KC2020
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Have you considered live sand ? I've had really good luck with it and it's typically hitchhiker free.
If your tank up and cycled or are you just setting up ?
AquaBiomics?
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If your tank up and cycled or are you just setting up ?
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jonelder68
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Yes was planning on doing live sand as well. Not running yet. It’s pretty much ready to go but just taking my time wanting to do it right. This will be my first attempt at SPS tank.
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aquabiomics has a hard time meeting demand for clean testing live rock /rubble because when they get stuff in, then test it - sometimes tests positive for pathogens or at least sketchy things they don't want to send out. (Eli's talked about this a few times)
Any source can contain potential-pathogen DNA (including your hobbyist buddy or LFS with great looking corals.) That doesn't mean the material will cause disease. Not all of the diseases that we know of in corals even have their pathogens identified. SCTLD - we don't know for sure which bacteria are actually the bad guys, we know of groups of bacteria that often appear in infections.
To me this is sort of like the discussions around "clean chaeto" where people complain it's got "bugs" (copepods, amphipods) in it.
I don't know what people's definitions of "clean" are - but certainly nobody believes that chaeto could possibly be grown in an axenic sterile monoculture without bacteria, diatoms, and thus ciliates, copepods etc.
Anyway, I'd be happy with a clean environmental DNA bill of health from aquabiomics, and I'd also be happy with material from a hobbyist/LFS system that is healthy, full of awesome corals and apparently disease free over an extended time. I'd also be happy with sources like the gulf live rock providers that supply many reefers and have many happy customers who say their systems got this material and are healthy and grow coral well.
I consider all of those to be acceptable standards of healthy material.
Any source can contain potential-pathogen DNA (including your hobbyist buddy or LFS with great looking corals.) That doesn't mean the material will cause disease. Not all of the diseases that we know of in corals even have their pathogens identified. SCTLD - we don't know for sure which bacteria are actually the bad guys, we know of groups of bacteria that often appear in infections.
To me this is sort of like the discussions around "clean chaeto" where people complain it's got "bugs" (copepods, amphipods) in it.
I don't know what people's definitions of "clean" are - but certainly nobody believes that chaeto could possibly be grown in an axenic sterile monoculture without bacteria, diatoms, and thus ciliates, copepods etc.
Anyway, I'd be happy with a clean environmental DNA bill of health from aquabiomics, and I'd also be happy with material from a hobbyist/LFS system that is healthy, full of awesome corals and apparently disease free over an extended time. I'd also be happy with sources like the gulf live rock providers that supply many reefers and have many happy customers who say their systems got this material and are healthy and grow coral well.
I consider all of those to be acceptable standards of healthy material.
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To answer the OP question: the limitations on our live rubble and sand are two fold.
1. Availability - some of this is seasonal and some is just variation in whats available from the suppliers. Our Caribbean suppliers are wonderful. Our wholesalers that import from Indo Pacific, well, thats been a real challenge. Others in the industry may relate.
2. Testing - there is always a built in delay because we have to test the material before selling. About half of it fails - usually because its contaminated with Uronema, which is so common in the hobby supply chain. So each month we roll the dice and some times we're unlucky and don't have much or any to sell. Its a rough business model.
This month for the first time I'm testing some of our homegrown rubble - dry sterile rubble we inoculated and cultured for a year in the greenhouse. If this works it could pave the way for a more stable supply.
1. Availability - some of this is seasonal and some is just variation in whats available from the suppliers. Our Caribbean suppliers are wonderful. Our wholesalers that import from Indo Pacific, well, thats been a real challenge. Others in the industry may relate.
2. Testing - there is always a built in delay because we have to test the material before selling. About half of it fails - usually because its contaminated with Uronema, which is so common in the hobby supply chain. So each month we roll the dice and some times we're unlucky and don't have much or any to sell. Its a rough business model.
This month for the first time I'm testing some of our homegrown rubble - dry sterile rubble we inoculated and cultured for a year in the greenhouse. If this works it could pave the way for a more stable supply.
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