BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2013, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 152-156

Experimental artificial cultivation of corals from colony fragments

© 2013 Yu. Ya. Latypov¹, B. M. Ly², L. H. Hoang³, P. Q. Long⁴, N. B. Khoa²

¹A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690059;
²Nhatrang Institute of Technology Research and Application, Nha Trang City, Vietnam;
³Khanh Hoa Salanganes, Nest Company, 248 Nha Trang City, Vietnam;
⁴Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Ha Noi 18, Vietnam

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In 2010-2011, experimental commercial cultivation of 14 species of hermatypic corals was carried out using the method of donor colony fragmentation. The transplants successfully survived on experimental frames and became attached to their surfaces in a similar way as it occurs on natural substrata. After one year, the size of transplants increased by 275%. The newly formed artificial coral community was colonized by the damselfish Dascyllus reticulatus (Pomacentridae), which is known to be a common coral fish living on natural reefs.

Key words: coral fragments, artificial cultivation, reefs, Vietnam.