|
|
FAQs about "Coral" Reproduction/Propagation: Livestock Selection
Related Articles:
Captive Coral and Marine
Invert Sexual Reproduction by Sara Mavinkurve,
Growing Reef Corals For Profit by Anthony Calfo,
Coral Propagation, LPS Corals,
True or Stony Corals, Order Scleractinia,
Propagation for Marine Aquarium Use,
Trachyphyllia Reproduction Event,
Related FAQs: Coral Propagation 1,
Coral Propagation 2, Coral
Propagation 3, Coral Propagation 4,
& FAQs on Coral: Frag Sources (Info.,
Livestock, Supplies), Frag
Tanks/Systems, Frag Methods,
Frag Tools, Frag Feeding,
Frag Health, Propagation Economics,
Frag Troubles, Fraggle Rock (just kidding), & FAQs Files
on: "Frag Momma Frag, Whatcha Gonna Do? " by Group:
Polyp Reproduction/Propagation,
Sea Fan Reproduction/Propagation,
Mushroom Reproduction/Propagation, Zoanthid
Reproduction/Propagation, Anemone
Reproduction/Propagation,
Soft Corals:
Soft Coral Propagation FAQs,
Xeniid Reproduction/Propagation, Alcyoniid
Reproduction/Propagation,
Nephtheid Reproduction/Propagation, Stony
Corals: Caryophyllid
Propagation/Reproduction,
Elegance Coral Reproduction,
Dendrophylliid Reproduction,
Faviid Reproduction/Propagation,
Fungiid Reproduction, Mussid
Reproduction, Trachyphylliid
Reproduction, Acroporid Reproduction,
Poritid Reproduction/Propagation, | .JPG)
Don't mix incompatible species!
|
Small scale farming for profit -08/27/08
Hello crew,
thank you for the great site and for answering all the questions you get
everyday.
<Welcome>
I have read though the FAQs on your site,
Anthony's book, and searched over the Internet but I still can't find
what I'm looking for. I want to setup a small propagation system using a
40 breeder. Before I decide on the lighting, flow, and filtration I want
to decide what species I plan to keep so that I can tailor the tank to
their needs.
<This is the correct order...>
I am interested in
making as much money as possible off this tank
<... is really too
small, and just one tank... not a "good bet"...>
and I would like to
know what corals are the real bread and butter for small scale farmers.
<Is more a regional issue... Take a look, census about you... the LFSs,
clubs if they're about... What are people looking, paying most for?
Acanthastreas (still?), Duncanopsammias? Is there enough "stock" demand
for Xeniids, Alcyoniids to warrant dedicating this small system to their
culture alone?>
My first inclination was to grow rare SPS because
each unit has a high price.
<Mmm, I wouldn't... too long a
"generation time", and too easy, less expensive to simply buy, frag from
the wild>
However, it might take 6mo to grow a usable frag. On the
other hand Xenia doesn't sell for much but grows quickly. From what I
can tell revenue comes from sale price times units sold.
<About
right... then there's costs on your end, opportunity cost...>
So what
are good corals that are in demand, grow quickly, and have a reasonable
sale price.
<You tell me... again, this is almost exclusively a
"local" issue>
Could you also give me an idea of ideal conditions for
growing the species you list
<Heeeee! Yes... see WWM for a start>
I have talked to some people and they seem to think Xenia, Ricordea,
<Good genus... but again, slow growing...>
and finger leathers would
work well. Can all these be kept together?
<... no>
Can I
plumb
this prop system in to my already running mixed reef or would these
species be bad to keep with SPS?
Thanks
--Jackson
<Read for
now Jackson, and keep good notes, dreaming and planning... Bob Fenner>
SPS/Frags/Mother Colonies/Captive Generations… 10/6/05
Greetings Oh Great Fish God's,
<Are you sure? I swear I caught my
Sailfin mouthing off the other day…>
Kudos for the exemplary work
you guys and gals do on this site to provide the vast knowledge base
that you do and for sharing your experiences with the rest of us wanabe
reefers. It truly must be a thankless task.
<It’s not so bad.>
Question: Is a frag a frag and will it always be a frag? <Not if it
grows up, but I suppose there is a lot of gray area in there.> I now
have 2, 80gal tanks that are brimming with assorted SPS corals and
frags. I had initially purchased mother colonies and after some time I
began to frag them. I am now at the point where I am fragging the frags
into frags. <Awesome.>
Although all of the frags and the frags of
the frags are doing great but as they mature and grow they never seem to
look like the mother colony in density, color, or number of
appendages/bushiness. <Well unless they are placed in the exact same
conditions (noticed I said conditions not tank) a Frag will never grow
up to look exactly like its mother. There are so many factors playing
into this, nutrients, water flow, light, relation to light, temperature
of light among many others.> What constitutes a mother
colony? <In
my opinion a colony large enough to be fragged itself.> Size, age, it's
density? <Probably all of the above.> Or, must a mother colony come from
the wild where it has been naturally reproduced. <Not in my opinion. I
have a large Sinularia that I consider to be a mother colony. It was
purchased over 5 years ago as a captive propagated frag and is now a
monstrous size. I now make frags from it, so I consider it to be a
mother colony. Honestly though this can be relative, I suppose some say
a true “mother” colony must come from the wild.> Can a frag or a fragged
frag or a frag from a fragged frag ever become a mother colony or is it
doomed to a life of being just a simple frag? <Jeez say that last
sentence 5 times fast. Like I said in my opinion if a frag has
multiplied its original size significantly and has thrived for a decent
amount of time. If it is now large enough to make frags without
significantly reducing the colony, then I consider it to be a mother
colony. Of course I will say that most of these questions seem to be
relative or up to opinion.> As mother colonies are fragged, and then the
frags fragged, is there anything lost in the genetics from the mother
colony as to the number of times it is fragged and re-fragged? <For the
most part frags are exact duplicates. Remember an Acropora species of
different color/shape/density can be the same species. That’s why some
of them are so hard to identify.> Or would this
ultimately lead to
healthier tank/captive raised specimen?
<Yes consecutive generations
of captive propagated corals generally adapt a lot easier to changes and
captive life in general in comparison to their wild counterparts. I
would much rather purchase a captive propagated coral over a wild
specimen any day of the week.>
Tanks in advance,
<No trouble,
try not to over think or put labels on your specimens, the fact that
they are thriving and producing children should be good enough. Have fun
with it. Remember that most of these labels we use including LPS and SPS
are not scientific, they are hobby generated.>
Gary
<Adam
Jackson.>
The Great White North
<The Great
Southwest?> Ricordea propagation
Hello Crew, I
have searched high and low and cannot find what I'm looking for. In
Anthony's book, he describes in detail Corallimorph propagation. Though
he does explain the difference between Discosoma, Rhodactis, and
Ricordea, the book does not distinguish between these when speaking of
propagation.
<There is no difference, my friend... I show pictures in
my presentations and lectures of doing this to a $200 rose anemone (E.
quadricolor)... you can do it with your Corallimorphs>
I have had
great success with cutting and "pie shaping" my Discosoma, though
everyone I have spoken to has told me I cannot do this with my Ricordea
or Rhodactis.
<Heehee... "everyone" is mistaken here then <G>.
Limited experience/// healthy fear (especially for how expensive some of
those Ricordea are <G>). No worries... the only limitation is that
Ricordea as higher light lower organismal-feeding animals must be in
healthier condition from Go as they cannot be fed easily afterwards and
supported if they take the imposed technique hard>
Could you
elaborate on how I would go about propagating these? Thanks a ton. Rob
<Exactly as you have done for your Discosoma... they are fundamentally
the same. Kind regards, Anthony
Fish Breeding 9/10/03
Hey Crew,
<howdy>
Here is my
question, I am looking at setting up a small home based business of
fragging & growing out corals, and I would like to diversify- I am
already doing the frag thing wt some of my local stores and am
getting a friend of mine to design me a website when I get more
tanks on line:)
<very cool... if you haven't peeped it already,
do consider looking at my Book of Coral Propagation - a book written
on this very subject: www.readingtrees.com >
When I was a kid I
used to breed quite a few cichlids, mainly Africans, and did quite a
brisk business for a 14 year old!! I am looking to breed freshwater
fish in conjunction wt fragging corals for our local market & would
like y'alls opinion on what fish to breed? The crux of the problem
is rare fish or bread n butter. And what kinds would you recommend
of each.
<Hmmmmm... the question is very general and tough to
answer without knowing how much space you have and how much money
you'd like to earn. But, at any rate... beginners and their needs
drive our market, and as such... bread-n-butter species are the most
reliable profit. For corals, its colorful and hardy soft corals
(avoid SPS and delicate softies)... seek hardy leathers and colored
button polyps and Corallimorphs. For freshwater... seek angelfish,
fancy guppies, African cichlids>
I did very well with cichlids,
but that was 16 years ago! Tho from what I have read on your most
excellent site, it does not appear that things have changed that
much. If I were to breed cichlids, African or South American? Or
maybe good ol Angel fish? Any help/info/advice would be greatly
appreciated. Thanking you in advance, Joshua Scialdone
<please
also read through our business links on the site by navigating from
the home page. Much info on starting a fish biz. Best regards,
Anthony>Fish and coral farming 9/10/03
Anthony, Thanks
for the response. It's funny that you suggested going with colorful
softies, as this has been the bulk of what I have been collecting
over the years!
<much better money there>
To be honest, I have
only kept 2 SPS corals in the 12 or so years that I have been
keeping reef tanks. As regards to space, I am setting up tanks in a
spare bedroom right now, but my wife & I are going to be moving out
of the city (Norfolk, A) across the NC border into the country where
I am seriously thinking of going with a greenhouse to prop/breed in.
<indeed... will make a tremendous difference in your potential. No
prayer of a significant income from home-based business with corals
at least while paying for artificial light>
My only concern is
that our summers are VERY hot & humid, and I wonder what will be the
best way to keep temps within spec?
<no worries... its an issue
long since taken care of by hothouse growers. Evaporative cooling,
large water pools for stability... and desiccating beads or
geothermal cooling if necessary (see recent threads on
reefcentral.com and others regarding these topics)>
I am going o
purchase your book as I always pick it up when I am at my LFS!
Thanks for the link to your site. I know that you used a greenhouse
setup wt good results. The system I am looking at doing for my
inside prop is a stacked shallow tank design as seen in Daniel Knops
clam book- basically a 4-5 unit design wt a sump at the bottom wt
live rock & shallow(12-14inch) tanks for grow out.
<yes... very
efficient>
I am going to start wt one system, but am thinking
about plumbing two or more of these units into a large Rubbermaid
sump that will be filled wt LR & a large skimmer in the near future.
I have always used VHO lighting in the past, or NO over shallow
tanks, but now I am debating on VHO vs. PC.
<do look instead to
jump to t-5s, a better technology>
I would also like your opinion
on DSB and/or plenums vs. Berlin style setups (I have always used
Berlin style setups in the past)
<easy... DSBs have tremendous
benefits. Browse through our archives here on this subject (keyword
search from home page) and take a peek at the new Reef Invertebrates
book (the most current coverage on the topic)>
My reason for
wanting to breed fish is that I am assuming that it would be a good
way to supplement income from the corals. Around here South American
Cichlids seem to be more popular than Africans with the general
public, plus being egg layers they seem to produce more offspring
faster in a given time, but as I stated earlier I have much more
experience with Africans.
<I trust that you know your local
market best>
As far as how much money that I want to make, it
will be a part time end ever at first, but I would like to go in
business for myself one day. I have extensive experience wt sales,
retail, wholesale, and direct. I also worked in 2 different LFS as a
teenager. I have contacted potential investors for when I plan to
put up a greenhouse. I was also a biology major wt an emphasis in
fisheries science & education. So I do have some experience in the
field.
<do be sure to write and revisit a good business plan>
I have toyed wt the idea of opening a LFS, but after much thought I
have decided that I would rather have a business based at home such
as breeding or fragging.
<retail is a hard road and needs a lot
of capital>
In your opinion (or the rest of the crew for that
matter!) is this a sensible idea? (fish & corals or corals only)
Thank you for your time, and I am looking forward to your response.
Thanking you in advance, Joshua Scialdone
<frankly, with your
limited space... I would suggest you focus on one group rather than
spread yourself thin (inventory wise). Your clientele will favor
reliability over an unrealistic inventory. Focus now... expand
later. Best of luck! Anthony> |
Goniopora stokesii Reproduction
Hello, <Hi Jim, MacL here with
you tonight>
I have a question I can not seem to find an answer for.
I have a lime green Goni that is a little over 2 years old (in my tank).
It has done well. <Very rare and congratulations> 3 weeks ago while
observing the tank I noticed two small (BB size) growths on the
substrate, after getting the magnifying glass out I saw what looked like
exact clones of the Goni. <BABIES!!!!> Today they are the size of a
large pea, about half the size of a marble. They have for stalk's each
and are more discernible now. My question is how do I protect them? and
should I try and attach them to something. If so How? I currently have a
small piece of egg crate over them so I do not lose them while cleaning.
<That sounds like a great idea. You could attach them but I think its
best to let them get a bit larger.> I was told they are bud's, but I can
not seem to find out any more info. Did these come off the large one?
<Yes!> I am extremely excited about these, but, also very worried as to
how to care for them. Any help or info you may be able to provide will
be deeply appreciated. <Take care of them just like the big ones. You
obviously are doing great and congratulations!>
Respectfully,
Jim
Coral Wholesaler
Thanks for the info Bob
<Anytime my friend.
Your success is mine as well>
We plan to start small and slowly work
into a larger operation. Right now my partner and I are looking at
wholesalers that are working out of Indonesia to see where we could buy
from. So far we are looking at 500-1000 dollar min orders. Do you happen
to know who is running trustworthy operations in Indonesia?
<I would
actually not go this route. Look instead to buying from Fiji and
fragging, raising the corals from there... much more reliable,
consistent supply. Do contact Walt Smith at WSI, Pacific Aquafarms and
Scott Cohen at Sea Dwelling Creatures
(scottcohen@seadwelling.com,pafarms@earthlink.com) re establishing
relations. Well be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Thanks again for your time
Alex Gawura Coral ID by Text - 8/20/03
Hi,
<cheers>
I wondered if you could help me identify this coral, have looked at
hundreds of web pages but just cannot find it.
<was a pic intended to
be attached, my friend ["this coral"]? If so, it did not carry through>
At first glance it looks like a fluorescent green coralline algae. It is
spread over dead rock much like a coralline would, however it is not
hard, it is soft. It also has little patterns in it as if it may be
comprised of lots of small organisms. Under lights it is a very bright
green and is one of the most beautiful corals I have ever seen. I only
have a very small bit of it, and hope to find out what it is to make
sure I can grow it more. I know this description may be somewhat
unscientific, but if you could give me a name or two of what it might
be, I could look them up for further research. Cheers, Alastair
<without a pic, we need much more info to help you, bub. Hard coral or
soft coral (skeleton underneath?)... size of polyps, etc. Even then it's
a best guess. Do send a clear pic and we'll be able to give you a prompt
ID mate. Best regards, Anthony>
|
|
