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FAQs about SPS Coral
Reproduction/Propagation
Related Articles: SPS Corals,
Acroporid Corals,
Dyed Corals, Related FAQs:
SPS 1, SPS 2,
SPS Identification, SPS Behavior,
SPS Compatibility, SPS Selection,
SPS Systems, SPS Feeding,
SPS Disease, Acroporid Corals,
Agariciid Corals, Astrocoeniid
Corals, Merulinid Corals,
Pectiniid Corals, Pocilloporid
Corals, Siderastreid Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, Coral System
Set-Up, Coral System Lighting,
Stony Coral Identification, Stony
Coral Selection, Coral Placement,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, | .JPG)
Best to culture species separately for production
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Ceramic Tile and the Like. Cnid. cult. – 09/17/07
Cheers guys,
thanks for everything that you do.
<Welcome>
I had a quick
question, I have searched everywhere but cannot seem to get a straight
answer so...
I am setting up a SPS frag farm of sorts and have a good
amount of cultured pieces (say 60 in a 400 gal system). I have been
looking for bases to mount them on so the brood doesn't knock in to each
other. I have used ceramic tiles, but ran into some ph issues
<Mmm,
the ceramic tile is not at fault here>
which I believe were caused by
air conditioning (I took a sample outside, aerated it, ph went up
dramatically). Anyway, ph is stable and in check (trough a couple of
equipment mod.s), but I wanted to make sure there are no ill effects
from using ceramic tile in a system (I read on the site they can be used
for clownfish, but people would be just using a few, not a mass amount
of them).
<This material is almost entirely chemically inert>
In
addition, when I had the ph issues, many of my colonies lost some color
(there are no bugs, everybody gets dipped and I have inspected all of
them). I am seeing a return of color, but some of them have taken on a
whitish appearance but have good polyp extension, it is almost as if
they are getting burnt with too much light.
<A possibility... even
with just change in water/light transmission>
I feed little if at
all,
<I would...>
and I am starting to wonder if perhaps my water
is too polished
<Yes... a possibility>
or perhaps I have a couple
of bad ballasts. In the past I used an ORP meter but it drove me nuts.
<... Mmm, is a very useful tool>
Thanks for any comments or
suggestions
Tom
<Well... if you're serious re aquaculture here...
I would look to more easily manipulated plug material (there are a bunch
available you can make or just buy)... And I would feed SPS, other
Cnidarians intentionally... again if you're serious... And I would use
the ORP meter, ozone... much to chat up here. Bob Fenner>
SPS Accident - 5/8/2006
Hey everyone,
I had a little
accident with an Acropora in my tank. I broke off four 1 inch long
pieces - fragging by accident I guess. I have always wanted to
propagate my own coral to become more self sufficient in the hobby. I
have some small cylindrical bases for the coral and want to use reef
putty to
connect the frags. My question is in regards to the base of
the frag being slightly buried in the putty. I need to get at least a
couple of millimetres
into the putty to get the frags to stand. Is
this alright or should I try something else.
Cheers
Marc
<Marc - Yes, it is OK to stick the frag in. If it grows, the base will
eventually cover the putty. With new frags, it is usually best to try
to duplicate the same lighting and flow they had before they broke off
for best results. However, with a brand new frag, you might want to
start the frag lower in the tank and then move it higher over the course
of several days. Best of luck, Roy> SPS
collection business 8/21/06
Dear Bob and crew,
<Alan>
I'm thinking of starting an exclusive Acropora collecting
business to supply to the trade. I only wish to collect Acroporas from
the wild by
fragging a few branches from a colony and gluing them
unto rocks for sale in order to minimize impact on ecosystem.
<Mmm... can't really be done this way... need to collect colonies, keep
them in captive conditions... some time (months) later frag them... Too
hard to make the transition otherwise>
I suppose this will generate
faster returns rather than having an aquaculture facility which requires
more overhead cost and time.
<...>
Do you think this is viable
in the long run?
<Nope>
Any words of wisdom? Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Lee
<Keep studying, dreaming, 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?>
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