Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have read that sunscreen in ocean water can affect the Zooanthellae in sea anemones, and was considering doing a science fair project demonstrating this.
I need help with two areas:

Specifically, what would be the easiest and most effective way (financial wise and time wise) to measure Zooanthellae?
Also, any ideas on how I should conduct this experiment?

It's possible to measure zooanthellae by measuring the bleaching of corals: http://www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching.htm . That particular website doesn't talk about sunscreen in particular, though it could be one of the chemicals they mention.

Would you be able to get access to several saltwater tanks and corals? That would be the easiest way to go about doing something like this. Keep in mind, however, that it's fairly difficult to set up saltwater aquaria and keep organisms like corals alive. It will also probably be very expensive.

Hi,

This sounds like a fascinating project, though it may be difficult to do on your own. It sounds like you will need a functioning seawater aquarium at a minimum, and access to some host species. Here are some interesting articles I found:

http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:Aa ... cd=4&gl=us

http://www.springerlink.com/content/uqe2y6x7rydh2mlg/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... d=12671700

http://www.ueb.cas.cz/laboratory_of_hor ... si2006.pdf

http://www.torontozoo.com/Animals/detai ... imalId=686

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/sal ... ler07.html

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html

http://www.clayfieldaquarium.com.au/lighting.htm

I am not expert in marine biology. In your shoes I would try to establish a relationship with a large pubic aquarium near me and seek their advice. If, for example, you live in the San Francisco Bay area, you might check out either the Monterey Bay Acquarium or the The California Academy of Science. Both these institutions have experts on staff who help propagate their exhibits. These folks could provide invaluable advice on your question. Similarly there are university marine biology labs that could also help.

This sounds like a really fun idea to explore, even as a career! I wish you every possible success with it.

Best wishes,

Barrett Tomlinson