We moderners are learning a lot about coral reefs and marine science and we have also learned how to impact them negatively. At the same time new techniques are being discovered to produce corals, demand on the hobby side of the equation is removing more and more corals from the ocean. So on one side of the equation we are able to produce corals to reseed real reefs after natural or manmade disasters, but as the complexity of coral reef husbandry is removed by common practice its also placing a demand for better and better corals, ie ones we can't produce widescale so it seems we are hurting the reefs as fast as we are learning to conserve them.

These ecosystems in this vid are a prime example of new science. These tiny reef models grow acropora easily which is still one of the most exclusive corals one can keep in a marine tank, but these are built from simple wal mart supplies. These systems aren't just for novelty, they bring about observations related to coral science such as coral allelopathy (chemical warefare), how water volumes transmit, mute, and enhance terpenoid chemical production and many other aspects of marine science that was once the exclusive domain of the university-level lab. The fact anyone can now keep corals in their house with limited knowledge and budget is sure to continue shaping our effect on the world, both positively and negatively, how do you think aquarium science will exist in the next ten years if this is what we can do now?

the vid:

blobster