What Caribbean & Floridian Corals can I own?

[Casket_Case]

I know there’s mushrooms and Gorgonians and Zoanthids and palythoas, but what else can we legally own in our aquariums? I really what Caribbean/Floridian LPS/SPS but is there any Caribbean/Floridian acropora or Montipora you can legally own?

 

[Picasso Clown]

All stony corals are illegal to collect from Florida and there’s strict laws about the rest of them (I believe it’s 5 polyps per person per day in most areas) Caribbean might be easier to find, try asking your LFS about getting a shipment of those.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Nobody here can tell you with any actual authority. Best to contact the proper authorities for legalities or a lawyer.

 

[Casket_Case]

All stony corals are illegal to collect from Florida and there’s strict laws about the rest of them (I believe it’s 5 polyps per person per day in most areas) Caribbean might be easier to find, try asking your LFS about getting a shipment of those.

Yeah he gets coral straight from a diver in the international waters off the coast from Florida. All the softies. I’m desperate for some Caribbean Montipora or acropora if Montipora even exists there XD haven’t been able to find a lot on that

 

[Picasso Clown]

Yeah he gets coral straight from a diver in the international waters off the coast from Florida. All the softies. I’m desperate for some Caribbean Montipora or acropora if Montipora even exists there XD haven’t been able to find a lot on that

I have over 400 dives logged for the Caribbean, there’s a lot of Stony corals but none are too pretty, mostly brownish colors. Lots of stag and elkhorn pieces though, I’ll see if I can find some pictures real quick. Lots of sponges too, but those don’t seem to do too well in tanks.

 

[Casket_Case]

I have over 400 dives logged for the Caribbean, there’s a lot of Stony corals but none are too pretty, mostly brownish colors. Lots of stag and elkhorn pieces though, I’ll see if I can find some pictures real quick. Lots of sponges too, but those don’t seem to do too well in tanks.

I like the brownish colors, that’s what the reefs really look like

 

[Picasso Clown]

Here’s a couple pics from my dives in Grand Cayman last year, you can see a variety of corals, looks like pocillapora, gorgonians, montis, and a whole lotta sponges

 

[Picasso Clown]

I really love the symbiosis between the turtles and the French angelfish. The turtle was eating a sponge and the angel was cleaning it’s shell skin and eating tiny bits of the sponge the turtle had torn off as well! There were actually 3 frenchies with this turtle but they were never all together .

 

[AdamNC]

Florida Coral Rules and Regulations

rules-and-regulations

myfwc.com

 

[Opus]

You might want to check out this thread

Check out these Florida Hard Corals!

Hello fellow reefers! I am a member of the Outreach and Engagement team at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Ft. Pierce, FL. I recently got my Masters Degree at FAU HBOI and I now work to convey the research being done by the scientists and engineers at the Institute. One way that I...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[PatW]

I believe that importation of Caribbean hard corals is illegal. There are only 2 species of acropora: elkhorn and staghorn. And both are brown and of a large growth form that would not work in any tank of reasonable size. There are some SPS corals like pencil coral, lettuce coral and finger coral. But none of those really has a great growth form for most reef tanks. Now the Caribbean has some really nice gorgonians that are photosynthetic and some of these are commercially available.

 

[Casket_Case]

Here’s a couple pics from my dives in Grand Cayman last year, you can see a variety of corals, looks like pocillapora, gorgonians, montis, and a whole lotta sponges

Man, that’s beautiful. Every time I see pictures of the Ocean it’s like I’m seeing an old photograph of a lover.

 

[Casket_Case]

You might want to check out this thread

Check out these Florida Hard Corals!

Hello fellow reefers! I am a member of the Outreach and Engagement team at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Ft. Pierce, FL. I recently got my Masters Degree at FAU HBOI and I now work to convey the research being done by the scientists and engineers at the Institute. One way that I...

www.reef2reef.com

Yeah I’ve seen that one, thanks though!