Caribbean corals in the hobby?

[EMeyer]

From what I have been told it is all over oil rigs in the gulf. I have never been able to keep it alive for some reason and sometimes it wont even open at all

Yes, I did a few oil rig dives in the Gulf and thats absolutely true. Just thousands on thousands of colonies.

I've never had success with NPS corals myself, they appear to require a pretty different system. They sure are pretty though. Someday.

 

[Tom Giddens]

These zoas I collected and since have Aquacultured right out of my backyard here in Palm Beach, Florida. That green plating coral was a local SPS (LPS?) (not mine nor did I collect it). Carribean elkhorn and staghorn are very brown under both full spectrum and actinic, so I wouldn’t expect them to be popular in the trade. There is a scientific institution on my block that does work with these two genus in an aquaculture setting and, though interesting, not visually appealing by today’s hobbyist’s standards.

Those orange and green polyps are cool,do you sell any frags? I am in land locked Illinois

 

[Casket_Case]

You selling frags of those Zoas?

 

[dennis romano]

If you want to replicate Caribbean waters, populate with photosynthetic gorgonians, zoas, rock anemones, and ricordea. All are easy to care for. If you can find one, add a Porites with Christmas tree worms but needs more effort to keep alive. Stay away from NPS gorgonians and sponges. I have them and they have different requirements than in a normal tank.

 

[dennis romano]

Yes, I did a few oil rig dives in the Gulf and thats absolutely true. Just thousands on thousands of colonies.

I've never had success with NPS corals myself, they appear to require a pretty different system. They sure are pretty though. Someday.

I have a NPS system. They require low light, moderate to heavy movement and fed several times a day. Hard corals need large food like mysis while my sponges require tiny food.

 

[lemonade]

Some Caribbean stuff

This gives an idea of how high light demanding A. Palmata is

For a lot of these pieces there's not enough room in a captive environment for them to take their iconic natural shapes

 

[Doctorgori]

You can come down here and I'll show you were there are massive colonies a few yards off the coast in 15 ft of water. Despite them being protected from collection due to their endangered status (not due to CITES as that pertains to crossing international boarders) they are not the prettiest - brown in color - nor space friendly to bring into a tank. There are many universities and the Coral Restoration Foundation that propagate our Atlantic SPS. Colin with Coral Morphologic has even found new hybrid SPS species in the coastal waters of Miami. I've lived in the Caribbean for several years and the reefs of the S. FL coast are in healthy and better condition than many of those in the Caribbean islands.

careful, I may take you upon that
We appreciate the update on the reefs


have a NPS system. They require low light, moderate to heavy movement and fed several times a day. Hard corals need large food like mysis while my sponges require tiny food.

I’ve been wanting to put SPSin with my messy eating seahorses but NPS are cost prohibitive if you find them.

Wonder why all the Carribean corals are brown?

 

[dennis romano]

NPS gorgonians are usually available from KP Aquatics for around $20. If you feed your horses baby brine, that is what my gorgonians eat. They also make good hitching posts for smaller horses. Sun corals are usually available and eat brine shrimp and mysis.

 

[Casket_Case]

I know a few people with strict Florida biotopes, and they have all the good stuff. You wont see them on these boards or posting about it online, though.

It's sad that our state is constantly running new storm drains into the bays and rivers decimating the local sea life, but competent hobbyists that can grow massive colonies of acropora cannot aquaculture these corals and help preserve them?

What corals do they have that anyone could obtain other than Zoanthids, Palythoas, mushrooms, and Gorgonians?

 

[lemonade]

What corals do they have that anyone could obtain other than Zoanthids, Palythoas, mushrooms, and Gorgonians?

Probably not a lot. Most of the LPS and SPS, if not all, are prohibited species.

 

[Casket_Case]

Probably not a lot. Most of the LPS and SPS, if not all, are prohibited species.

Dang, I know some type of montipora grows in the Caribbean and Florida so I’ve just included Montipora in my tank. I’ll probably have to just compromise on some related sps for my tank. I also might try brain corals... some of those grow there.

 

[User1]

Wonder why all the Carribean corals are brown?

Are they though?

If truth be told if you have ever been scuba diving corals look a lot different in the wild and at depth. They do not look like many of the displays here nor did mother nature drop her bag of skittles.

 

[Justin Aretz]

Here are some coral pics on the reef by my house. Have many more and fish/critter pics. @Justin Aretz here are your zoas too

Wow! That’s a beautiful stag colony. I’ve never seen one on this side of the lake and I dive the Hillsboro/Everglades reefs quite frequently. I have seen them in Bimini, and obviously 10 foot tall elkhorn colonies.

would you be willing to share coordinates to this reef through a PM?

 

[Casket_Case]

Here are some coral pics on the reef by my house. Have many more and fish/critter pics. @Justin Aretz here are your zoas too

What's the purple one mixed in with the staghorn?

 

[shred5]

I have about 12 different zoas I’ve collected locally and legally. Mushrooms and rock flowers as well.

In response to an above post, the harvesting of gorgonias is not legal here in Florida to my knowledge.

Most Gorgonians are legal sea fans( Gorgonia ventalina) are not .

 

[Casket_Case]

Most Gorgonians are legal sea fans( Gorgonia ventalina) are not .

And Flabellum I believe

 

[lemonade]

Dang, I know some type of montipora grows in the Caribbean and Florida so I’ve just included Montipora in my tank. I’ll probably have to just compromise on some related sps for my tank. I also might try brain corals... some of those grow there.

There are no Montipora species in the Caribbean that I know of, maybe some type of lettuce coral that looks similar. A vendor like KP Aquatics for example probably has almost all the corals you can legally possess from the Florida/Carib waters.

 

[shred5]

And Flabellum I believe

Right!

 

[Casket_Case]

There are no Montipora species in the Caribbean that I know of, maybe some type of lettuce coral that looks similar. A vendor like KP Aquatics for example probably has almost all the corals you can legally possess from the Florida/Carib waters.

Ah, I really thought I saw some on a diver’s YouTube. I figured it was a montipora since pacific cleaner shrimp are in Florida it didn’t seem too outlandish for Montipora to be too XD

 

[liverock]

Folks...

all hard corals from Florida are illegal to possess. Except for aqua cultured live rock..that has them growing on it......

...but also...is illegal to take or sell aqua cultured rock with staghorn or elkhorn growing on it, they are specifically illegal.. All the other indigenous corals in the gulf and the keys are ok to possess...but only if growing on aqua cultured live rock.

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com