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#26
02/12/2004, 06:26 PM
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My biggest concern would be having such setup connected to the main tank. During the beginning stages, you could be regularly introducing several foreign colonies into your system.
We've all heard the horror stories about parasites getting into our tanks via newly intorduced corals. And most of those folks are just adding a coral here and there. With the number of corals you are proposing introducing on a regular basis, it would seem to become a matter of when, not if, you will have a problem.
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Thank you, but our princess is in another castle. |
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#27
02/12/2004, 06:57 PM
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I was thinking more of down the road, once the corals in my main tank are big enough to frag - would it be reasonable to grow them in a fuge and then re-site them? Particularly if I end up with a second tank?
I am going to use a quarantine tank for all new introductions. How long do you recommend quarantining corals? I have seen recommendations ranging from 1-4 weeks. |
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#28
02/12/2004, 08:43 PM
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One guys opinion.
Hi John,
Your question is exactly where I started from, and my experience was "No" the refugium is not a place to grow frags. For me the refugium was an inviting unused space, but the kicked up light and flow necessary for fragging was not what a refugium should be about. On the other hand I believe many people are already doing as you are suggesting; so "Yes" it can be done. Its just that after trying it I must agree with some of the comments from people in the beginning of this thread - a refugium is a place of "refuge" free from predators (like corals) and not really the best place to grow frags. Anyways, thats my opinion. Best of luck! Joe |
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#31
02/19/2004, 03:10 PM
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Good luck!!
I am using one of my sumps as a "frag Tank". I found that you can sell more frags if you also sell the faster growing soft corals along with the SPS's. I can sell 10 to 15 soft corals for every 1 to 2 SPS's. So I am trimming the SPS out of my tank as needed and letting the stock soft corals grow in the sump. I have also found that it is a bonus to work with people who run tank maintence businesses. You can get a fair amount of business that way. |
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#32
02/20/2004, 10:11 PM
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Joe,
Just wondering why you don't grow the nice colonies in your main tank so you can enjoy them and, as necessary, frag them on occassion when they are growing too big? I had a similiar idea (fantasy  ) to what you are planning on doing, but on a MUCH smaller scale 
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#34
02/26/2004, 09:00 PM
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Update and answers.
Hi All,
Just thought I would add the latest update to my ongoing blog of experience: Skylergirl, You betcha I will be fraggin' my display tank colonies right along with the work I am doing in my basement. I was just looking for the typical male instant gratification and my display tank colonies are a long way from being major sources of frags. TYRYFIN, You are making me think about soft corals more. Without question they sell better than acro's over most of the country. So far I have focused on hard corals just because that's what I am obsessed with, but if I am serious about making a couple dollars with minimum investment I think soft corals provide a better return.  Otherwise here are the latest problems and plans I have run into: 1) Up to now my basement has been cool enough to maintain my tank temperature at a level which actually required year round heating, but the added lighting and pumps from my new frag shop setup pushed the heat to where I am being forced to consider adding an air conditioner or a chiller. The temp rise happened while I was away on a trip. I came home to find the tank at 86 degrees and absolutely freaked, but aside from the Orange Montipora lightening up a bit I haven't noticed any other damage. At the moment I am compensating by leaving a window open in the basement. 2) I recently discovered that light diffuser plastic is a perfect growth medium for hair algae (polystyrene based) so I have had to dramatically increase my algae clean up crew. 3) My calcium and magnesium usage is off the charts and I will need to invest in a significantly larger calcium reactor. 4) I am now commited to growing out my own colonies of a few select corals and using those as my supply chain. I have purchased several groups of frags from already existing frag businesses and hope to duplicate there work. Other than that - its been great. So there's the latest. Still learnin' in NY. Joe 
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#35
02/26/2004, 10:19 PM
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I really applaude you Joe. I'm sure it is such hard work.
Perhaps if you started small, say trying to grow the frags in your show tanks first, you won't feel as rushed or be as burned out from doing your basement frags? I'm sure your showtanks must be very lovely! It would be such a shame if you got so burned out that you didn't have time to maintain your main tanks. Sounds like you are pushing yourself towards the huge cash outlay (reactor, chiller etc) but you do not know if you will be successful yet. And then it might be a LONG time before you sell enough to recoup outlay and operating costs. In the end, you might just be doing double time and count yourself lucky if you are "even steven" when all is said and done. How about spending the money on your show tanks and making the corals in there things of beauty that you can frag and sell? I'm just yammering outloud If I had the money and space, I'm sure I'd be tinkering like you are too!  Seriously though, I wish you the very BEST of luck. Please keep us posted. |
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#37
03/08/2004, 09:04 PM
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Plug fit.
Eric,
The plugs do not fit in the eggcrate. They actually fall through. I bought the plugs from CyberChef (I think that's right) here on RC, and the eggcrate from Home Depot. After buying the eggcrate I read a thread that mentioned not all eggcrate will accomodate the "sprinkler head filter" plugs, and the truth to my picture is that I used epoxy to fasten the frags and used enough to overflow the plug top slightly so that it would fit in the eggcrate without falling through. I must admit they are really doing great at the moment (knock on wood), but man the effort involved so far has been disproportionate to the expected outcome. Hopefully someday I'll be able to start selling some. . . Sorry for the delay in answering. I was on vacation in Orlando. It was my first time to Disney World, believe it or not, and man what a zoo. Joe |
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#38
03/13/2004, 09:04 PM
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man if i wasnt living with my parents (only 15) i would defiently try doing some small basement frags. its very intresting. right now im pretty much running a 150 (my dad asks me questions to help him) and my a nano cube that i upgraded the lights in. but i would love to propergate some small soffties or sps corals. keep up the good work and if u ever do, do some softies i would be more than willing to buy some from u
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Brandon |
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#41
03/14/2004, 03:47 AM
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i think it is great as well as helping preserve our oceans
you are making beautiful animals for the rest of us i am getting ready to setup a 29g for a frag tank thinking mostly zoanthids and ricordias but i love sps as well |
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#45
10/21/2004, 12:08 PM
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I didnt have time to read all the threads here. But if you do decide to do this as a business... Look into setting it up as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) that way all your startup stuff is tax deductible and can be in the red for 3 yrs etc. Then after 3 yrs you decide its not for you ... shut it down.
It might save you some cash in the long run by helping with taxes. I know in AZ I was looking at setting up a daycare at one point I think it's like $80 to get the company setup etc... Just a thought! Jen |
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#46
10/23/2004, 12:21 AM
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were are you going to sell them? maek your own websight? ebay? also you should grow like a few zoos or somthing so if they spend more then (say 100$ they get a free zoo frag... but price just low enough so they have to buy more.. ex. 9.99 to they cant just buy 10 and get the free frag, gotta buy 11... :P)
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#47
10/29/2004, 10:11 PM
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Update.
Since what seems like ages ago that I started this here is a brief summary of what has happened.
1) I realized chopping wild colonies up was not ethical or practical for me. 2) I picked 5 colorful corals (2 Torts, 2 Millis, and 1 Robusta) that I already had and focused on growing them out and fragging them. 3) I sold $450 worth of frags so far to one local retailer. 4) Now I am planning on devoting most of my space to growing out larger colonies on small pieces of LR which I hope to sell for $50 each which would mean I only need to sell 40 colonies per year to pay my electric bill. 5) I am working on growing out pink zoanthids and electric blue zoanthids to be able to add them to the base of the SPS colonies in hopes of having "Combo soft-hard-coral-LiveRocks" which would sell for a premium. I feel that it may take me as much as 2 years though to get a steady production. And that's it for anyone interested. . . Still Learnin' in NY. Joe |
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#49
10/31/2004, 08:51 AM
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i heard you were having trouble with the plugs staying in so i thought i would chime in......i am not sure what size eggcrate i have but i bought garf reef plugs and if you bren out some pieces of eggcrate to make a square (4 squares) they fit in perfectly
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#50
11/10/2005, 08:08 PM
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You might consider Calcium chloride used in snow melt products to help keep your calcium high. Its cheap and easy. Look up Randys 3 part system in the chemistry forum if your interested.
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