What are aquacultured corals?
Aquacultured corals are grown in closed systems under a controlled environment and not collected from the ocean. A coral from the ocean is acquired. A frag is cut from this coral. This frag is called F1. All of the frags that come from this F1 frag are now called F2. That means that F2 coral frags have never known ocean water and are captive grown or aquacultured. All the corals and frags I sell from my aquariums are F2 or later generation corals and frags.
Why are Aquacultured Corals the Better Choice?
Aquacultured corals are considered hardier because they are raised in captive conditions like those in home reef systems and not in the ocean where conditions are near perfect 24/7. The coral therefore does not have to be acclimated to the captive conditions in the same way coral collected out of the ocean does. Aquacultured coral can also be more colorful, more disease resistant and tend to not to loose their color as easily once placed in your reef aquarium.
Since aquacultured corals are grown in a captive system, your purchase of them does not impact the natural reefs which is better for the long term health of natural reefs.
What about Maricultured Coral?
Maricultured corals are corals and frags grown on platforms in shallow water in the ocean. Think of it as a large frag rack right in the ocean itself!
Maricultured corals come with more risks for hobbyists. The initial risk is that this coral is not adapted to tank life. Maricultured coral is accustom to the oceans perfect conditions and perfect stability. So when they are introduced to a reef tank, the coral may become stressed and die more easily. Another risk with maricultured coral is that they carry unknown pests, parasites, and bacteria. There are a lot of things in the ocean that we just don’t understand. This includes the unknown pests, parasites, and bacteria that come with the coral. Unfortunately, we have no idea what might come in with the coral. Once it’s in your tank, it’s there to stay.
Conclusion
In conclusion, maricultured corals are a dramatic step forward compared to wild coral collection. But they are still a higher risk for the hobbyist. If possible, you would always want to buy aquacultured coral. This will give you higher success rates, better looking coral and lower risks.