Tank Raised Corals

Advantages

1). The "Green" approach to reef keeping. 

2). Grown in our reef tanks, not continually taken from the oceans reefs.  A Maricultured colony or Tank Raised frag is grown out until it is large enough to take occassional frags to offer on our web site. Most of our corals have been grown out from 1" frags purchased from exotic coral collectors.  These collectors corals are not available in any size except a 1" frag because their is only one of the collector colonies.

3).  Many corals you see for sale are Wild, and from the oceans reefs.  These reefs are being devastated and we see a definite advantage to not continously getting our corals from those reefs.  Many, simply buy Wild Corals from the wholesalers in LA, CA, or Miami, FL and slice them up into frags.  They then sell you wild corals in a small frag sized piece.  This is very profitable, but also very harmful to the oceans reefs because as long as they are in business, the process continues. 

We believe in buying an exotic, rare, and unusual coral frag and growing it into a colony we can harvest frags from for many years to come.  Most of our corals have never seen the ocean as they were purchased from a collectors reef tank and not from the oceans reefs.  It takes a lot longer, and costs much more to do it this way, but we don't continually take corals from the devastated oceans reefs.  We also pick our corals very carefully and only grow those exotic, rare, and unusual  varieties.

4).  Tank Raised Corals are heartier.  Because they come from our reef tanks they acclimate to your reef tank very easily.  No Ocean Involved!  Acclimating from one reef tank to another is a very easy process because chances are the conditions are very similar.  There is only the stress from shipping from our tank to you.  Wild Corals start in the ocean, go to the divers tanks in his boat, then to the tanks on the island, then get bagged and shipped half way around the world to the wholesalers in LA, CA and then get shipped to the local stores.  Usually, these steps take place so quickly (typically within a 5 - 10 days) that the coral never has a chance to get acclimated to any of the tanks.  They arrive at the local store in a very stressed out condition...often on the verge of death.   Then, YOU buy it!  Yes, you are the one who has to deal with this corals totally stressed out condition and try to get it to live!  That's often easier said than done and the coral withers away and dies.  You blame the store, but it is the WHOLE  PROCESS that is at fault.  All of this happens for a reason....The divers/collectors and wholesalers want to "turn" (move) this product (coral) very quickly so they are not stuck with acclimating the coral and losing it themselves.  The water parameters each stop uses often vary dramatically because the water is one of the most costly items in a whoelsalers business.  Many have been known to keep the corals in a salinity of 1.019 - 1.021...very low!  That saves them money because it is very "weak" salt (low salinity).  they don't care because they have the coral for such a short time because they get it in from the collectors and ship it right out again.  YOU are the one who has to try to acclimate that coral that came from the oceans salinity of 1.025 went into possibily 1.019 wholesalers water (a huge change!) and then goes back into your tank at 1.025.  You can imagine how hard on the coral this salinity change is!  And, that's just the salinity....there are probably several other water parameters that are very different from stop to stop that this corals is subjected to.  Hence, it's extreme stress when it gets to you....

 5). Beware of the "Coral Slicers"!  These are very common on the internet.  They are sellers who offer frags, but they are not Tank Raised.  They can look like they are, but they are actually Wild Corals sliced up when they arrive from the oceans reefs.  Those Wild Corals are mounted on plugs or frag discs to look like they are Tank Raised, but they are just a small Wild Coral.  These are even HARDER TO KEEP because they are such a small piece of the Wild Colony that you don't have enough to cut a part that is dying off and still have some to save.

You might be asking "How do I spot the Coral Slicers?" .....Usually they do not have a picture of the Mother Colony of the coral.  they only show you a WYSIWYG frag.  Why does one need to see what a 1/2" - 1" frag looks like?  They all look so close to the same when they are that size!  They show you this, and you think it's an advantage, but it is actually a sign of a Coral Slicer because their is no Mother Colony to show you because it has been "sliced" up and is no longer!  Always look for the picture of the Mother Colony, and ask to see it if they don't provide it.  If they can't show you it or come up with some excuse, you know it is a Wild Coral that has been sliced up and there is no longer a Mother Colony.   Look for sellers that publize that they offer Tank Raised or Farmed coral and show you what your frag will grow into (the Mother Colony).  Isn't that what you really prefer?  A picture of what your coral will look like once you grow it out in your reef.  I want to see that so I know it's worth my effort to grow it.  A frag shows me nothing....

6).  Tank Raised corals are grown out in a tank very similar to yours, with almost the exact same water parameters.  Then, we ship them to you many times floating upside down on a piece of styrofoam in a bag full of water.  We use the ultra reliable FedEx Express.  Many sellers ship SPS frags just laying on the bottom of the shipping bag with barely a splash of water in it.  We believe this gives a lot more abrasion to the frag and stresses it out too much. They use very little water to save money on the shipping which is actually done so they can make money on their shipping cost.  We believe shipping is a "service" needed to ship out Tank Raised Corals, not a "product" we need to make money on.  We offer you the lowest priced and most reliable shipping available from anywhere!  OurTank raised frags go from our reef tanks to your reef tank...simple as that!  Our shipping service is designed to eliminate the common stressful conditions for the corals. This allows us to proclaim that you will almost never lose a Tank Raised Coral!  It is truly rare indeed.

7).   Please make a conscious effort to help end the devastation of our Wild Reefs.  This process of importing Wild Corals every week has been going on for several decades.  It needs to stop and we need to "think first" before purchasing these Wild Corals.   Please decide to "Go Green" and purchase Tank Raised Corals.  Reap the benefits of the grower offering you a Rare and Unusual Coral that will typically live well and thrive and be an amazing specimen when grown out in your reef tank.  

When going to your Local Fish Store that carries live corals, ask them for their totally Tank Raised Corals.  If they don't have them, ask them to bring them in, and don't settle for their Wild Corals. 

Tell them you are "Going Green"!   (:^)