Another common misconception is that corals are plants since they are attached to the seafloor. However, unlike rocks, corals are alive. And unlike plants, they do not make their own food. Corals are in fact animals. The colony is formed by a process called budding, which is where the original polyp literally grows copies of itself. Polyps are usually tiny, but they can range in size from a pinhead to 12 inches 30 cm in diameter.
Each polyp is like a tin can open at just one end: the open end has a mouth surrounded by a ring of stinging tentacles. These tentacles allow the coral polyp to capture small organisms that swim close by. Inside the body of the polyp are digestive and reproductive tissues. Credit: Jayne Jenkins. They live only in the photic zone above 50 m , the depth to which sufficient sunlight penetrates the water.
Coral polyps do not photosynthesize but have a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae, commonly referred to as zooxanthellae. These organisms live within the polyps' tissues and supply the coral with organic products of photosynthesis, including glucose, glycerol, and amino acids.
Needless to say, walking or standing on coral will kill the living coral polyps that are the builders of the reef structure. So, as a rule, never stand on coral to adjust mask. Swim well and clear of the reef and kick to keep head out without the possibility of kicking the reef, or search for a sandy or coral free shallow place to stand.
You can also protect coral reefs from just about anywhere in the world. Here are five ways to help:. Walk, bike or ride the bus. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread destruction of reefs.
Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products flow into the water system, pollute the ocean, and can harm coral reefs and marine life. Any kind of litter will harm the reef and the fish. When you travel, ask your dive or snorkeling operators how they protect the reef.
So far I have yet to kill any of my corals by touching them. Find More Posts by cdangel0. Yeah that is what I thought. What kind of thank do you keep it in? I have tried brackish but not with any luck. You obviously had a much more enlightened dive class than I did. I would say that its most likely conservationists propaganda passed down from a time when this was believed to be true, and in the process saving many doomed frags that now have a second chance at life because thousands of people barely competent enough to operate their dive gear are afraid of killing the reefs by touching them.
Thus concluding my take on the "A reef will die if you touch it" speech all dive schools give during the safety class. Find More Posts by Brisc0. Brisc0, I took my dive classes in Licking MO. They are very enlightening. I have given some stuff away and sold some stuff to a few of the members, seem like nice people. I am heading up to Columbia today for and overnighter and I'll hop down there and post when I get home. Take care. It is a green spotted puffer - I kept it in a FW tank as a juvenile and moved it to my SW tank as it grew.
Just a slow acclimation and away it went - was my favorite fish for a very long time, then became a bully - then jumped to his death a few months ago. How did you do with corals?
I know it would eat any inverts but did it also eat your corals? It never touched a coral - ate snails when I tried to add them but never went near any coral. I do remember it taking a couple bites out of the feather dusters tube - but that was only once and never did it again. I believe the reason they don't want you to 'touch' the coral is people might get stung. It's a liability thing.
Find More Posts by drummereef. Coral can also be more fragile than it looks. Anchoring on corals or in a seagrass bed will cause damage. Learning more about the corals and marine life you encounter on vacation is easy and fun.
A quick visit to a local dive shop, marine park center or aquarium will put you in touch with knowledgeable experts with more information about corals, the marine life they support and how you can help conserve them. Your hotel or cruise may also have additional resources. Access the archive of featured stories here Please take our website satisfaction survey.
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