Minerals & ability of corals to fluoress?

[cracker]

This may belong in the Off topic forum. I understand corals produce fluorescent proteins/pigments to manipulate the surrounding light. This is to protect the Algae's they host from too much light or to even enhance low light. Ok a coral will extract certain minerals from the water & food to produce these fluorescent proteins . Can these proteins end up in the coral's skeleton? I was talking to a friend who collects fluorescent rocks. I tod him about some old fossilized brain coral heads I have & he thinks that in the center of these rocks there may be these fluorescent proteins in some mineralized form. I understand that Calcium flouride will fluoress under certain UV lighting. Think this is possible?

[Witfull]

i dont know about corals, but in animals the protiens from their diet are stored withing the bones. a herbavore will have a few main favorite plants and by the concentration of the protiens you can tell what they are. you can also tell predators main diatary herbavore species bythe same prossess. they store the hebavores protiens with in the predators bones.


(yeah i watch National Geographic channel~)

[cracker]

Thanks for the reply Witful, I was worried the question was a little obscure. LOL I visited my rock collecting friend who lives in New Orleans several years ago. Since then I have wondered about this old coral I have. Well Yesterday I had access to a wet tile saw. I cut a piece off one end. I know this sounds crazy but I'm considering trying to use an old UV sterilizer to see if this stuff will light up. A black light uses a long wavelength. Do our UV's use a short wavelength? Anyway the inside of this coral has shiny flecks like silica in it. Has nothing to do with whether the rock will fluoress or not but interesting. I understand this old coral I have was dredged up from some shipping channel in south Florida yeas ago. I think it's fossilized. It's very heavy for it's size. If You folks are interested I can post a few pics.

[lcstorc]

Post the pics. I'm always interrested in seeing something from nature I have not seen before.

[sasquatch]

fossilized coral would have most of its original content changed by the process involved, you may need to examine new skeletons for your answer? heres a linkie on fossilized coral jewelry, pretty cool stuff.
Coral

[cracker]

I don't know Miss Lynn, From What I can find, Calcite is the key It is a form of calcium carbonate but modern corals use an argonite form of calcium carbonate Now long ago when the chemical makeup of seawater was different . Corals used the calcite form calcium carb form or something along those lines. I found this interesting. Somebody on Ebay is selling some calcite based fossilized coral that is fluoresecent under Uv lighting. The stuff was found in south Florida. No telling if the coral I have contains calcite. At least I know it's possible .

FLORIDA FOSSIL CALCITE CHRISTMAS CORAL - (eBay item 130180986470 end time Jan-04-08 10:18:16 PST)

[cracker]

Well none of this old coral fluoresced under a regular blacklight bulb or from the light of an old UV bulb from a sterilizer. I don't know if I had the correct light or whatever ,just no telling I did have a piece of petrified wood that light up red & purple very well under the regular black light bulb. I need to talk with my friend that knows more about this. Ok I know, but I had to try anyway! LOL

[mps9506]

It's highly unlikely that flourescent and non flourescent coral proteins would not break down once the tissue of the coral animal died/decayed.
Although not really applicable for what you are looking for, there is some great reading out there about coral pigment and responses to light which is very applicable to our reef tanks.
Tyree has an interesting take on it:
Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - View Document
He has actually shown some very interesting pictures of corals fluorescing very differently when photographed under different wavelength lights.