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The breeding of corals in laboratories, aquaculture facilities, and yes, even home aquariums, represents a sea change for coral propagation. Whereas asexual propagation is the industry norm for a wide range of cultivated varieties, not all corals can be divided (fragged, to use the industry and hobby term), and not all corals are fast-growing. Additionally, the asexual propagation of corals imparts no genetic diversity. Instead, massive populations of a single genetic clone are the result of current propagation practices.
CORAL Magazine has covered the topic of sexual reproduction in corals in many past issues, and in 2021 the goal of creating a coral-breeding primer was met with our January/February issue, SPAWNING NIGHTS.
What starts here today is a repository of knowledge for any would-be coral breeder. It will serve as a resource of links and references to CORAL’s print and online articles, and supplemental information, that will be valuable to anyone seeking to breed coral. Readers are invited to share their insights, findings, comments sand questions in the comment section at the end of this page.
ONLINE RESOURCES & COMMUNITIES
CoralSpawningLab.org – Includes off-the-shelf coral spawning systems, shipping-container-based spawning systems that can be deployed around the world.
Coral Spawning Lab – Facebook group for coral breeders from Coral Spawning Lab.
Neptune Systems’ Coral Breeding Forum – created to support coral breeders utilizing the APEX line of aquarium controllers for coral breeding projects.
ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES
Inducing broadcast coral spawning ex situ: Closed system mesocosm design and husbandry protocol by Jamie Craggs James R. Guest Michelle Davis Jeremy Simmons Ehsan Dashti Michael Sweet
Ex situ co culturing of the sea urchin, Mespilia globulus and the coral Acropora millepora enhances early post-settlement survivorship – by Jamie Craggs, James Guest, Mark Bulling & Michael Sweet
May/June 2023
CORAL Excerpt: Smashing Flowerpots: Sexual Propagation Success with Goniopora Corals
January/February 2021
CORAL Excerpt: Dawn of a New Era for Marine Aquarists? by James Lawrence
Video: Remote Monitoring of a Coral Spawn by Richard Ross
PAST CORAL ISSUES
The evolving topic of coral breeding has been examined in many past issues of CORAL, starting as early as 2006. Below are a list of issues with articles relevant specifically covering this exciting aspect of the reef aquarium hobby.
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Smashing Flowerpots: Sexual propagation success with Goniopora corals, interview with Don Gilson and Dr. Luchang Shao by Matt Pedersen, page 56
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Spawning Nights — Planned ex situ Acropora reproduction: A decade of coral love-making by Jamie Craggs, Ph.D., page 26
- Ripe For Innovation — Coral sex in the aquarium by Richard Ross, page 40
- Coral Whispering — Spawning is one thing, then there is the morning after by Keri O’Neil, page 56
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Advanced Aquatics: Leptastrea purpurea—A model stony coral for research and captive breeding by Samuel Nietzer, page 106
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Propagating Stony Corals — Advances in coral culture by Samuel Nietzer, page 28
- Coral Farming 2.0: Sexual Reproduction by Samuel Nietzer, page 42
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Project Coral by Jamie Craggs, page 78
Articles of interest in this issue:
- Photo Essay: Corals: Sexual Propagation in the Aquarium by Daniel Knop, page 18
- Coral Spawning at ReefHQ by Dr. Kirsten Michalek-Wagner, page 28
- Favla fragum in the Aquarium — A Case Study in Sexual Propagation by Anja Cargill, Dr. Dirk Petersen and Professor Helmut Schumacher, page 34
- Creating Artificial Substrate for Coral Larval Settlement by Dr. Dirk Petersen, page 38
- Propagating Stony Corals in your own Living Room by Daniela Stettlerk, page 40
- The SECORE Project by Dr. Dirk Petersen, page 44
- Overview: Cnidarians That Have Been Noted to Spawn or Reproduce in the Aquarium by Daniel Knop, page 46
