Our Marine Aquaria

Aquarium 1 had problems with the inflow pipe, causing bubbles to form under rocks and in the water column, which can be toxic to fish. We used clove oil as a natural anaesthetic to immobilise the fish for handling, and removed amongst others the large Humbug damsel fish (Dascyllus aruanus), which we returned to the ocean as it was overly aggressive. We later added some new Dragonet fish (Synchiropus sp.) and Sixspot gobies (Valenciennea sexguttata) to both our aquaria.

We recently added three new soft coral colonies (Zoanthids) and some Orange Sun Coral (Tubastraea faulkneri), and we also welcomed two cleaner shrimps to act as … spa therapists! In the wild, the cleaner shrimp attract fish by waving their bright white coloured antennae and maxillipeds.

From our breeding pairs, we produced 50 new Maldivian Blackfoot Clownfish (Amphiprion nigripes) juveniles this month, and these have been moved to the public viewing area along with the batch of 75 juveniles from last month. Our Clark’s Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) fared less well (just 7 juveniles) and we only have a single breeding pair that is currently laying.

As part of their marine biology classes, our six apprentices from the Four Seasons training programme have to work on a scientific project. Asjadh and Saaniu are researching suitable methods to release captive-bred fish into the wild by trying two different approaches:

• Fish/anemone system (compatibility between a wild anemone and captive bred fish). During previous experiments last year, we released Clark’s Clownfish inside a Ritteri anemone (Heteractis magnifica). This time, we released our Blackfoot Clownfish into a Ritteri, and released the Clark’s into a Merten’s carpet anemone (Stichodactyla mertensii).
• Anemone/reef system (anemone location). Previous attempts at creating an anemone garden used a sandy location, so this time we are trying a rocky area. We have relocated two wild anemones near Al Barakat reef, covered with a protective cage to keep them from moving.