Today, we can find pet stores that sell just about any creature in the animal kingdom: from cuddly fur babies to scaly reptiles. After all, studies have shown that pets may lower stress levels and improve cardiovascular health.
Who wouldn’t want benefits like those?
Alas, with great puppies comes great responsibility.
Fortunately, we have a solution: coral. These low-maintenance animals give us something cool to look at and seem anything but fishy.
Ready to buy a pet coral? Then read on for more!
Coral Background Knowledge
“Under the Sea” refers to more than that catchy song from The Little Mermaid. It describes corals; origins. Besides our pet stores, corals live under the sea. They help clean our marine environments.
Corals come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Yet we only need to fulfill some basic needs before they can thrive and flourish. These include things like:
- Food
- Water
- Light
We keep most corals in aquariums.
Feeding a Pet Coral
Corals feed on several different types of plankton (e.g., zooplankton, phytoplankton, etc.). Some corals also have photosynthetic algae within them to aid with nourishment.
Additionally, we can give corals pre-made powdered meals or live brine shrimp. We may choose to add dietary supplements, like calcium, as well.
Phew! That sounds like a lot, but we only do this once or twice a week. Talk about low maintenance.
Water and its Quality
Remember those dietary supplements from earlier? Well, the water corals live in need certain supplements (and conditions), too!
Specific conditions vary per coral, while general requirements stay the same. For example, we want calcium present, but ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate absent. We should also monitor factors like alkalinity and temperature, too.
Light, Camera, Action
Light remains crucial to corals’ survival. Those photosynthetic algae need it to provide nutrients for coral homes. As such, most people choose metal halide bulbs to light up their corals’ lives.
These energy-efficient bulbs shine with appropriate intensity and mimic an organic environment. They should run for about half of a day (12 hours).
The best part? We only change them every 6 months.
Always remember to replace them because they do fade out over time.
Equipment and Supplies
We need additional basic tools so we can maintain the above conditions for our precious corals. This might look like:
- Aquariums: places for corals to live
- Food: this helps out those photosynthetic algae
- Filters: this helps keep the water clean
- Thermometers: they monitor optimal temperatures (~80º F)
- Heaters: they keep aquariums at those balmy temperatures
Of course, we may add any decor or other sea life, too. Other fish or clams can co-inhabit with our corals.
What Do We Need for a Pet Coral?
Overall, a pet coral lies on the low-maintenance end of the spectrum. It can peacefully reside in a home once we set up and maintain its environment.
Although an aquarium coral may differ from a saltwater coral, we’ve learned that how to take care of coral remains fairly simple.
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