Supporting Marine Education

These days, most saltwater aquaria (and especially reef aquaria) are much more than simple “fish tanks.” Even as (thanks to aquaculture) less and less of our livestock is actually harvested from the natural environment, our systems increasingly mimic real reefs in terms of function. There certainly is good reason to attempt to simulate, to the best of our clearly limited ability, the habitats our animals come from. The most obvious reason is that these organisms evolved in, and are adapted to, these special places; a place most like home is, to them, a place where they can best thrive. Also (and particularly in the case of reef aquaria), a naturalistic captive environment is one that we generally find most aesthetically pleasing--much less benthic microalgae, much less detritus and far fewer pests such as Aiptasia anemones. In the end, as a little bonus, many hobbyists might find that managing a system using naturalistic methodologies is by far the most interesting and engaging way to enjoy reef aquarium keeping. No doubt, for all the above reasons and more, we should study the marine biome. Of course, in the end, it can greatly help us to build healthier and more stunning aquarium displays. But we might further find that this goes both ways: The aquarium hobby can inspire us to become more interested in marine biology (conservation in particular)! To this end, we at AlgaeBarn invite you to join us in promoting conservation and sustainability efforts through marine education. In this section, you will learn how natural marine ecosystems function, how to recreate reef habitats and study marine education in your own home and how aquaculture helps to preserve our precious marine resources.