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Most of the corals that are very obviously visible are around the side pane (Buddha window?) and not in the front viewing pane. There are some pretty nice acans and what not near the bottom, and there's quite a few others that were not there the last I was there. As Gresham said in terms of size of tank vs # of corals there really isn't much, however that's a result of the huge size. It by no means is a fully integrated coral reef like you'd imagine scuba diving in ... yet.

Thankfully the aquarium isn't simply putting orders out for huge corals to be shipped in just to give it that full look. However much like we hobbyists do, we build our reefs in a reverse fashion of what nature does, we tend to put fish in first, then the corals grow in later (often much later).

Also remember nothing magical happens to coral growth just because the tank is large, if an acro grows 4" a year in your tank, it'll grow around 4" a year in a big tank (depending upon conditions obviously, but my point is you don't get any more rapid growth because there's more room). Now imagine 4" of growth when your tank is 24 inches tall vs 24 feet tall! It's not terribly hard to realize that same coral won't look nearly as impressive in a larger tank.

BTW, I went yesterday so I still have some of it fresh in my mind.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Most of the corals that are very obviously visible are around the side pane (Buddha window?) and not in the front viewing pane. There are some pretty nice acans and what not near the bottom, and there's quite a few others that were not there the last I was there. As Gresham said in terms of size of tank vs # of corals there really isn't much, however that's a result of the huge size. It by no means is a fully integrated coral reef like you'd imagine scuba diving in ... yet.

Thankfully the aquarium isn't simply putting orders out for huge corals to be shipped in just to give it that full look. However much like we hobbyists do, we build our reefs in a reverse fashion of what nature does, we tend to put fish in first, then the corals grow in later (often much later).

Also remember nothing magical happens to coral growth just because the tank is large, if an acro grows 4" a year in your tank, it'll grow around 4" a year in a big tank (depending upon conditions obviously, but my point is you don't get any more rapid growth because there's more room). Now imagine 4" of growth when your tank is 24 inches tall vs 24 feet tall! It's not terribly hard to realize that same coral won't look nearly as impressive in a larger tank.

BTW, I went yesterday so I still have some of it fresh in my mind.
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So we better start donating our "too big for our tank" corals! Even if they are giant brown toadstools, or a GSP encrusted basketball.

V
 
Hehe V, yeah I sent Rich home after the swap with one of those old 7g salt buckets with I think 5-6 corals in it, and the bucket was full to the brim :D
 
Mike, thanks for the response about the big tank! The tank is just over year old, we think the tank is now past 'new tank syndrome' and some acans are now growing. We are also proud that we have not bought a single wild coral for the tank (though we do get confiscations from time to time). No one has done a closed captive reef this big, so we are taking out time. Making changes to a volume this large is like steering an oil tanker, and a quick decision now can precipitate a big problem a in a year.
That said, with recent additions, I think the tank is starting to look more like a reef than a FO, and I hope the trend continues!
 
Geese another post?

We are always looking for colonies of corals - even the easy stuff that is hard to give away in the club. While we cant offer anything for the corals, bragging rights regarding your corals in the aquarium are pretty good. :D

If you have something, shoot me an email rross@calacademy.org.

Thanks to everyone that has already donated!
 
I love the big tank, it inspires me and allows me to use my imanagane as to what it will look like in the future with huge monti caps and acro colonies. I also like it cuz I take my kids there and when they get older and take there kids there they will remember what it looked like before everything grew in, and give them a better idea of what happens with corals reefs in the wild.


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They look captivated Roc. I remember most my trips to aquariums as a kid :D
 
GreshamH said:
They look captivated Roc. I remember most my trips to aquariums as a kid :D
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Me too, and I remember Stienhart before the revamping, actualy every time I look at the alligator pit it brings me back.

All my children LOVE the aquairum, it's the main reason we go.
 
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