Clickable close-up of center of reef tank

Click on organisms in photo for identification and information

Note: The white specks are not photo defects, but rather small bits of flocculated organic debris (called flocs) that had been stirred up by the large tangs just before the photo was taken (they might also include some calcium carbonate in addtion to the organic material). These bits of material are likely fed upon by some of the corals and possibly filter feeders such as the large feather duster worm (botom right in photo) and other organisms. Though we have not analyzed the composition of these flocs, they are probably fairly similar to what is commonly referend to as "marine snow", which is an important food source for many marine organisms in the ocean. They are almost certainly heavily colonized by (and partially created by) a wide assortment of different bacteria, which likely compose a significant portion of the nutritional value of the flocs.