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Unread 01/01/2018, 03:49 PM   #13
Tripod1404
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrimpinator123 View Post
Thanks for the info! What does this whole thing say for the future of the hobby? It sounds like we could lose most species we currently keep.
Its a bit complicated. There are definitely some that absolutely depend on corals, such as the orange spotted filefish that feeds on acropora polyps, or corallivore butterfly fishes. Populations of those fish correlate exclusively with coral reefs.


But not all reef fish absolutely depend on corals. Some regions that reef fishes are collected from are not actually rich coral producing reefs. Best example is Hawaii which have very low coral growth. Those fish will be fine.


But also keep in mind that not all environment would remain the same if corals disappear. Without live corals to continue building limestone, some reefs would eventually reduce into coral rubble and than sand (most of the great barrier reef and the red sea are like this). With the rocky environment gone, fish will disappear as well.However, certain regions that are built one volcanic rock or lifted continental shelf rock would be spared as volcanic/continental basaltic rocks are much harder to erode into sand (this includes hawaii,fiji and other types of volcanic island reefs, southern japan, some of the indopacific reefs, Caribbean).


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