October 5, 2013 by clarice
An event that happens just once a year yet results in hundreds of thousands of babies. Imagine have just one such happening to produce all the offspring you could ever want! That’s the annual spawning of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other corals off the Florida Keys.
For just a short period of time each year, by a phase of the moon, thirty thousand coral colonies or more are synced-up and driven to reproduce. This happens in August or September, usually just a few days after a full moon.
Now that type of baby making is enough to stir the envy of any mom, Octo or otherwise! Granted, there’s not the same type of physical interaction mammals have, making babies in the animal world. There’s no dating or marriage, nor ongoing obligations. More »
There has been a strange sense of romance across reef dwelling animals of late, with reports of very large spawning events we do believe, love is in the air. It seems a few people have taken on some interesting breeding projects, including this one by Rich Ross, the Dr. Seuss Soapfish Belonoperca pylei. Rich reports that the fish are sleeping together and fingers are still crossed for no bad behavior between them. Stay tuned for further updates and see our next post on the frisky lightning maroon clownfish.
Uploaded on Aug 17, 2010
Coral anatomy lesson. A coral’s mouth and anus are the same thing. The amazing manus!
ReefStock All-Stars “Manus”
Produced by Justin Credabel
Lyrics by Justin Credabel, Gresham Hendee, Scott Fellman, Michelle Lemech, Rich Ross, and Dr. Paul Whitby
Keeping Sepia bandensis
Keeping Sepia bandensis – The Dwarf Cuttlefish
Introduction
I’ve long considered myself a “fish guy,” but after a month working with Sepia bandensis, the Dwarf Cuttlefish, I must admit I’ve never seen, let alone kept, a more amazing marine animal than this remarkable mollusk. Despite its name, this little critter is not a fish at all but a cephalopod, closely related to octopus and squid. They’ve been described by cuttle pioneer Richard Ross of the Steinhart Aquarium as looking like little UFO’s zipping around the tank. And of all the animals that may be kept in tropical saltwater aquaria, Sepia bandensis is a most fascinating and rewarding species in so many different ways. They are visually stunning animals with the ability to change color, pattern and texture in the blink of an eye. They are perfect predators, like tiny raptors of the sea as they swoop down and snag their prey with their lightening-fast feeding tentacles. They are intelligent, interacting with their keeper and each other in subtle and dramatic ways. And at only 3-4″ long when mature, they’re small enough to make housing them a real possibility for expert hobbyists as well as public aquariums. More »
