Reef Aquarium Pictures

These images and text are from Steve Tyree:

• eccls1.gif Closeup of an unidentified encrusting coral.
• eccls2.gif Closeup of a fragment from the parent encrusting coral seen in ECCLS1.GIF. This frag has grown into the small coralline rock which it is resting on. The column growth form has recently develop- ed.
• encrust1.gif This encrusting coral was originally colored brown. Since it was moved closer to the main reef lighting the color has turned bluish in certain araes. New polyp tentacles are very small and orange colored. This coral has yet to be properly identified. Two seperate colonies are shown. The small section on the right was held to a small coralline encrusting rock with a rubber band. The coral has now cemented itself to this rock and is overgrowing it. Note the possible start of a column or branch.
• flamex3.gif This is a photo of a left section of the reef. The pvc elevated matrix is visible. The interesting visual in this photo is that all three Centropyge loriculus or Flame Angelfish were captured within the frame. The larger fish is the male and he spawns every nite with both smaller females. This results in the release of hundreds of eggs which the Anthias ventralis ventralis eat very quickly. The fuzzy green metalic mushroom from the FUZMUSH.GIF photo is visible in the upper right section. This is the current location for this specimen.
• fuzmush.gif This photo is a closeup of the fuzzy green metallic mushroom which has released at least 2 bundles of pink planulae (coral larvae). This planulae were able to with cilia a few minutes after the bundle fell apart.

• gorgspa1.gif Section of original scanned photo. Main water current is from right to left. Note strings of eggs.
• gorgspa2.gif Closeup of small area of main photo. Shows polyp egg bundles.
• gorgspa3.gif Closeup of small area of main photo. Shows polyp egg bundles.
• gorgspa4.gif Closeup of small section of main photo. Shows egg strings.

• gorsp3.gif This is another closeup of loose egg bundle setting in a Gorgonian sp.. This particular specimen was a female due to lack of egg fertilization.
• gorsp4.gif This is a closeup of loose egg bundles leaving ploypsvia a mucus string. This mucus had a very powerful smell which could be noticed whenever spawning was occuring. Notice string of eggs. Eggs were collected via a syringe which pulled in entire strings. Breaking the mucus strand was a little difficult sometimes.

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• hambmag2.gif
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• hmbudcl2.gif Macro close up of a new branch growing from a _Euphyllia ancora_ species. The tentacles minature hammer type heads.

• juvgonfg.gif The small Goniopora sp. in the left center was grown in the reef via a budding growth from a larger (parent) G. sp.. In this photo the juvenile is 11-1/2 months old and doing well. Also two Fungia sp. coral have just recently been purchased. I am hoping that they are of opposite sexes due to the fact that these corals tend to be gonochoric. Since this photo, the tentacles on these corals extend out 1/2 during the day and all the way during the night. The pink color is increasing due to the fact that they are located right under a metal halide bulb. I beleive this color is a natural pigment.
• lcorline.gif This is a photo of the inside glass on the left end of the reef. I hope that by the end of the year the entire inside of the left end acrylic will be completely encrusted.
• leather1.gif Macro shot of fingers of an _Sarcophyton sp._ which has been in captivity in this reef for over a year. Note the well formed white polyps. The strange bumps on the fingers have not been completely defined in literature.
• leftcen.gif This photo is centered on the border between the left 1/3 and the center 1/3 of the reef. The large Goniopora sp. is the parent for the G. sp. juvenile in the JUVCONFG.GIF photo. AT the time of the photo the parent was 1 year 11 months old. The hammer coral and large green mushroom in the upper left have both sexually spawned in this reef tank.
• leftreef.gif This is the left end of my reef. In the photo is a pink tipped elegance coral, 2 plate corals, soft corals and a possible Favites sp. stony coral. This was the last section of pvc to be installed and less coralline encrustation can be found.

• planula2.gif Closeup photo of a coral planulae that appeared to be released from an elegance coral. This is the best the camera setup I had loaned, could do. Planula located in lower right.
• planula4.gif Planula had shifted a little to the left. Red spot might be scanning artifact.
• planula5.gif Coral larvae was moved to the other side of the rock. I placed it on top of this red coralline algae. Located in middle area left of center. The planula later disintegrated here.
• pvcright.gif This is the right end side of the elevated pvc matrix in my reef. The matrix is used to provide extra circulation so that detritus is kept in circulation longer. It also facilitaes weekly detritus removal via siphoning. It is a little difficult to see through the corallines covering the tank glass. In the upper center a colony of smooth blue mushrooms exists. Notice in the white sections of pvc how the coralline growth stops in a even line. This is probably due to a lack of lighting. This underside area has recently begun to be colonized by coralline species. They appear to grow faster with increased lighting.
• rcorline.gif This is a photo of the inside glass on the right end of the reef. I hope that by the end of the year the entire inside of the right end acrylic will be completely encrusted.

• rightend.gif This is the right end of my reef. In the photo is a white tipped elegance coral, soft coral, Acropora sp, various fragments and a new Gorgonian sp.. I am hoping that the foot area will recover. It was purchased this way. A section of mushroom coral exists behind the rock which is elevating the G. sp.. Note the heavy coralline encrustation on the front of the pvc matrix.
• rightref.gif This is the center of the right 1/3 section of my reef. Note large ridge hammer coral, Acropora sp., Fungia sp. and coralline growth on pvc matrix.
• sltleft3.gif This photo is the left center of the reef. In the upper center a branching Euphyllia ancora which spawned in the reef last year. Hundreds of unfertilized coral eggs were released for a two month spawning period. This specimen is obviously a female and I am still in search of a compatable male specimen of this species. This coral is starting to experience excelerated growth. The original 4 polyps are now around 10 and new branches are splintering off as of 3/10/93. In the lower center of the photo is a Goniopora or Flowerpot coral which was 21 months old at the time of the photo. This coral had a budding juvenile coral form on it's surface. This juvenile is alive and doing very well at 11 months old. I will try to get a photo of it posted later. Also note the colorful coralline algae growing on the legs of the pvc matrix.
• tongrock.gif These rocks are from the Tonga Islands. They are old dead coral peices which have become fully encrusted with coralline algae. Button polyps and mushrooms can be seen in the right area.

• gnbdcls4.gif Closeup of a Goniopoa sp. bud which is still attached to the parent colony. The spherical ball can be seen in the lower right. Both colonies have polyps retracted.
• gnbdcls5.gif Macro shot of bud with tentacles expanded while parent colony has polyps retracted.
• gnbdcls6.gif Another photo of bud. This one is a side view of bud and parent.
• gnbdcls7.gif Very close photo of extended budding growth.

• gonibud1.gif A closeup of 1.5 magnification of the large budding growth in "gonipar1.gif".
• gonijuv1.gif This young goniopora is over 1 year old and was formed via a budding growth. This is a closeup 1.5 magnification.
• gonipar1.gif An actinic photo of the _Goniopora sp._ which has formed a released one budding juvenile. In the right of the coral, which has its polyps retracted, a small group of extended polyps can be seen. This is a half formed bud which has a seperate sensory organ or nerve cell arangement. This is due to the fact that the polyps of the bud are extended while the parents polyps are retracted. A new smaller bud is in the left rear area.

• acboth1.gif This photo shows a fragment of the _A. sp._ colony located in the front bottom of photo. The branch which the tip was accidently broken off from can be seen in the upper left.
• acfront1.gif Front view of early coral photographed in actinic lighting. Note medium branch thickness and lack of new growth. Damage to the coral specimen from shipping can be seen in the right center of the colony.
• acfront2.gif Front view of colony 2 months after photo 1. taken in actinic lighting. This represents the beginning phase of the explosive growth. Notice branches in top area which have extended. The lower front branches in the center and lower right are extending quickly.
• acfront3.gif This photo was taken 3 months after photo 2 and shows the drastic change in growth which have occurred. Notice how the branches in the middle left center are not undergoing accelerated growth while the middle left and upper right area are. The lower center and lower right show the explosive new growth area on the front side of coral. This area contains at least 50 new branches.

• acfront4.gif This photo is one month after the previous one. The new growth area in the lower front is now growing higher and obscuring the main lower center are of colony in this photo.
• acfront5.gif This is the latest photo and was taken from a slightly different angle. The explosive growth in front and left center are is visible. Also branches in the upper right have grown well to.
• acmhcls1.gif This is a closeup photo of an >1 year captive _Acropora sp._ Which has undergone near natural growth. The fast growth rate occurred for about 4 months and has recently slowed down. I am going over records to try to discover the cause of this. You can also notice the different ecomorph that the new growth has taken. Original growth can be seen on branches in middle center which have not grown normally as of yet.
• acside1.gif This side photo was taken in actinic lighting at the same time as ACFRONT1.GIF. Notice the existing front area of branches.

• acside2.gif This photo is a side view taken in actinic lighting 2 months following the first side photo. The growth of new branches can be seen in the front and rear of coral which are the left and right side of this photo.
• acside3.gif The tank glass was partially cleaned of coralline algae to take this dark side photo. The front and rear area of new branching is fairly evident.
• acthread.gif This recent photo of my Acropora sp. shows the long thread like debri which the coral releases towards the end of the photoperiod. Hopefully in the scanned image you will see the long thread which starts from one of the left most branch ends and extends up to the upper center of the coral. I have examined these threads under a cheap microscope and have not located eggs or planulae. This is probably waste removal.