Success of land-based coral nurseries depends on the skill and dedication of coral aquarists, but it also is rooted in the efforts of special marine invertebrates, like shrimp, crabs, snails and urchins, that are housed together with corals. These underwater maintenance crews consume organic material and algae that can accumulate in coral aquarium systems and cause health issues for the coral.

 

Often these animals are collected from wild populations found on and around the reefs from which the corals came. Culturing these animals in human care can reduce collection pressure on wild marine invertebrate populations and provide the animals needed to service the many coral aquariums holding rescue corals around the country. 

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The Maintenance Animal Propagation Project aims to create a production network of aquaculture operations across the US to advance the science of maintenance animal culture through research, develop of animal culturing techniques, and  produce the numbers and varieties of maintenance animals needed for both coral broodstock and propagation/growout aquarium  systems.