Australian collectors are increasingly joining the charge to conserve coral reefs. While the Queensland based coral collector Inter-Fish Pty Ltd (australiancorals.com.au) is a quiet achiever of the Australian coral collection industry, they just could not help but share their good news.
Inter-Fish很高兴地宣布，今年他们很幸运地见证了多个珊瑚种类，包括长期持有的物品，并于今年11月初大规模地在其持有系统中自发产卵。Inter-Fish的科学家说：“我们一年四季都在努力调整我们的水质，稳定性，并根据科学和内部研究开发珊瑚饮食。看到我们的珊瑚对我们的牲畜健康和产卵实践的明确而积极的反应真是令人满意。”
But it doesn’t end there; Capitalizing on the spontaneous spawning show, Inter-Fish were able to collect gametes and fertilize eggs from five different large polyp stony (LPS) coral varieties that are popular in our trade. This includes Micromussa (commonly referred to as Acanthastrea) lordhowensis, Euphyllia ancora, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, Heliofungia actiniformis and a species of Favia. So far they have seen successful settlement in three of the species collected and are anticipating the other two species to settle soon, with motile planula showing clear pre-settlement behaviours.
According to the coral husbandry and spawning team, Inter-Fish have jumped a big hurdle, however, the next big hurdle is yet to come – growout. In the wild this period presents a huge battle for newly settled corals, being faced with many daily risks and pressures, not least of them predation and competition. While captive conditions are more controlled and many risks normally faced in the wild are eliminated, settled larvae will be at their most sensitive in the next 6 months. So, the team will have to work extra hard to care for them through this phase.
在我们讲话时，经验丰富的产卵和畜牧团队正在照顾其余的两个物种。希望进一步的开发报告将很快到达，并继续关注以后的更新。无论发生什么，这都是澳大利亚珊瑚收藏家对礁石保护的另一个伟大而激动人心的成就。
