Coral's color

[brandoniscool]

Hi my name is Elisha and my helper: Will (the one who helps people post new threads). Our teacher is Mr.Rutherford (Brandon). We have a 160 gallon reef tank (including the quarantine tank and the refugiem tank) in our classroom. So now back to the question and how it begins. So when I look into the reef tank I wonder how the corals get different colors :confused: :spin2:. I'm forward to this because it changes color when it grows and only white represents it's dying but why not the other colors?




Thanks,
Elisha + Will

[kurt_n]

Corals get their color from the algae that live inside of them. Corals are a great example of what is called a "symbiotic relationship". These are relationships where two different things live together and benefit from each other - they can survive together, but may not survive apart from each other. That's probably an entirely different discussion though!

The algae that live inside the corals can take on different colors depending on how much light they're exposed to, or what type of temperatures they're exposed to. They can also be different colors because they are different types of algae. That's how you can have several different color variations of the same species of coral.

Coral coloration can get to be a pretty complex thing, so I've just tried to give you a quick and easy answer. If you Google "zooxanthellae", you will a LOT of info that will go more in depth. (Zooxanthellae is the fancy scientific name for the algae that lives inside corals.)

[brandoniscool]

Corals get their color from the algae that live inside of them. Corals are a great example of what is called a "symbiotic relationship". These are relationships where two different things live together and benefit from each other - they can survive together, but may not survive apart from each other. That's probably an entirely different discussion though!

The algae that live inside the corals can take on different colors depending on how much light they're exposed to, or what type of temperatures they're exposed to. They can also be different colors because they are different types of algae. That's how you can have several different color variations of the same species of coral.

Coral coloration can get to be a pretty complex thing, so I've just tried to give you a quick and easy answer. If you Google "zooxanthellae", you will a LOT of info that will go more in depth. (Zooxanthellae is the fancy scientific name for the algae that lives inside corals.)

Hi, this is Brandon Rutherford. I'm Elisha and Will's teacher. This level of complexity is perfect for them. Sometimes people on RC have great intentions but explain things in a way that my students can't understand. Thanks for being thoughtful. My kids poor over everyone's responses each day at recess :) They think that you all are rockstars.

[kurt_n]

No problem... glad to help. I have a 1st grader and a 7th grader at home, so been there - done that! Lots of interesting lessons going on in a reef tank, as you're well aware! Wish I had a teacher like you when *I* was in school! :thumbsup:

After I posted, I realized I should've mentioned something about when corals turn "white" when they're dieing or sick, so I'll take a stab at that!

So in that earlier post, I mentioned corals get their color from the algae living inside of them. The corals need the algae because the algae provide them food. The algae need the coral because they provide them protection and a way to move around and capture light. The coral and algae get along just fine, as long as the amount of light, the temperature of the water, and the conditions of the water (pH, nitrates, other pollution) are OK.

If something gets a little out of whack, the algae start making too much food and the coral doesn't really like that. So it starts getting rid of algae. It basically kicks it out of the house! Since the algae contain a lot of the color of the coral, the coral appears to lose color as it gets rid of the algae.

When the coral gets rid of enough algae, the coral will appear white ("bleached"). This is because you're seeing through the coral's tissue (skin) and seeing the color of the white skeleton underneath.

If the conditions that made the coral start getting rid of the algae get better, the coral will stop getting rid of the algae and its color will come back. If things don't get better, it will eventually die because it doesn't have enough algae to give it food to survive.

Again... this is a really simplified way of describing what's going on, but it gives you an idea of what is happening. It also makes you realize how little things (like temperature, pollution, etc...) can create big problems later on.

[brandoniscool]

Hi its Elisha and Thanks for the information! It has really helps me about corals I am trying to learn all about corals so I could have reef tank at home too! I only have little tank with only 2 goldfish I am trying to save some money to get some corals and the information will really help me and thanks again!

Elisha

[snorvich]

Hi Elisha! So now that you know about corals and their colors, what happens if the water gets too warm and the corals lose their algae?