Fish Lab & Marine Aquaria

For our Clownfish breeding pairs, we are continuing with the improved diet of Mysis (a kind of zooplankton, freshly collected and frozen a few months ago from Voavah reef). We have also given the juveniles a more complex environment to interact with and to provide shelter (consisting of coral structures, tubing and plant pots).

Our new breeding pair of ‘Common Clownfish’ (Amphiprion ocellaris) has spawned twice this month; the first batch of eggs failed to hatch, so we are eagerly waiting for the second batch.

The production of plankton has improved this month (following a contamination of rotifers) which has been important to satisfy the appetites of the adult Artemia shrimp, grown as food for the seahorses and juvenile Clownfish.

In Aquarium one, five of the Maldivian clownfish (Amphiprion nigripes) have now claimed the Flowerpot coral (Goniopora sp.) as their ‘anemone’. The sun coral (Tubastraea sp.) has been wedged between the rocks on the left side of the aquarium, offering more shade. We also have a new juvenile scorpion fish (Scorpaena sp.) that was accidentally captured during the collection of coral fragments [photo].

The original regenerating starfish (Linckia sp.) continues to grow at a reduced rate, and the new starfish arm has shown a small amount of measurable growth.

Aquarium two had a few coral additions this month, including two new colonies collected from the reef crest (colonies of Favia and Platygyra species).

Starfish regenerating from a single arm (Linckia sp.)
The first 2 images show the new arm, which we expect to continue to grow in a similar way to the original arm (subsequent 4 images).