Damselfish are known for cultivating their own algae gardens. Essentially Damselfish destroy the Coral, sucking on the coral polyps until they die, to create an area where algae may then grow. Australian researchers have now linked Damselfish to Coral decline, in a new study published in the ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society B’. Part of the problem is that the predators which would control the Damselfish population are over fished, which has led to the growth of the Damselfish population. The study compared areas of Damselfish populated Coral versus areas of coral outside the Damselfish territory. The study revealed that the areas with the Damselfish presence had a higher abundance of bacteria and black band disease. MORE
Australian Study Finds Damselfish Cause Coral Disease
by Francis Yupangco | Jun 25, 2014 | Corals, Fish, Science | 0 comments
Francis is a marine biologist with an MBA and over 20 years of professional aquarium experience. Francis is the former Aquatic Development Manager at Hagen USA., makers of Fluval brand aquarium products. He co-stars on Nat Geo WILD's reality TV series Fish Tank Kings where he is the resident "Fish Geek" and was Director of Marketing at Living Color Aquariums. He is an avid explorer having visited over 45 countries and lived in 7. At 17, he was among the youngest aquarists ever hired by the Vancouver Aquarium, where he worked for 7 years. His aquatic biology experience ranges from larval fish rearing to the design, construction and operational management of renowned public aquariums around the world. Francis is currently head of marketing at the world's largest vertically integrated fish farming company.
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