Marine Depot Forums / TEAM Marine Depot / Corals and Coral Reefs - by Eric Borneman / Who needs salt water?? / Latest Posts

RE: Who needs salt water??

Eric Borneman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:00:14 GMT

Nope - seen it every day at all times of the year in Indonesia, Fiji and Australia. I'm sure it happens in the Phiippines, too - probably some of the barely above seawater sand islands or atolls.

RE: Who needs salt water??

yardboy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:10:46 GMT

As an aside to the original post, two places I dive in the Philippines, Moalboal, and Siquijor Island, where there is more of a shelf before the dropoff, the area that experiences exposure at low tide typically has very little coral growth on it. Not to say none, but very limited (Porites and softies, mostly) so I've always wondered if those places as shown in the above linked video were only exposed during spring tides?

RE: Who needs salt water??

Eric Borneman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:11:38 GMT

There are numerous such lakes on different islands in Palau - the one everyone knows about is the most well known because there is a trail and a boat dock and has tourists. Yes, others exist.

RE: Who needs salt water??

GMaquarium — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:56:09 GMT

Eric are there other places like this around the world? From what I read along time ago, the african rift lakes may have been a sea at one time but invertebrate diversity is just not the same. I think the palau lake might be much more recent.

RE: Who needs salt water??

Eric Borneman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:31:53 GMT

The freshwater lake in Palau is amazing. It's not just the photosynthetic jellies that move en masse with the sun across the lake everyday, but the moon jellies below them, The sponges, the cardinalfish, the Aiptasia...all freshwater now...oh, and the caustic layer 5m below the surface!

RE: Who needs salt water??

GMaquarium — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:02:18 GMT

That pond sounds very interesting. What country is it in? I would love to someday go see it. One of my top travel plans is to go see the freshwater jellyfish lake in Palau. Some of my friends have been there and it sounds like an amazing place.

RE: Who needs salt water??

charlesr1958 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:49:36 GMT

I just had to say, that is outrageous and would have loved to snorkel it myself. Thanks for sharing.

Chuck

RE: Who needs salt water??

Eric Borneman — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:31:28 GMT

As it happens, I just got finished snorkeling in an inland seawater lake (actually more of a pond) surrounded by mangroves and covered in seagrass that has complex deep holes and caves that lead to the sea through the carbonate framework of the island. The water was yellow from the tannins and the sediment was mangrove mud. Still, a large barracuda was patrolling for all the reef fish, and bright yellow Porites was thriving along with sponges and many of the normal inhabitants of reefs and seagrass meadows. It was one of only two places (outside tide pools) where the water was so hot it was actually almost scalding the skin - as hot as a really hot bath, except in the hole where the tide moved water in and out of this pond.

So yes, maybe we do worry about temperature too much, but remember that the zooxanthellae make the case here. Thermal stress tolerant types clearly can persist but the non-thermal stress tolerant ones don't and there is no way all corals could exist in such temperatures.

RE: Who needs salt water??

UrbanSage — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:37:48 GMT

GMaquarium (6/27/2009)

Maybe we as hobbyists worry too much about temperature swings.

No doubt.
I think as a whole we tend to worry too much about the wrong things and too little about the right.

RE: Who needs salt water??

GMaquarium — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:33:05 GMT

I have seen reefs like that at low tide and it has always fascinated me. Not as much about actually being above water but the temperature differences. Especially little tidal pools or puddles with stagnant water under direct sun. Getting hot and with a single incoming tide wave being flushed out by much cooler water. Maybe we as hobbyists worry too much about temperature swings.

RE: Who needs salt water??

Eric Borneman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:59 GMT

Happens all over the Indo-Pacific and it is an amazing site. Funny thing about this video - clearly a reefkeeper making the video, and more than likely just came back from visiting Walt Smith's place - not much else to do in Lautoka except tour the concrete plant up the road.

RE: Who needs salt water??

charlesr1958 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:33:34 GMT

Amazing what a bit of mucus allows you to get away with...

Chuck

Who needs salt water??

UrbanSage — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:51:10 GMT

I imagine this having circled a few times already. But it was a first for me and I found it facinating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOBqEPX6GM&feature=fvw