Coral Reef Exhibit

The 180 gallon reef display was designed and constructed by members of the Southern Tier Reef Society. The display is designed to provide a representation of the diversity of life that inhabits the tropical coral reefs specific to the Indo-Pacific regions including Hawaii, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Micronesia, etc. Wherever possible, tank-bred or captive-raised fish, corals and invertebrates were used. In fact, 100% of the corals in this tank were grown and donated by the local reef keepers of the Southern Tier Reef Society. Even most of the rock was produced by the reef club. Thus, the display exerted almost zero impact on the world’s natural reefs.

Coral Reefs are large underwater structures composed of aragonite which are the accumulation of thousands of years of skeletal remains of stony corals that excrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate (similar to limestone). These massive formations support the living corals (cnidarians) and a tremendous variety of other organisms including all the various invertebrates and fish. Coral reefs are found in warm and shallow areas of the ocean and span the globe in the zone from 30 degrees N to 30 degrees S of the equator.

Corals are essentially composed of large numbers of polyps. These polyps are generally incapable of producing their own food but rely on their embedded Zooxanthellae. These are single celled algae that produce nutrients for the polyps via photosynthesis. The coral polyps have a symbiotic relationship with their embedded algae and cannot survive without them.

The Zoo display contains examples of three of the major forms of corals: the hard stony corals also known as small polyp stony corals (SPS) that build the reefs through their calcium carbonate skeletal remains, large polyp stony corals (LPS) that have much larger fleshy polyps, and soft corals including "leather" corals, xenias, mushroom polyps, and button polyps (zoanthids). In addition, the display contains a variety of invertebrates including shrimp, starfish, hermit crabs, snails, worms, and many other "cryptic' organisms, many of which are barely visible to the naked eye. Then, of course, there are the fish. Our display features three species of tangs including the Blue or Regal Tang made famous by the character "Dory" from Finding Nemo. Tangs are extremely beautiful and active fish. They are all characterized by a sharp barb directly anterior to their tail fin which they use for defensive purposes. The display also contains two species of clownfish including the famous "Nemo" which was based on the Ocellaris clownfish. The tank also exhibits chromis, blennies, gobies, and wrasses.

The reef is still in its early phase of development. Visitors may find it interesting to watch the corals grow and colonize the rockwork over time just as would a natural reef.

The coral reef donation project was made possible by the generous contributions of equipment by several aquatic equipment manufacturers and distributors around the country.

It is our hope that through the development of educational materials, seminars, and demonstrations, this display will inform visitors about the current status of coral reefs around the globe and enlighten the public regarding the threats to the survival of these mesmerizing habitats.