patterns, though many deepwater corals that get exposed to intense lighting do grow in a more vertical, branching fashion. Additionally, corals can become acclimated to the more intense light and resume growth in a more normal manner. This especially holds true for aquacultured corals. Also keep in mind that soft corals will behave differently. When exposed to lower light levels, the soft corals might “reach” for the light in an attempt to increase their exposure.

The AquaNerd Photo Book

I was browsing the thousands of photos I’ve taken over the past few years and I decided to try make something of them. Recalling a photobook a friend had given my wife for our wedding, I decided to a photobook of my own. This book will not feature pictures of my wife and I, much to the dismay of the misses. Instead, the photobook will focus on saltwater fish and corals. The project is just getting started, but I’ve got around 90 pictures gathered up and the layout is currently being hammered out. If all goes well, this book might become available to purchase, but I can’t promise anything. I’m assuming the book will be 20+ pages, and the more images I can take (or get a hold of) the better. Above is an example of the cover of the book. Again, this project is in the early stages and the book cover above might not end up as the actual cover when all is said and done.

Would you like to contribute images to the AquaNerd Photobook? Simply EMAIL US a high resolution image (the higher the resolution the better), as well as your real name and other contact information. We will review all the pictures we receive, and if your image is selected, it will be featured in the book. Your name will accompany the image (in the caption) as well.

SPS Dominated Display Reef Aquarium

You can’t judge a local fish store by its exterior appearance, but you can certainly do so by its display aquariums. I visited a few local aquarium stores very recently and I was exposed to both ends of the aquarium spectrum. On the one hand, I was blown away with a couple of very mature reef tanks, full of huge colonies of Acropora corals, chalices, and healthy looking fish. On the other hand, I found tanks that could barely classify as reef aquariums and they contained algae overgrowth and parasites. I realize some aqurium issues are hard to avoid, but when a display tank is overgrown with algae and full of fish that you know shouldn’t be together, you might want to turn around and walk out the door. A display aquarium is supposed to show off what all of the hard work and dedication in this hobby will get you. It’s not supposed to be neglected and a display of store’s incompetence.

Display Aquarium with Algae at LFS

When visiting any fish store, be sure to play close attention to their fish and corals. Don’t just look for the livestock you want, but look at everything. Check for visible parasites, or their aftermath. For example, Acro Eating Flatworms (AEFW) leave a very distinct path of destruction. The worms are nearly invisible, but they leave small white circular marks on the spots where they were feeding. Other parasites are not so noticeable. Red bugs for instance are very tiny and don’t leave any significant tell tale signs of their presence. You just have to very closely inspect the corals before making your purchase.

Display Aquarium with Algae

Fish might be a little more difficult to diagnose prior to their purchase. Many fish can have parasites that are internal, or haven’t exhibited an external form yet. Ich is a notorious parasite in the aquarium world and it has several life stages. One of these stages is a highly visible cyst that can usually be found on the fins and body of any marine fish. However, it also has a free-swimming form that is invisible to the naked eye. How do you know you haven’t picked up a fish parasite? Well, you honestly don’t. But you can select healthy looking fish from a store that appears disease and parasite free.

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If you would like to submit pictures to the AquaNerd Blog, simply email us and we’ll display them on our Photo Gallery.