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Coral Propagation

Big Dog

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Staff member
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Well my return to reef tanks has spurred a new hobby, coral propagation. Instead of purchasing wild collected corals, which can be detrimental to the reefs and risky due to nasty hitch hikers, I've started aquaculturing. I currently have 4 frag tanks loaded with corals.

I've currently teamed up with another hobbyist and we're supplying a couple local reef stores and local hobbyist. I'm also the chairman of the Indiana (PA) Reef Club. Enjoy the pics!
 

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squerly

Supported Ben Carson
GOLD Site Supporter
Beautiful Big Dog. I just know I'm going to feel foolish for this but what do they eat?
 

Big Dog

Large Member
Staff member
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Depends on the coral!

Symbiotic algae, captured particles such as plankton, and take up dissolved substances from the water.

The animals themselves are heterotrophic and consume plankton and dissolved molecules. Next to this, many species receive photosynthates from symbiotic algae, which are commonly called zooxanthellae. These photosynthates are produced by means of photosynthesis, and comprise sugars, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids. Although corals themselves are heterotrophic just like all other animals, both hetero- and autotrophic processes take place inside their tissues (excluding corals which lack zooxanthellae). Corals are often considered as being either autotrophic or heterotrophic. They are probably best viewed as polytrophic, using both ingested and translocated carbon as energy sources.

Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are free floating microscopic plants that grow in the upper regions of the ocean where sunlight is plentiful. These small plants, which are composed of algae, are the bottom of the food chain for the entire ocean, and the largest group of primary producers in the ocean. There are several hundred species of phytoplankton. In a typical reef aquarium, the phytoplankton population is very low to non-existent - either it gets consumed faster than it can reproduce, or gets removed by skimmers. Phytoplankton serves as the primary food source for a lot of reef organisms.

Algal Photosynthesis
Most reef-building corals have a mutually beneficial relationship with a microscopic unicellular algae called zooxanthellae that lives within the cells of the coral's gastrodermis. As much as 90 percent of the organic material the algae manufacture photosynthetically is transferred to the host coral tissue. Due to the need for sunlight to conduct photosynthesis, this type of energy production happens during daylight hours

All this and some stony corals with tentacles will consume any larger foods like brine shrimp and copepods.
 

Big Dog

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Staff member
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No, just read a bunch of books but frankly it was one of my first aspirations ........... Since I got back in you wouldn't believe the changes in reef keeping since I first got into it 20 years ago. It's still some work but not near as much as it was back then to keep corals.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
i use to keep tropical fish years ago. One of my tanks was a 150 gal salt water tank that I tried to keep coral in with out much luck. I was living in South Florida at the time so sources where less than a mile away too. Make me jealous that some one in mostly a land locked state can grow coral and I couldn't.

Very impressive BD, great work. Oh and I was successful with the salt water fish as well as the other 20 fresh water tanks. :clap:
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Very interesting and impressive Dawg. :applause:

I know nothing about Coral except what I just now read, but when you say propagation, does it work the same as propagating trees and plants? :unsure:
 

Big Dog

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Staff member
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Propagating coral involves fragging which means removing a fragment from a mother colony. Some corals propagate on their own and some require removing a small piece or branch from the coral. I use a diamond band saw for hard and stony corals and for softies I use a scalpel. The frag is typically glued to a piece of live rock rubble or specially designed plugs.

Here's some frags of Small-polyp stony (SPS) corals, some of the more difficult to keep.
 

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thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Interesting. Much more interesting than my Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks for the explanation and pics, that makes it 100 times more interesting to me at least. :wink:

Have you, or are you planning on doing any timelapse photography of the growing stage? I would think it would be usefull for your marketing in the future. :unsure:
 

Big Dog

Large Member
Staff member
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Thanks for the explanation and pics, that makes it 100 times more interesting to me at least. :wink:

Have you, or are you planning on doing any timelapse photography of the growing stage? I would think it would be usefull for your marketing in the future. :unsure:

Not at this stage but that's a good idea! I might just try that by isolating one or two frags and taking weekly pics. Tough when we're moving a lot of frags these days. All the pieces you see will sell for approximately $20 or more, the more colorful are the biggies. Most of the frags you see are 1" - 2".
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Not at this stage but that's a good idea! I might just try that by isolating one or two frags and taking weekly pics. Tough when we're moving a lot of frags these days. All the pieces you see will sell for approximately $20 or more, the more colorful are the biggies. Most of the frags you see are 1" - 2".
:thumb: That sure looks much more enjoyable and sounds more profitable then growing trees out of twigs like I have been trying to do the last few years, and I haven't sold anything yet. :doh:
 
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