"Umm, fish?"
02/28/2007, 10:35 PM
This is an unabashed attempt to get people to sign up for a class titled: INVERTEBRATE EMBRYOLOGY AND LARVAL BIOLOGY FOR REEF AQUARISTS being offered by Dr. Ron Shimek. Part of the proceeds will be used to benefit Project DIBS. In order to have the class, there need to be ten students.
You hear all the big names talking about it: Aquacultured coral sexual reproduction is the wave of the future. Yes, you can farm corals with asexual reproduction techniques and get a few hundred or maybe thousand of frags a year. But, corals have the possibility of releasing millions of gametes in their lifetimes. In the wild with heavy predation, corals may only just manage to replace themselves before they die. But in systems designed for them, some corals have shown 70-80% survival rates of settlers from sexual reproduction (Petersen, p. 146, let me know if you'd like the full reference). If marine aquarists are ever to wean ourselves from collection from the wild, we are going to have to tap this potential.
That's just the corals. I believe that Dr. Shimek is going to address larval care needs of various other types of invertebrates, too. We are in this hobby with all type of weird, funky interests. Expand on your interest and try to include the animal's complete lifespan, including seeding new generations. (Project DIBS is currently conducting research into captive breeding of many types of invertebrates. See http://www.projectdibs.com/ for more information.)
The sales talk is mostly over :). The cost of the course is $150. About the cost of two corals from the LFS. $25 of each registration goes to Project DIBS to help purchase new equipment and to further research in other ways. A really good way to spend $25.
In the interest of full disclosure: I will benefit immeasureably from you signing up for this class and have a huge selfish interest in promoting it, as I am signed up, too. I do not, however, benefit monetarily in any way. In fact, I'll be $150 poorer if I take the class. :)
Here's the thread with class information:
http://www.projectdibs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=738
Thanks!
You hear all the big names talking about it: Aquacultured coral sexual reproduction is the wave of the future. Yes, you can farm corals with asexual reproduction techniques and get a few hundred or maybe thousand of frags a year. But, corals have the possibility of releasing millions of gametes in their lifetimes. In the wild with heavy predation, corals may only just manage to replace themselves before they die. But in systems designed for them, some corals have shown 70-80% survival rates of settlers from sexual reproduction (Petersen, p. 146, let me know if you'd like the full reference). If marine aquarists are ever to wean ourselves from collection from the wild, we are going to have to tap this potential.
That's just the corals. I believe that Dr. Shimek is going to address larval care needs of various other types of invertebrates, too. We are in this hobby with all type of weird, funky interests. Expand on your interest and try to include the animal's complete lifespan, including seeding new generations. (Project DIBS is currently conducting research into captive breeding of many types of invertebrates. See http://www.projectdibs.com/ for more information.)
The sales talk is mostly over :). The cost of the course is $150. About the cost of two corals from the LFS. $25 of each registration goes to Project DIBS to help purchase new equipment and to further research in other ways. A really good way to spend $25.
In the interest of full disclosure: I will benefit immeasureably from you signing up for this class and have a huge selfish interest in promoting it, as I am signed up, too. I do not, however, benefit monetarily in any way. In fact, I'll be $150 poorer if I take the class. :)
Here's the thread with class information:
http://www.projectdibs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=738
Thanks!