Interested In Aquaculture? Here’s A Great Book

Aquarists are becoming more and more interested in aquaculture. This is evidenced by the large numbers of corals being cultured by hobbyists which are then swopped with other hobbyists or taken to the local retailer to exchange or get a credit. Then there are the increasing numbers of fish that are being home bred, though fish breeding is more difficult and requires more dedication.

All of this activity just goes to show how the marine hobby has advanced and is advancing. It really is good for both the hobby and the wild reefs. Even conservationists could find the good in it!

Whether the aquaculture effort involves ‘fragging’ one coral, or the hobbyist is more ambitious and has a dedicated aquarium for the purpose doesn’t matter - it is a very interesting and worthwhile pursuit. If just one or two corals are ‘fragged’ and brought on in the existing display aquarium it doesn’t cost a thing either.

I have to state that the book I have in mind here is not really for those who are not ‘into’ aquaculture. Indeed, it goes beyond this and looks at the much wider marine world, considering such things as international trade in reef life, the aquarium industry etc. It also includes such subjects as live rock cultivation, corals, ornamental shrimp, hatchery routines, feeding, seahorses etc. It should be interesting for just about any keen hobbyist, but is involved with future trends and methods in a serious way so a wider interest in the marine world is really required.

It is a hardback authored by James Cato and has contributions by many other authors. The book contains 444 pages and has 169 illustrations. It should be a good addition to any suitably keen aquarist’s library.

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/contents.asp?ref=9780813829876

(Aquarists Online and other associated websites have no interests, commercial or personal, with the above link)

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Tags: aquaculture, aquarium, coral conservation, Coral Propagation, Coral Reef, home-aquarium, reef-fish

Propagation In The Aquarium

Reef aquariums are common in the hobby nowadays. With the increased knowledge of their environmental needs and the ability, with the assistance of technology, to maintain the reefs for long periods, the days of struggling with maintenance should be gone.

Some problems have arisen with the ability to maintain such excellent aquarium conditions and the import of coral rocks and specific live rock. One that springs to mind is aiptasia anemones, the weeds of the aquarium. In addition, with long term success coral growth could cause difficulties.

As corals grow they could possibly cause shadows over other occupants of the reef that also need light, or interfere with each other with ensuing damage. Though many aquarists dislike doing it, corals can quite easily be cut to form new ones, in much the same way that a gardener splits plants to obtain more. This is easier than many realize, though it is understandable that aquarists are nervous when they view the beautiful coral(s) in question. Cutting the corals is generally termed ‘fragging.’

For most aquarists there isn’t a need to have an additional aquarium specifically for growing on cut corals. Some keen aquarists have fairly large shallow aquariums set up complete with lighting etc for just this. The rest of us are able to do it in the display aquarium. The benefit of this is that the corals will continue to exist in the same seawater and under the same lighting, and there aren’t any additional costs involved.

All that is required for soft corals is a pair of sharp scissors and a spare removable rock - a rock that has plenty of holes and crevices that the cutting can be fastened to.

There is a lot of information about ‘fragging’ corals on the internet, so I’ll restrict this to a commonly kept leather coral, the toadstool, properly called Sarcophyton species. They are a good example as the success rates are high - there are plenty of other soft corals that are just as amenable to propagation.

The most straightforward way to double the coral (that is, one becomes two) is to cut the head off. (There are ways of creating multiple corals from one that will not be gone into here.) Sounds drastic! The cutting point should be selected so that at least two thirds of the stalk is left attached to the original point, leaving the rest to attach the remaining stalk with the head. The cut should be completed in one effort (though more shouldn’t destroy the coral) and be clean.

The freed head should be attached to the removable rock by the use of a wooden cocktail stick. This is pushed all the way through the lower stalk, again it sounds a bit drastic. The stick should be pushed home so that it holds tightly in a suitable hole or crevice in the rock. The rock is then carefully placed where it can be temporarily left undisturbed. That’s it! No jiggery-pokery at all.

After two weeks or so, sometimes more quickly, the aquarist will see new polyps starting to form on the stalk from which the head was removed. This will continue until the polyps are as they were when the head was present, and a new head will form over time. It really is Nature’s magic. The coral with the head will, over about the same period of time, put out its polyps once more and attach to the rock. Apart from the shorter stalk, which will grow, there will not be a noticeable difference.

Once the cut stalk is attached to the rock, the rock and coral can be bagged up and given away to an aquarist friend, or taken to the local dealer and exchanged for a credit note or some merchandise. Local dealers are usually willing to do this as it means trade and they are obtaining a saleable coral.

As said, it is not just Sarcophyton sp corals that can be propagated; there are many soft corals that will co-operate.

Hard corals (SPS) can be ‘fragged’ in a similar way. This time however, they are not cut but a branch is snapped off. The mother coral that is to be used must be healthy and vigorous; it is likely it will be as that’s why the aquarist wishes to reduce its size. Though the coral will need to be handled, handling should be as gentle as possible and minimized.

Instead of a pair of scissors the aquarist could use pliers to assist in breaking the branch off, though often the fingers are just as good. Select a good branch and snap it off near the base. Once snapped off, it could be placed in a hole or crevice in a removable rock as was the soft coral. There is a better way though which will allow the rock to be used over and over again. This is to use a short plastic tube cut from a longer length (reef safe plastic). The tube can be purchased with a useful diameter so that the cut coral sits in loosely but is held upright. Put the short length of plastic in a suitable hole or crevice in the rock, and place the coral in the tube. That’s it, job done.

After two weeks plus the coral should adhere by growth to the tube and growth should be evident at the tip. At a time suitable to the aquarist the tube with coral can be removed from the rock. It can then, as before, go to another aquarist or to a local dealer.

So with soft or hard corals, very little effort, plus zero additional expenditure, the aquarist can control any overgrowth of corals and at the same time increase the stock within the hobby. It doesn’t matter that it is only by one or two, the fact is it matters - and it’s easy.

Should there be a desire to read more here’s a link:

http://www.fragoutpost.com/frag-propagation

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Tags: Care, coral conservation, Coral Propagation, marine-aquarium, reef-aquarium

Flying Will Cost More

‘What on earth is he bleating on about now?’ I can hear it said. ‘I thought this was a marine aquarist’s site.’

Well, it is a marine aquarist’s site. Also flying will cost more, and it will have an impact on marine aquarists.

Everything seems to be creeping upwards in price, all apparently because of the huge demand for oil worldwide, particularly now that China and India have developed. The demand is currently outstripping supply according to the experts.

So it is with air travel. Passengers are facing ticket price increases and fuel surcharges. The same increases apply to air freight.

For the most part, the livestock we keep in our aquariums comes from the wild reefs and the journey has to be paid for. Air flight is brilliant because time between start and finish is minimised. Livestock is suitably boxed so that transport is as efficient as possible, but it still costs a lot, and the cost as said is increasing.

The increased cost will no doubt feed through the system to the consumer, so the aquarist will have to pay more for fish and corals. The cost of corals may increase the most, at least those that are attached to and travel with a piece of rock, which will be because of the weight. Live rock will likewise probably increase in cost.

This will just be a fact of life that the aquarist has to contend with. There’s not much that could be done about it - there might be some assistance if it was an essential but it isn’t, it is an inessential luxury. I’m sure that the marine hobby isn’t going to reduce overnight, in fact I feel reasonably sure the hobby isn’t going to reduce.

There is an aspect that brings relief to the ’what if’ question. This is that, more and more, aquarists are propagating (”fragging”) corals in their aquariums, or in aquariums that have been designed specifically for the task. This applies to both soft and hard types. Even if the aquarist isn’t too bothered about propagation, corals grow, and to keep the captive reef in good shape some pruning is necessary. The removed parts of the coral can simply be taken to the local marine store for onward growth, or passed to another aquarist who is more keen on propagation and has the facilities. Coral propagation is generally very straightforward.

Breeding fish is also being done by hobbyists. Probably the best example are clownfish. There are several others. Breeding marine fish is more complicated and requires considerably more dedication, but the practice is increasing, both with the currently relatively few advanced hobbyists and also commercial organisations.

As cost pressures mount on wild imports, so commercial organisations should hopefully increase their efforts in producing livestock for the hobby. As wild caught livestock begins to cost more, commercially produced livestock should be able to compete more effectively as, generally speaking, there does not need to be any air travel involved, or if it is necessary at least it will not have to cover the same distances. Commercial organisations that operate in warmer zones will also minimise the cost of the energy they require.

There are two advantages and one disadvantage in being able to obtain home produced or commercial livestock. First, it seems to have been generally shown that livestock produced in aquariums are more hardy. This seems reasonable - they are to be kept in aquariums. The second advantage is that the pressure on the wild reefs will be eased, which will no doubt please environmentalists/conservationists. So what might be the disadvantage? A considerable number of local people in the reef areas have employment because of the aquarium trade, and no-one would want them to suffer.

The future cannot be seen, but I reckon the marine aquarium hobby is well placed to continue to bloom, perhaps with a few adjustments along the way.

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Tags: aquarium, Aquarium Maintenance, Care, Coral Propagation, Coral Reef, Equipment

Coral Transplant

I love to just sit and look at my reef when I have the time. Its so peaceful and relaxing. I note the fish doing their thing, the corals swaying in the currents. My eyes automatically pick up any points of special note - it isn’t that I’m robotic its just that I know the aquarium intimately.

One of the things I note every time is the corals growth. They never stop. I’ve taken quite a few cuttings (‘frags’ if you like) when the corals have become oversize or have overshadowed something else. Some of these cuttings have gone to Peter who is growing them on. A few cuttings were quite a size.

One cutting was taken from the left end of the tank, as the coral branch was so large it was travelling along the top of the water and a little distance along the back length. This particular branch will have been around 12″ or so.

Having removed the branch I noticed a space that had previously been hidden. There wasn’t anything of note in it, but something needed putting there as it was fairly obvious, and the loss of the mentioned branch had meant a loss of height appeal.

For quite a while I considered various options, choosing a new coral species then changing my mind. However, my mind was made up for me.

Sitting gazing at the tank recently I noticed that a coral, a Kenyan tree (proper name Capnella sp) was not too far from the water surface and appeared top heavy and in danger of falling over because of it. I wondered if a cutting could be placed in the aforementioned gap, thus solving two problems in one go.

This was considered for a while - I like to be sure the impact on the reef would be aesthetically correct. Shape and colour need consideration. It seemed alright to me.

So out came the sharp scissors and, after the cutting point had been decided, off came a section, a fairly big one. The part that had been removed was pressed into a crevice where it appeared to be secure. The mother coral had of course gone into a serious sulk.

The next morning the cutting had moved probably because of the water currents. So out came a cocktail stick, the cutting was pierced, and the cocktail stick pushed firmly into a tiny hole in the rock. It has remained in place this time.

The mother coral has now ceased its 100% sulk, this has been reduced to 25%. The coral is partially inflated and it looks as though all will be well.

The cutting is in the same situation though of course not yet attached to the rock.

All things being equal the reef will be back to its full splendour in a few weeks.

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Tags: coral conservation, Coral Propagation, Coral Reef, coral-frag, marine-aquarium, reef-tank

Live Rock and Corals - Excellent!

Some conservationists have expressed their concern over the use of live rock in the aquarium hobby. They see this as denuding the reefs, and, if that were shown to be correct, I for one would have sympathy.

As I understand it, much of the live rock is taken as rubble, that is, it is not part of the actual reef, but rock that lies loose. There is an argument to say that this rock should not be touched as it belongs to the reef. The opposite is that the reef is unchanged if it is taken away. I feel fairly certain that some rock may well be taken from the actual reef in some areas, in the same way that cyanide is/was used to obtain fish. Hopefully the latter practice is now minimal or has ceased altogether.

The amount of live rock that is being used nowadays is substantial. It is probably the most used filtration media in reef aquariums, and is often used in fish only aquariums as well. So it is reasonable that some attention is paid to its source. No-one wants damage to be caused to the reefs because of the aquarium trade.

It was a pleasure therefore to read of the efforts of a commercial concern that is providing live rock but is not taking it from the reefs - well, not from the wet reefs anyway.

What is happening is that land based rock that used to be a coral reef is being mined in quantity and then transported out to sea, around 20 miles off-shore. In the sea it has been left as a coral reef allowing it to develop. The area used is in the Gulf of Mexico.

The commercial concern involved has to be congratulated as the rock had to be left for 4 years to develop naturally, so for that period the company had the investment but no profit. That length of time is quite a commitment.

The reef is being harvested now, but not all of it. Part is left intact without interference, and the remainder is recovered in sections by divers, who fill baskets that are raised to the surface for the waiting boat. The areas that have been harvested are re-seeded with replacement rocks from the land, and in this way a continuous supply is available. The amounts involved are substantial. The quality of the rock is described as ‘premium.’

Of course the mining of the rock from the land could be damaging environmentally. I assume that in order to obtain authority to mine the rock, an agreement to landscape the mining areas would be required.

Separate from the live rock enterprise and in a different area of the world is hard coral production. Divers go down to the reefs and selected mother colonies have a part removed. This part is placed in a small tube which in turn is fastened to a small manufactured standard tile. These tiles are then left in the sea to develop. Again, harvesting is delayed pending development, but after a period a near continuous supply of corals can be obtained. The system means the mother coral remains in situ and continues to provide further corals as long as it continues to be deemed suitable.

Much of the coral programme came about through an education exercise, where local collectors have been taught sustainable methods.

With all the gloom about the potential future of coral reefs at the moment, usually with global warming as a foundation, and the known problems of sedimentation, over fertilization, destruction for building needs etc, it is very pleasant to learn of efforts such as those described. True, in the commercial case it may be simply that a profit source was identified but so what, it is a big step in the right direction. Corals are grown (‘fragged’) by many aquarists, but the majority are still obtained from the wild, so the fact that some are now cultured in the wild and at the same time protect the livelihood of local people can only be good.

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, Coral Propagation, Coral Reef, live-rock, natural reef

Why Not Set Up Your Own Coral Propagation Unit

A lot of visitors to Aquarists Online may not yet be in a position to even consider what they would like to do in the future with relation to their aquarium. Aquarists Online is primarily aimed at beginners to this hobby (although we do get a lot of experienced aquarists visiting) however coral propagation and coral conservation is an area which I personally believe we all should be interested in.

There are lots of reasons as to why people consider starting a home marine aquarium. Mine was due to my fascination of marine life which stems back from my time as a child living around my father’s aquariums.

Anyway, coral propagation - there are lots of ways to become involved in this area when you feel ready to do so.

• When purchasing corals you could either purchase propagated corals from retailers or from other people in the hobby.
• Purchase aqua-cultured corals from your local retailer or online.
• Consider purchasing tank raised fish when stocking your aquarium.
• When the corals in your aquarium have grown and you feel comfortable doing so you can propagate your own corals and make them available for other aquarists.

All of these lessen to a small degree the impact on the natural coral reefs.

Purchasing propagated corals allows you to purchase more corals for your money. Although the size of the corals are smaller than if you purchased one from your local retailer as long as the correct parameters are maintained and the correct care and maintenance is performed then they will quickly grow. You will have more diversity in the aquarium and once they all get bigger you will be able propagate them yourself.

Of course you do not need to sell them (although some people do) - you could either give them away or exchange them for other propagated corals.

Propagated corals are also known to be hardier than wild corals.

Tank raised fish are another great option. There are many more species which can now be purchased. Again this lessens then impact on the natural reef and who knows in time you may have your own little fishies to care for!

The reason for writing this article is primarily based upon the last entry in the bulleted list.

Propagating your own corals

In this article I am not going to cover coral propagation techniques. In future articles I will be covering this for various types of corals. If there is demand for it then I may also go into more detail as to how to actually setup your own propagation unit.

There are many ways in which you can care for your propagated corals. A lot of people start off by doing this in their display aquarium. The propagated corals are either placed at the bottom of the aquarium or a shelf is made to elevate the corals nearer to the light source.

A nice, easy way to get started with coral propagation.

Other people choose to start an aquarium (or some other type of reef safe container) attached to the display aquarium. This can either be fed from an overflow from the display aquarium or from a pump/powerhead from the sump.

This type of setup has both its advantages and its disadvantages. The main advantage is that with the ‘frag tank’ being connected to the display aquarium you have just the one volume of water to care for. This disadvantage is that if anything happens to the water quality in the display aquarium then this will affect the propagation aquarium as well.

What most people normally do with this option is to purchase or make an aquarium which is shallow in depth. This allows for maximum penetration of light which does not have to be as powerful as it would be for an aquarium which is deep. What you are propagating will determine the water movement which is required.

Some people decide to place the aquarium directly on the aquarium bottom. Others, like me utilise shelves to elevate the corals in the aquarium dependant upon their lighting requirements, coral growth, age of propagation etc. I made my own out of egg-crate and whilst it is very simple in design it is very effective.

In my propagation aquarium I place soft corals etc on the bottom (I have no substrate at all). There are three shelves and I place newly propagated hard corals (SPS) on the bottom shelf. When the corals have attached onto the plug I then move them up onto the middle shelf. This then leaves me space to propagate more corals on to the bottom shelf. When the corals on the middle shelf have grown out enough I move them onto the top shelf for them to grow some more and colour up. When I am happy that they are ready I make them available for other aquarists.

I do not do that many corals - I only propagate them when the display aquarium requires ‘thinning out’ a bit.

Personally I find that this scenario works very well for, however there are numerous other setups which could be used.

The final method which is used is very similar to that of the propagation unit above however it is not attached to the display aquarium. It is self contained and has its own filtration. Corals, unlike fish produce very little bio load for the filtration to deal with therefore not as much filtration is required as in the display aquarium. Some live rock would suffice, a deep sand bed or even a canister filter.

The main thing to remember is that you have newly cut corals in this propagation unit and/or corals which you are trying to grow out. Grow out is a term which is used for when the corals have been cut and temporarily attached to a coral plug. The grow out is a term used for when the coral attaches itself down onto the plug and then starts to grow upwards and outwards dependant upon the coral.

For them to grow out you need to ensure that the propagation unit is full of water which is of optimum water quality. Corals which have been cut can get infected and this could be lethal to the coral. Although minimal bio load is being put onto the filtration you will need to ensure that all parameters are excellent.

This is the trouble with a separate coral propagation unit. If you have both a separate propagation unit and a display aquarium then you are effectively caring for both. You will need to do water changes in both systems, apply additives to both systems and ensure that the correct care and maintenance is applied to both systems.

Not hard to accomplish but you are doubling your efforts.

There are quite a few people who do not have a display aquarium and choose to have one or many coral propagation units. In this instance they could be setup as one big coral farm or as individual units.

A great website to check out in relation to coral propagation units is GARF (Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation). There slogan is ‘Save a reef by growing your own’. The website is an exceptionally informative website and they have a couple of sections which are suitable for this topic.

http://www.garf.org/news21p1.html#reef
http://www.garf.org/news30p2.html#unit

Another website is http://www.frags.org/ - This website has been designed for aquarists who would like to buy, sell or trade propagated corals. There is a huge amount of propagated corals available via this site.

There are many other places where this can be done. A lot of local fish shops will now take in propagated corals in exchange for store credit, a purchase or some will even buy them from you.

Personally I find it very pleasing to see how many aquarists are actually propagating corals now.

I can understand why a lot of people prefer to purchase mother colonies as they have an immediate impact when placed into the aquarium. As previously said though you do get more corals for your money if you purchase propagated corals. They do not have the immediate impact of a mother colony but you get the joy of watching them grow and colour up. Over time you will have many large colonies which you can either admire or propagate yourself and trade for more corals.

The more people that propagate corals - the less corals that will be removed from the natural reef.

Now that has got to make it worthwhile. In my opinion it does anyway.

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Tags: aquarium, Conservation, Coral Propagation, Coral Reef, frag-tank, saltwater-aquarium

Reef Gardening - Look At This!

We’ve talked on this website about helping the wild reefs by growing corals from cuttings (“fragging”).

Most of us including me do one or two as and when. But this amateur reef keeper has really taken it on board. Click below:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1215102

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Tags: aquacultured-corals, aquacultured-live-rock, aquarium-coral-propagation-reef, Coral Propagation, coral-frag

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