There seems to be a trend from many directions to introduce wild colonies in ways that I don't remember. Marketing of acropora seems to be undergoing a shift in practice and style. At one time, it seems that there was a distinction between tank raised, aquacultured, mariculture and wild.
So of course, all of our coral originate in the ocean. And none of us manufacture or create these beautiful coral. They live in our oceans although some hide in remote, out of the way places in the world's oceans. All of us understand these truths to be self evident.
I am certainly no Webster's Dictionary nor the best historian but my best recollection :
"tank raised" simply means that a wild colony removed from the ocean, survived travels, fragging and all kinds of other travails to end up in lots of tanks and somehow miraculously maintaining its coloring and survivalibilty (not sure that is a real word) reasonably consistently. Tank raised corals are generally have survived multiple generations in many reef tanks--surviving the test of time.
"Aquacultured", I believe means the same as tank raised. The idea is that these corals have been challenged by life in reef tanks and have the adaptability to survive and prosper reasonably well
"Maricultured" colonies are colonies that are grown typically in protected lagoons or close to shore in shallow waters commercially and then harvested for the aquarium trade. They live in the ocean, fragged and regrown and then sent to market. They have not been tested under "aquarium conditions". Many reefers' experiences are that these corals may not thrive predictably in reef tanks due to the difference in parameters (food, lighting, flow, nutrients, on and on) between ocean vs tank conditions. In other words, they often change color when moving into our tanks, typically browning out initially and sometimes redeveloping color (sometimes different coloring) or never ever coloring up again. These colonies also seem to have less survivability. A lot of them croak in a short time in tanks.
"Wild" colonies are colonies harvested right off the reef at whatever depth. It is kind of like mining. You find a productive area and you collect what looks promising (keeping within the law of the country of origin) and then sent to wholesalers or retailers. These colonies are challenged similarly to mariculture colonies when placed in a reef tank as well.
So to summarize, all coral start out wild, all coral come from the ocean and some coral simply don't survive the transition to a reef tank ( or if they do survive, not as pretty or colorful as when first plucked out of the ocean).
As hobbyists, I believe we all have similar goals: colorful, bright, "happy" coral that are sustainable from my tank to your tank and vice versa. And most of us are hopeful of success in our reef keeping. It seems obvious that tank raised (aquacultured) coral are the most predictable and reliable coral we can purchase, i.e.. maintain original colors and survive long term.
So what is this post about? Well, many reefers have shied away from maricultured or wild colonies because of their unpredictable success and survivability. So why if it has a Canadian association do we seemingly throw caution to the winds. I really am befuddled. I want the brightest, most colorful corals as well, but I don't want to lose/kill a bunch of coral in that effort. Am I missing something in understanding the incredible interest in these new wild colonies?
Oh, one more really important thing. I don't want to bash specifically any business (although with the initial reference maybe I am). Any business is challenging. I can't even imagine being in the coral business. I have no complaints with wholesalers, exporters, importers, retailers, trans-shippers or whatever.
I am questioning the hype and excitement about "untried" coral. Many of us (maybe just me), have chased down specific coral because of their beauty and rarity. These two properties, beauty and rarity, can be confused and for some mean the same thing. And for a time, "Limited Edition", meant a really awesome coral that was tank raised. Or at least that is how I viewed that description. It seems currently that "Branding", i.e.. Canadian, LE or whatever means really cool coral, at least today it's really cool. Not sure what will happen with the coral's color or survivability down the road. So why do we, reefers, buy into that. When I finally track down the beauty that interests me, I really want the coral to have a reasonable level of predictability in both color and survival. Why buy a mercedes that may transform into a pile of junk in a short time. And yes I also understand the excitement of buying a lotto ticket with the chance of winning it big.
Lastly, I still like looking at mother colonies. If there are no mother colonies, what does that mean about the coral's survivability and color stability? And, I am still impressed with those that talk about their coral maintaining color over years, that means something very positive for me.
I am now rambling and losing my train of thought. Hopefully, some of you will share your thoughts (preferably without bashing anyone, me included)
So of course, all of our coral originate in the ocean. And none of us manufacture or create these beautiful coral. They live in our oceans although some hide in remote, out of the way places in the world's oceans. All of us understand these truths to be self evident.
I am certainly no Webster's Dictionary nor the best historian but my best recollection :
"tank raised" simply means that a wild colony removed from the ocean, survived travels, fragging and all kinds of other travails to end up in lots of tanks and somehow miraculously maintaining its coloring and survivalibilty (not sure that is a real word) reasonably consistently. Tank raised corals are generally have survived multiple generations in many reef tanks--surviving the test of time.
"Aquacultured", I believe means the same as tank raised. The idea is that these corals have been challenged by life in reef tanks and have the adaptability to survive and prosper reasonably well
"Maricultured" colonies are colonies that are grown typically in protected lagoons or close to shore in shallow waters commercially and then harvested for the aquarium trade. They live in the ocean, fragged and regrown and then sent to market. They have not been tested under "aquarium conditions". Many reefers' experiences are that these corals may not thrive predictably in reef tanks due to the difference in parameters (food, lighting, flow, nutrients, on and on) between ocean vs tank conditions. In other words, they often change color when moving into our tanks, typically browning out initially and sometimes redeveloping color (sometimes different coloring) or never ever coloring up again. These colonies also seem to have less survivability. A lot of them croak in a short time in tanks.
"Wild" colonies are colonies harvested right off the reef at whatever depth. It is kind of like mining. You find a productive area and you collect what looks promising (keeping within the law of the country of origin) and then sent to wholesalers or retailers. These colonies are challenged similarly to mariculture colonies when placed in a reef tank as well.
So to summarize, all coral start out wild, all coral come from the ocean and some coral simply don't survive the transition to a reef tank ( or if they do survive, not as pretty or colorful as when first plucked out of the ocean).
As hobbyists, I believe we all have similar goals: colorful, bright, "happy" coral that are sustainable from my tank to your tank and vice versa. And most of us are hopeful of success in our reef keeping. It seems obvious that tank raised (aquacultured) coral are the most predictable and reliable coral we can purchase, i.e.. maintain original colors and survive long term.
So what is this post about? Well, many reefers have shied away from maricultured or wild colonies because of their unpredictable success and survivability. So why if it has a Canadian association do we seemingly throw caution to the winds. I really am befuddled. I want the brightest, most colorful corals as well, but I don't want to lose/kill a bunch of coral in that effort. Am I missing something in understanding the incredible interest in these new wild colonies?
Oh, one more really important thing. I don't want to bash specifically any business (although with the initial reference maybe I am). Any business is challenging. I can't even imagine being in the coral business. I have no complaints with wholesalers, exporters, importers, retailers, trans-shippers or whatever.
I am questioning the hype and excitement about "untried" coral. Many of us (maybe just me), have chased down specific coral because of their beauty and rarity. These two properties, beauty and rarity, can be confused and for some mean the same thing. And for a time, "Limited Edition", meant a really awesome coral that was tank raised. Or at least that is how I viewed that description. It seems currently that "Branding", i.e.. Canadian, LE or whatever means really cool coral, at least today it's really cool. Not sure what will happen with the coral's color or survivability down the road. So why do we, reefers, buy into that. When I finally track down the beauty that interests me, I really want the coral to have a reasonable level of predictability in both color and survival. Why buy a mercedes that may transform into a pile of junk in a short time. And yes I also understand the excitement of buying a lotto ticket with the chance of winning it big.
Lastly, I still like looking at mother colonies. If there are no mother colonies, what does that mean about the coral's survivability and color stability? And, I am still impressed with those that talk about their coral maintaining color over years, that means something very positive for me.
I am now rambling and losing my train of thought. Hopefully, some of you will share your thoughts (preferably without bashing anyone, me included)
With that said, here is my gripe :/
