NEWS105
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t cannot be repeatedoften enough: 30
years ago the successful maintenance
of stony corals in the aquarium was
regarded as practically impossible, yet
nowadayswe areevenpropagating them
in the aquarium! The real breakthrough
cameabout thanks to technical advances.
In particular current pumps nowadays
have a very high output but are
simultaneously
energy-saving
and
produce little heat. Developments in the
field of lighting have also made the
maintenance of corals possible, as stony
corals live in symbiosis with algae.
I
Euphylliaancora
The abbreviation LPS is short for Large-Polyp Stony Coral or Large-
Polyped Scleractinian, while by the same token SPS is short for Small-
PolypStonyCoral (or Scleractinian). Anumberofgorgeous speciesof LPS
have recentlybeen imported fromAustralia.
LPS fromAustralia
byMatthiasReising
Moreover thesealgaehaveaconsiderable
effect on the colorfulness of the corals.
These algae also require light of a
particular strength and composition in
order to surviveand feed theirhost corals.
But the real breakthrough came with
reverse osmosis, which permits the
production of what is almost distilled
water economically at home. Because the
amount of phosphate and nitrate in our
drinkingwater is sometimes so high that
it cannot be used for the preparation of
the seawater inwhich stony corals are to
bemaintained.
LPSdon’t like it as bright
Unlike many small-polyp stony corals,
numerous large-polyp species live in
somewhat deeper water, at a depth of
around 10-20 meters. Here it is still very
light, as the water on coral reefs is
Marines
