Fish Lab, Aquaria, and Marine Life in the Maldives
Plankton Production
Our plankton and algae cultures are used as the main food source for the residents of our Fish Lab.
– Microalgae (Nannochloropsis) – a steady 400L were produced.
– Rotifers – Population density increased to 357 ind/mL. Feeding: 2.5mL Nannochloropsis, 3 times/day.
– Brine shrimp (Artemia) – Daily cyst use dropped mid-month to 3g, but has now increased again to 4g to sustain the growing moon jellyfish population.
Fish Lab Breeding Programmes
- Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) – The couple living in tanks 3 and 5 produced 3 and 2 batches of eggs this month, respectively. No larvae were collected this month. [Lifecycle graphic]
- Dancing shrimp (Thor amboinensis) – No larvae were collected this month.
- Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) – Our July batch of moon jellyfish continue to thrive in the 85L Kreisel tank; 20 individuals have been relocated to our large display cylinder tank. The August batch of jellies have now transformed from the polyp stage to the free-swimming stage, with 30 individuals transferred to a 30L Kreisel for better outgrowth.
Sea Grapes (Caulerpa racemosa)
The sea grapes patch has shrunk dramatically since the start of the month, with only a few residues left in the sea pond. This is explained by the presence of specialised herbivores, including species of: Oxynoe (Oxynoidae), Lobiger (Oxynoidae), Elysia (Plakobranchidae) – see photos. The unwanted populations of snails are removed from the pond and fed to the blotched porcupinefish (Diodon liturosus).
Late September, we harvested a large new batch of sea grapes from Kihaadhoo. The batch is divided into three: some replanted into the sea water pond, others are acclimating in our tanks #18 & #19.
Groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
All grouper individuals were weighed and measured, and are now housed across 8 tanks to simplify future grading. Overall, 8 individuals died, leaving 499 fish thriving. Overall biomass increased from 65.6kg to 71.4kg; individuals increased from 128g/17.3cm to 142g/18.2cm. Food consumption increased from 25.1kg to 27.4kg; we think a reduced population density may increase food consumption and overall growth rates.
Guest Excursions – At Landaa Giraavaru this month, 64 guests enjoyed tours of our Marine Discovery Centre. Our 11 Dolphin Cruise excursions were joined by 77 guests, where we sighted Spinners and Bottlenose Dolphins. A total of 60 guests enjoyed our guided snorkel trips (Adventure, Turtle Safaris, Night-time, Parrot Reef) with 2 private bookings. It’s peak manta season in Baa Atoll, and we experienced an amazing encounter with a chain of 25 reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) feeding alongside an elusive oceanic manta (M. birostris).
Junior Marine Savers – we held 5 sessions for children to learn all about marine biology. Focusing on sea turtles, dolphins, or corals, our programme gives the kids a chance to dive into everything! Activities included building a coral frame, feeding our sea turtle patients, and a guided snorkel tour around the reef. We always enjoy the enthusiasm that the kids have in regards to our natural world, so being able to feed their curiosity is always very special!
Coastal Clean Up Day (20 September) – We visited our local island neighbours at ‘Bodu’ Huraa to participate in International Coastal Clean-Up Day, along with community members from the village. We all picked up litter from around Huraa’s Mangrove Nature Reserve, important for island reslience to rising sea levels and a unique ecosystem for an abundance of species.
PADI AWARE Trash Dive – We teamed up with our Dive School colleagues to clean the House Reef of any drifting marine debris. We ended up collecting several bags of trash from the reef, under the sand, or wrapped around corals. It was an excellent bonding and team-building experience to work together for a common good, and we hope to collaborate on more eco-projects in the future.
Meet The Team – This month, we welcomed Aditya, our new Assistant Coral Biologist. He was born and raised in Mumbai (India), completing a Master’s in Marine Biology from Pondicherry University, and has previously worked in the pristine waters of the Andamans.
We also are excited to welcome our new Turtle Veterinarian, Ignacio “Tagua”. He was born in Seville (Spain), studying Veterinary Medicine (University of Córdoba), followed by a Master’s degree in Exotic & Wild Animals (Complutense University of Madrid).
Aditya Salvi
Assistant coral biologist, Kuda Huraa
Aditya was born and raised in the vibrant city of Mumbai (India), where his love for water began as a child, captivated by the magic of swimming and the world beneath the ocean surface. What started as a simple fascination soon grew into a deep connection with nature and wildlife. Driven by this passion, he pursued a Master’s in Marine Biology from Pondicherry University and went on to work in the pristine waters of the Andaman Islands.
For Aditya, marine life isn’t just a profession, it’s a calling that comes straight from the heart, a lifelong journey to protect and cherish the underwater world he fell in love with as a boy.
Ignacio Tagua
Turtle Veterinarian, Kuda Huraa
Ignacio was born in Seville (Spain) and grew up in the countryside, where he developed a deep love for nature and wildlife. This led him to study Veterinary Medicine at the University of Córdoba, followed by a Master’s degree in Exotic & Wild Animals at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Alongside his studies, Ignacio worked as a Divemaster on the coasts of Granada and the Canary Islands — a natural fit, since he has always been passionate about the ocean. He was a competitive swimmer for many years and has been scuba diving for over a decade.
This combined passion for veterinary medicine, diving, and marine life eventually brought Ignacio to the Maldives, where he’s looking to deepen his knowledge of marine ecosystems and actively contribute to their conservation.
Maldives Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation
Lhaviyani Sea Turtle Festival & Symposium – 2 day event
Early in September, Reefscapers team members from Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru attended the 3rd Atoll Marine Symposium and Lhaviyani Turtle Festival at Naifaru.
Symposium – we heard presentations and panel discussions from a variety of experts in the field of marine conservation. It was very inspiring to see so many people come together to talk about scientific research, educational outreach, and the importance of collaboration to better our oceans.
Turtle Fest – a fun celebration of activities about sea turtles, sharks, corals, mantas, pollution, and being an ocean advocate! Each organisation had a tent with games, decorations, and a message for all the excited visitors. Local children, school students, scouts, and families came to take part in the festivities. Reefscapers tent had games such as ‘trash toss cornhole’, ‘coral health snakes and ladders’, ‘sea turtle facts race’, and, of course, colouring turtle shells! It was great fun for our whole team, and were thrilled to see so many young Maldivians passionate about the marine environment; we hope to see them grow up into the next generation of marine biologists!
Sea Turtles Released with Satellite Tracking Tags
Follow the journeys of Harry and Zi, our Olive Ridley sea turtle patients recently released with satellite tags to enable us to monitor their movements out in the big blue. Visit our turtle pages or our dedicated project page for more details – Turtle Satellite Tracking.
Zi’s tag stopped transmitting on 19 September, clocking up over 1500km. Harry’s tag continues to send data and she does not seem to be slowing down. We are hoping that the satellite tag will keep on transmitting through the month of October as well.
REEFSCAPERS Coral Propagation & Reef Restoration in the Maldives
At Kuda Huraa during September, our coral experts monitored (cleaned, repaired, photographed) a total of 55 growing coral frames, and transplanted 4 new frames, kindly sponsored by guests (3), the Resort (1), and online (0).
To celebrate PADI Aware week, our Resort colleagues helped us to transplant a coral frame. We held an informal talk about coral reefs and restoration before heading to secret beach to build the frame.
At Landaa this month, we monitored 282 existing frames (mainly at the Dive, Coral Trail, and Voavah sites), and transplanted 10 new coral frames, kindly sponsored by guests (3), the Resort (7), and online (0). In total, we added ~450 new coral fragments to the shallow House Reef site.
All coral frames at Voavah were monitored this month in anticipation of guest arrivals and the return of sponsors. Not only are the coral frames thriving, but the surrounding reef at Voavah is also very healthy (photo, below). A bay on the southern side of the island where 10 frames have been planted is particularly healthy and serves as a prime location for snorkelling/diving.
To see the progress of your own frame, please visit our dedicated Reefscapers Four Seasons monitoring page where we upload new photos every 6 months or so.
Our Research Publication
This month, Reefscapers’ coral spawning research paper was published in Frontiers of Marine Science, entitled “Multi-specific coral spawning and monsoonal transitions: assemblage-level observations from Baa Atoll, Maldives” – Errington, Moody & Le Berre, 2025.
Our study documents the spawning times during 2024-2025 of hundreds of coral colonies, representing 28 different species. We describe two peak annual spawning seasons in March/April, and October/December, coinciding with transitions in the monsoon season. Larger spawning events seem correlated with lower wind speeds, higher sea surface temperatures, and increased solar insolation.
More on our dedicated research page at Reefscapers.com (and for international marine research, see our curation of open-access papers).
Further News & Updates
You might also be interested in our specialised Sea Turtle Lagoon Enclosure, and our Zooplankton Monitoring Project.
Looking for details of our Reefscapers coral propagation and reef restoration program ? Then head over to our Reefscapers Diaries for all the latest updates.
You can sponsor your own frame and see photographs (updated every 6 months) in our Coral Frame Collection.
Junior Marine Savers activities: (1) Reefscapers corals, (2) turtle care.
