Lessons Learned in the Construction and Operation of Coral Reef Microcosms and Mesocosms

Especially since the second World War, considerable effort has been invested in attempts to maintain and display marine organisms in public aquaria and marine laboratories. In addition, in the latter part of the 20th century, numerous hobbyists joined the quest for marine display, with sometimes rather elaborate systems in their homes. The most successful of the professional organism maintenance systems involve the use of sea water, pumped through sand beds or towers, from adjacent, high-quality marine environments (flo-through systems). In some cases, and particularly in the hobby environment, closed aquaculture methods are also employed, mostly using bacterial filtration and/or air-foamed towers (foam fractionation) to remove particulate matter.