Tip of the Day – 10/12/2011

Even though a coral may look beautiful when viewed from the front of the aquarium, something sinister and potentially deadly could be lurking on the opposite side, completely out of the reef keeper’s view. A bit melodramatic perhaps, but it’s the areas in our aquarium that we don’t see that cause a significant amount of problems. A vermetid snail or slowly bleaching portion of a coral could be sitting just out of view, and the hobbyist wouldn’t be wise to its presence until it was too late. If a frag or coral is not permanently attached to the rock structure, take it out from time to time and give it a good once over. For larger corals, turn the pumps off and try to look down on the corals from above. Being vigilant in your inspection might prevent you from losing your favorite coral colony or at least experiencing an out of control pest problem.