"Growing corals... preserve these fragile eco systems while educating the public about coral reefs in the wild," said WCS Vice President and New York Aquarium director Jon Forrest Dohlin.

Due to disturbances like climate change and unchecked coastal development nearly one-third of the world’s coral reefs have been lost. Some estimates predict corals will be extinct by 2050. So, the aquarium is growing its own.

With names like “xenia” and “pink bird’s nest,” the aquarium lab grows between 25-30 different species which produce hundreds of colorful hard and soft corals.