Underwater Blooms: Aquarists tend to their coral garden in time for RHS Chelsea Flow Show

As the country’s most famous horticultural show comes to town, the green fingered expert Aquarists at SEA LIFE London Aquarium have picked up their rakes, trowels and loppers to get into the spirit by tending to the famous South Bank attractions’ 15 metre long coral garden display. 

The Aquarists were seen raking the display beds and weaving through the corals to make sure they were thriving and looking their best, whilst some needed a little pruning to ensure they remain healthy. The clipped corals were then delicately put aside to be propagated to help improve diversity at other locations.

SEA LIFE London Aquarium, which has the longest living coral garden display in the UK, is home to 55 species of coral across the attraction and in back-of-house quarantine. With a dedicated team of Aquarists on site, each species of coral receives attentive care to thrive in a safe and protected environment.

Corals are highly delicate creatures, often mistaken for plants, and need stability to survive, which is why even the tiniest ripple in their environment can have a huge impact on them. Things like ideal temperature and salinity are crucial for the coral to prosper. This is why the team regularly test the water to ensure the environmental conditions at SEA LIFE London Aquarium are perfect for corals to flourish.

Championing coral protection through education and conservation efforts, SEA LIFE London Aquarium is also an official partner of UK Border Force and Heathrow Airport for coral quarantine, and the seizure and rehousing of corals that don’t have the correct paperwork by offering them a home at the attraction.

As part of SEA LIFE’s Breed, Rescue, Protect programme, any permanently confiscated coral is placed into the quarantine area for proper care and nurturing.

Catherine Pritchard, General Manager at SEA LIFE London Aquarium, said: “Our team of expert Aquarists thoroughly enjoyed getting into the spirit of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and putting their green fingers to the test with some coral gardening, but we can’t take away from the severity of the issues that are facing coral kingdoms across the world.   

Global climate change, habitat loss, and land-based pollution are just some of the reasons we’re seeing coral numbers dwindle. This can be seen with worldwide coral bleaching, where corals kick out the algae living in their tissues and turn white as a result of increasing water temperatures. At SEA LIFE London Aquarium, we are proud to work alongside other SEA LIFE Aquariums and the Florida Reef Tract to aid in conservation efforts, and we’re urging our guests to do everything they can to help protect these beautiful creatures.” 

In the main coral display, there are species that were once seized but are now thriving. To catch a glimpse of the corals and the other weird and wonderful creatures at SEA LIFE London Aquarium head to http://www.visitsealife.com/london/ to book your tickets.