Breeding

Breeding of corals

The cultivation of tropical corals in our aquarium is encouraged because of their exceptional attractiveness and to raise public awareness of the need for their conservation in nature.

In nature, corals reproduce sexually and asexually, and coral cultivation is carried out in a variety of ways, the most common of which is fragmentation. This asexual method of reproduction involves selecting a healthy parent coral from which fragments, a few centimetres in size, are taken. These fragments are attached to a substrate (pebbles, ceramic tiles or plastic stands) using underwater glue until they attach naturally.

Coral growing requires extremely clean water, so we need to monitor and maintain optimal levels of nutrients such as phosphates, nitrites, nitrates and ammonia, as well as trace elements such as calcium and magnesium. It is also essential to maintain the right level of alkalinity in the water, with a pH between 8.1 and 8.5.

Apart from these parameters, the corals are placed in different positions in the tanks according to the specific needs of each coral species to ensure optimal water flow and lighting. They are fed with phyto- and zooplankton.

The phylum Cnidaria includes the subclass Anthozoa with about 6000 species of corals. Aquarium Pula is currently carrying out a detailed identification process for each coral species displayed in the aquarium.

Phytoplankton cultivation

In our aquarium, the phytoplankton is mainly cultivated for the noble pen shells that arrived as part of the project "Conservation of Noble Pen Shells (Pinna nobilis) in the Adriatic Sea".

Unicellular algae are cultivated in cylindrical tanks with purified seawater. Among the most important is Isochrysis galbana, which is the optimal food for mussel larvae due to its high lipid content, rapid growth and lack of a cell wall. In addition to these algae, we also cultivate Tetraselmis suecica, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Nannochloropsis oculata with plans to introduce seven species (Chaetoceros affinis, Chaetoceros calcitrans, Tetraselmis chui, Rhodomonas salina, Rhodomonas báltica, Tisochrysis lutea).

Phytoplankton, through the process of photosynthesis, produce organic substances that are an important source of food for zooplankton and filter-feeding organisms such as mussels, polychaetes, etc.

Zooplankton cultivation

Besides phytoplankton, zooplankton is also an important food source for filter-feeding organisms.

The larvae of the brine shrimp Artemia salina, due to their size (0.4 – 0.6 mm) and nutritional value, are a common species in aquarium cultivation. We ensure the required amount of the brine shrimp using a modern system (INVE Aquaculture – SEP Art technology), which allows the separation of newly hatched larvae from their shells, resulting in clean and high-quality food. The larvae are enriched with phytoplankton.

The cultivation of rotifers (Rotifera) and copepods (Copepoda) takes place in cylindrical tanks with purified seawater at a temperature of approximately 25°C. Due to their small size (rotifers: 0.1 - 0.5 mm, copepods: 1 - 5 mm), these animals are at the beginning of the food chain, just after the phytoplankton. They are very important in fish farming as they serve as food for fish larvae.