Fruitbowl - Fresh Ideas from Hawke's Bay

Have you checked out the cool new coral collection at the aquarium yet?

It's one of the largest coral collections on display in New Zealand, and Hawke's Bay was chosen as the best place for it by Invercargill private collector Clif Carson. The collection is extensive, made up of some rare hard and soft corals from all over the world including some that can no longer be bought into the country.

National Aquarium of New Zealand manager Rob Yarrall says once he heard the gift was heading this way his team put a plan in place to freight the fragile specimens here. When it arrived the coral was placed in a holding tank while a new display was designed and constructed. Now the hard work is complete and the coral has been moved to its new home, a three metre purpose-built acrylic tank located on the first floor.

Did you know individual corals require different amounts of UV light and strength of current to thrive? Careful planning was required to ensure individual corals were correctly placed, especially because these wee lovelies also like to fight!  They reach out with their tentacles and sting each other – it’s all about competing for space and food on the reef.

The collection of coral is a wonderful asset for everyone to enjoy but it also represents an important environmental message because coral worldwide is reducing in number due to pollution. The good news is that cuttings of coral can be propagated in captivity, leaving no need to disturb coral in the wild.

So, take the kids... or just take yourself - it's well worth a visit!