Energetic-physiological Competition
Each battle in the war for reef turf ends in one of four ways:
- The losing coral is killed or overgrown by the dominant coral.
- The losing coral is killed by algae overgrowth or disease.
- In a stand-off with neither coral winning.
- The result of the battle is reversed over time.
With all of these corals emitting all of these toxins, how can there be any corals left alive in the ocean? Simple: Dilution. The ocean is so big that the emitted toxins are spread over a very large area, diminishing their effectiveness. The corals' defense mechanisms and ability to heal, grow and reproduce are also essential for survival.
Unfortunately, due to their size, most aquariums do not have the ability to dilute the toxins as well as the oceans. Whatever toxins that are emitted in an aquarium circulate in the water currents until they land and stick to something (i.e. another coral, a fish). The smaller the aquarium, the more concentrated the toxins will become. See 1 to 15 Gallon Reef Tank Photos to view successful mini or nano reef tanks.
So how do your rid your aquarium of these wandering toxins? Activated carbon and ion exchange resins work well in removing a great number of these substances. One would think that foam fractionation (skimming) would remove them also, but the level of effectiveness of this method has yet to be established.
If you have all of these toxins flying around an aquarium, poisoning everything in sight, how do you possibly maintain healthy corals in an aquarium? To begin with, be aware of which corals have the greatest potential for emitting toxins.
Corals can be toxic to the fish in your tank, too. Could your corals be emitting toxins which are affecting your fish?
