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FAQs about "Coral" Reproduction/Propagation:
Livestock Selection Related Articles:
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,
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Don't mix incompatible species!
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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>
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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>
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