Corals are fragile skeletons of coral polyps, an expensive raw material for jewelry and souvenirs. In many countries where corals grow off the coast, exporting them abroad is prohibited. Scientists predict that by the beginning of the next century, most of the coral reefs may disappear from the face of the Earth.
Instructions
Step 1
To begin with, it is almost impossible to grow corals at home. Coral cultivation in natural conditions is practiced on special underwater farms, for example, in Indonesia in Bali, in Thailand on the island of Ko Samet and in many other tropical countries.
Step 2
Corals reproduce very slowly. In many species, breeding occurs once a year - in the spring during the full moon. Coastal waters become thick and sticky from the many larvae (planules) of coral polyps, which then settle on the reef and begin to build new colonies.
Step 3
Coral reefs grow unevenly. Somewhere a reef can add 20 cm in a year, while another does not have time to overgrow the resulting holes. To help the reefs recover from collisions with tourists or boats, scientists collect planula and seed the destroyed areas with them.
Step 4
Collecting larvae in the sea is not difficult. But it is not easy to grow them in the laboratory. Dr. Andrew Hayward, a biologist at the Marine Research Institute in Dampier, Australia, has managed to get 5-10% of the coral embryos harvested to mature in his nursery. The hatched larvae are settled on artificial brick reefs. There they take root better than on the old, corroded natural reefs.
Step 5
German architect, Professor Wolf Hilberz, came up with a different way of growing corals. A wire is attached to the buoys with a source of electricity. It quickly becomes crusty with brucite and calcium carbonate, which contain magnesium and calcium. On this basis, corals and molluscs easily multiply.
Step 6
In Thailand, since 2005, corals have been grown in PVC tubes, which are submerged to a depth of 4-5 meters. Corals grow 20-30 cm per year and have beautiful spreading branches.
Step 7
If you want to have a coral in your aquarium, you need to contact a specialized company. Corals grown in the sea, firstly, are more difficult to get, and secondly, they require more care and are less likely to take root in an artificial environment. For aquariums, purchase aquarium-reared corals.
