Coral reefs develop in the warm, clear waters of the tropics. These ecosystems are extremely beautiful thanks to their variety of colours and biological wealth. Corals, which are small primitive animals that live in colonies, are at the origin of these exquisite architectural structures, built as a result of the successive overlapping of the calcareous skeletons segregated by these animals.
To develop in good conditions, corals need to associate with small single-celled algae called zooxanthellae, which is why reefs only appear in sunny surface waters.
The environmental conditions are favourable to the emergence of an immense diversity of life forms, which are permanently competing and fighting for survival, adopting the most fascinating attack and defence strategies.
Tropical marine fauna (3) is displayed in a dedicated area of the exhibition, which consists of 5 aquariums with a capacity of 1150 litres. This group includes species with exuberant shapes and colours that inhabit coral reefs.
Keeping them in good conditions has become possible thanks to the development of aquariological techniques and the growing knowledge about the biological cycles that influence the quality of aquarium water.