Fully Aquacultured Tank.

[Creade]

Im in the process of planning the new show tank Im having built.
I was just wondering how many people out there have tanks that are fully aquacultured.
Meaning- none of your life was harvested, its all second generation or better.


Just curious where you find nice quality captive bred fish and inverts etc.

It may be more common that I think, but Id just like to try and be as ocean friendly as possible when setting this one up.

Thanks.

Creade

[Creade]

If you want to chime in feel free. However, I did find another post finally that deals with this subject!

Yay for the search option working and not working!


Creade

[MiddletonMark]

I know Premium Aquatics sells a fair amount of `aquacultured' fish ... Inland Aquatics too.

Except for a few exceptions ... my whole SPS tank is aquacultured [Bubble from fiance's nano, Turbinaria/Cup from LFS, Porites from LFS + clam too] ... but everything else is via frag [15 varieities of SPS + zoanthid]. Takes time, but given that IMO it's the way to go.

[Creade]

Im glad someone agrees!
Even if it is a fellow cheesehead.


Josh

[Trumpet12]

I am going fully aquacultured for my 75 gallon.

[Evergreen]

Just because it's from the LFS doesn't mean it's aquacultured...

[Creade]

Mark was saying his tank was aquacultured EXCEPT FOR the stuff from the LFS....


Creade

[sanblas]

creade,
do you have a link to the thread that you found on this subject, couldnt find it in the search as it isnt working very often. I am very interested in this subject as well,
thx

[dgasmd]

My 360g SPS tank is completely aquacultures. Everyting in it came from frags from other tanks. Most things are 3-5th generation. Not so much with the fish though as I have a lot of it and most have not been captive bred yet.

[Creade]

I'll see if I cant find that thread for you Sanblas.

[paintballgoth]

im still in the setup phase of my 55gal tank. but im planning on going on as low impact as possible...gonna have TBS LR wich is all aquacultured live rock and some CB clowns and all frags of corals. i know some other fish will probably be wild but im going with as few wild caught as i can.

[sanblas]

creade,
cheers...Im a high school biology teacher and am thinking of setting up a 20g nanoreef in the classroom(kids would love it), but want to be able to tell the kids that it is a low-impact eco-friendly aquarium. Going to try and go totally aquaculture, including LR(luckily there is a good LFS that frags and propogates their own corals). I realize I might have to compromise on inverts. unless Im wrong there arent any cultured inverts besides clams and abolones, if anyone knows different, please let me know. So I appreciate any info anyone has,
thx,
sanblas

[paintballgoth]

i know they aquacultured fighting conchs...

[Creade]

I was out for a while and didnt find that thread I wanted to. However, there are plenty of inverts now that are captive bred.
Many reefers have high success rates with peppermint shrimp breeding in their tanks as well as many types of snails. Not to mention anemones, they split like made for so many reefers.

As paintball goth said, there are aquacultured conchs as well.

I think you can definately go all aquacultured for a small tank easily.

For my new tank (150) Im really having problems picking fish that are going to have been captive bred. Id like some bigger fish, but the choices just arent out there.

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by Creade
For my new tank (150) Im really having problems picking fish that are going to have been captive bred. Id like some bigger fish, but the choices just arent out there.

What about a captive-bred Marine Betta or Half Moon Angelfish?

If fish that are caught in the ocean when they are part of the plankton, and then raised in captivity meet your standards, there are some more fish that you can start looking into, including some tangs.

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by sanblas
unless Im wrong there arent any cultured inverts besides clams and abolones, if anyone knows different, please let me know.

I know that some of these things have already been said, but here is the list that I know of: fighting and queen conches, peppermint shrimp (as far as I know they are not available yet, but I think that they will be available soon), bristleworms, and snails.

[sanblas]

thx for the info

I have also seen cultured rainbow abalone at www.octopets.com
those look interesting, Ive seen abalone in 'hands on' tanks at public aquarium and they are very cool, they have a lot of personality for a snail.

[Tenny]

http://www.bareonline.org/html/100__propagated_tank.html

[Trumpet12]

sanblas,
Do you have any books about starting marine aquariums yet? A few good books will really help you as you set up this tank (assuming that you have not setup marine tanks before).

Trumpet12

[sanblas]

I have had marine setups in the past(years ago) and am now getting back into things. I bought a 10g mantis/live rock setup from a guy last week, and have had fun getting that going. I should get a couple of books though. Luckily there are a few good LFS' in the portland area and a very active club that I should look into.

actually part of my interest in getting back into the hobby is the fact that it is now possible to do a low-impact ,eco-friendly reef system. I wouldnt be comfortable having a tank in the classroom or in my home unless I felt that I was having minimal impact, since I stress sustainability and natural resource management. Im grateful that forums like this exist to help us in that goal.

[Creade]

Im just really glad to hear that a teacher is going to interest and educate students in responsible reefkeeping!
Its a great thing!

Creade

[Ryan]

Here's My Current AquaCulture Project:
75 Gallon Softie Reef
Aquacultured Sinularia, Anthelia, Sarcophyton and ricordea.
Fish is an aquacultured orchid dottyback.
I have bred TONS of nassarius and turbos in this tank too...

The only thing that isn't aquacultured is my rock...125 pounds of fiji, walt smith stuff from about 2 years ago.

[sanblas]

I cant imagine doing it any other way, but then again I have a degree in marine ecology and really want to teach a high school oceanography class in the future, so it would be hard for me to be credible with the students with livestock coming from the phillipines in a class tank while I try and teach them about the depletion of the oceans. What I'd love to do in the future is try to get a little coral frag growing project going to coincide with an oceanography class and try and make it a self sustaining (money wise) project that the kids could plan and manage, I think that would go over well and be a great learning experience.
just an idea right now though...

[jasonross]

Originally posted by sanblas
creade,
do you have a link to the thread that you found on this subject, couldnt find it in the search as it isnt working very often. I am very interested in this subject as well,
thx

here this is another thread

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=319335

[RicksReefs]

i've filled my 125G reef with nothing but trades, rescues,
auctions & the like. the only thing i have that i bought
at the LFS is a green Ricordea mushroom. my kaelini rock
was wild but i don't like gulf aquacultured so...

and way to go, sanblas :thumbsup:,
it was a teacher like you that steered me into a lifelong
respect for the environment & oceans in particular.
keep up the good work.

[paintballgoth]

yea i totaly encurage people to set up tanks and educate them about the fragility of these wonderful creatures we have all grown to love. Its such a shame they have come to a state in which they are being terribly decimated by the careless people of this earth. I believe in setting up tanks to help out on a whole, a small loss like 1 fish out of the whole tank is a very small price to pay to get maby a few houndred people aware of this and out of them hopefully one or two that will actualy do something about it.

So for that I salute you sandblas:thumbsup:

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by sanblas
I should get a couple of books though.

I would recommend "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner. It was the most informative out of the three books that I bought.

Originally posted by sanblas
actually part of my interest in getting back into the hobby is the fact that it is now possible to do a low-impact ,eco-friendly reef system. I wouldnt be comfortable having a tank in the classroom or in my home unless I felt that I was having minimal impact, since I stress sustainability and natural resource management. Im grateful that forums like this exist to help us in that goal.

I agree. Setting up a tank like this will help to give your students an idea of the beauty of the oceans and the importance of preserving them.

Trumpet12

[hmoore]

I had a 20L in my classroom (on my desk) for one of the three years that I taught high school. My one concern was power. It would behoove you to check with the janitorial staff and ask about the power to the classrooms. I know that during holidays, they might shut off power to the classrooms and just keep the power for the alarm systems going.

[sanblas]

yeah Ive thought about the power issue, not sure what to do about that, Ive also been thinking that chemicals in the room might be an issue, for example chemicals used in labs(high school biology), and also cleaning supplies that the janitorial staff might use...Im going to have to look into that.

[hmoore]

Just goes to show that the janitorial staff can make or break you sometimes - so be nice.

[sanblas]

janitors, secretaries, and copy room people are what make schools run...got to stay in with them for sure :)

[hmoore]

That's true, I forgot about the secretaries. Now, copy room people? Come on, what kind of rich children are you teaching? ;o)~

[sanblas]

hey, someone has to keep the copy machines running and repaired considering theyre in use all day long and oftne by students, the school Im at has one woman who runs the copy room, everyone is very very nice to her ;)

[hmoore]

That is completely awesome! I can recall several days running in there trying to get a jillion test papers copied before homeroom. I don't mean to venture too far into this as I realize this is about fully aquacultured tanks. So, GARF RULES!!

[JSB5776]

Garf is excellent for frags... and Education... And Tampa Bay Saltwater has an incredible product which is not only Eco-friendly but Eco-Beneficial (if thats even a real term???)

Bare Ocean + Ancient Fossilized Coral + 10 years = New Coral Reef
Now thats Aqua Culture...

How can you go wrong with that???

[spawner]

We just set up a 175 gallon RR Oceanic Bow front that's 100% cultured. So far so good. Just have to be a little more patient, not instant gratification.

Good luck.

[liverock]

Originally posted by paintballgoth
i know they aquacultured fighting conchs...

Queen conchs, not fighting conchs......

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

[Trumpet12]

I think that both are available aquacultured.

http://www.orafarm.com/invert.html#conch

[liverock]

Originally posted by Trumpet12
I think that both are available aquacultured.

http://www.orafarm.com/invert.html#conch

Cool, leave it up to Harbor Branch to be on the cutting edge.....


Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by liverock
Cool, leave it up to Harbor Branch to be on the cutting edge.....


What is Harbor Branch? Is it another name for ORA?

[RicksReefs]

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
you've seen their research/coustaeu type
shows on the animal networks. they have
the johnson sealink DSV's, ROV's, etc...
ORA is an offshoot of HBOI.

http://www.hboi.edu/

HTH

[GreshamH]

Bare Ocean + Ancient Fossilized Coral + 10 years = New Coral Reef = a open ditch where the fossilized rock was strip mine from (not to knock TBS in any way, just wanted to bring up the point about source).

Doesn't HBOI own Alvin, I know they have a real deep diving sub, but is it Alvin?

[paintballgoth]

im pretty sure alvin is owned and opperated by woods hole institute

[Creade]

Alvin is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with funding from NOAA and the U.S. Navy.


Creade

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by ricksreef
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
you've seen their research/coustaeu type
shows on the animal networks. they have
the johnson sealink DSV's, ROV's, etc...
ORA is an offshoot of HBOI.

http://www.hboi.edu/

HTH

Thanks for explaining that to me! I never knew that ORA was part of them.

[JSB5776]

Originally posted by GreshamH
= a open ditch where the fossilized rock was strip mine from (not to knock TBS in any way, just wanted to bring up the point about source).

Rock mined out of a previously operating rock quarry... so if TBS didnt grab it... it probably would have been ground up for roads and building materials... It doesnt matter who bought it, it would have eventually been mined... there is a certain amount of rock in any mine... and when its gone the mine will close and usually not untill then... there for the end result is the same... open pit

vs

All the thousands of pounds of rock sold as aquaculture instead of being hacked from a natural reef that is relatively irreplaceable... And all of the species that were given a habitat by introducing struture to a bare ocean bottom... You know they will never remove 4 million pounds so there will always be a reef there because of them...

I'll take the lesser of two evils anyday...

[Creade]

First- Im not knocking anyone for bringing up all these topics we're discussing here.

But, Im absolutely amazed where our threads turn. From aquacultured frags and conchs to Alvin research etc.

Just goes to show RC is a wealth of knowledge =P


Creade

[PRC]

Hopefully Richard can verify this, but I'm pretty certain that none of the rock used for Florida aquacultured LR is stripmined! I believe it comes from construction sites such as roadways, canals and housing projects.
Regardless of how the rock is mined, I really can't understand the point of even mentioning this. Do you have any idea how much of this stuff there is? The island I live on is made of "Ancient fossilized coral" that was dredged for the creation of the intracoastal waterway in Biscayne Bay. Most of south Florida is "Ancient fossilized coral". The amount of this stuff used for the aquarium industry is truly insignificant considering the impact it's removal has on the ecosystem. I don't see how this can compare to the impact of removing wild LR from existing reef areas.

[RicksReefs]

you know that green pond by I95? i mean FUNKY green?
i'm pretty sure that's part of one of the mines for coral rock.
here's a bit of history on fl. rock.

http://www.reeferrocks.com/liverock/history.htm#1