Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Here's the scoop on my operation...
Like almost everyone who visits this site, I'm a hobbyist first and foremost. The only diference is that I'm a hobbyist who's out of control LOL
I started with a 20 gallon
nano reef and worked my way up through a 55, to a 125. That kept me happy for a little while, but then I was looking around the basement one day and decided that it looked empty, and what better way to fill up a basement than to add a 450 gallon reef tank? My wife "agreed." At least that's what I call it since she didn't file for divorce on the spot! The caveat was that I would begin farming frags to sell in order to cover the incredible expense of running these large systems. With her support, and the help of several dedicated and extremely talented local reefers ( David Grigor, John Giesler, and Greg Shields of
www.reefmania.net to name a few ) I was able to set up a very nice system, that has worked very well for growing captive raised frags.
So, you ask, what are "captive raised frags?" I define captive raised as being in a captive system for a minimum of one year. There is no scientific definition that I am aware of for "captive raised," but the one year rule makes sense to me. By the time a coral has been in captivity for a year, it has either died, or it has acclimated to captive conditions, and will generally thrive. All of the corals that I currently sell are "captive raised." I may, in the future, offer some wild collected colonies, but at this time I do not.
The benefits to captive raised corals are many. By being grown in captive environments, they have become accustomed to those conditions which difer vastly from their natural environments in terms of chemical makeup of the water, flow, lighting, and food. captive raised corals are more likely to survive in an aquarium, and will generally hold their colors better than a wild collected colony. Frags will also have a better chance of thriving than a full sized colony, as the frag will grow in a shape that will most efficiently use the available conditions of the aquarium, while a colony that has grown in the wild may experince die off, or even stress related disease because it is unable to adapt to the new condition in the aquarium.
One key for me in starting this business is that I want to offer quality livestock at a very reasonable price. In my experience there is nothing worse than ordering what you think are going to be beautiful corals online only to receive pieces that you would have no interest in if you had seen them in person first. I've been through it several times, and have vowed not to let my customers experience that when ordering from me. I have tried to make my photos on my site a true representaion of how my corals look in my tank. No color is added, and in a few cases I've actually toned the photos down, because the digital camera sometimes adds too much blue or purple. It is very important to me that the customer receives what they expect to receive. if you order a blue coral from me, it will be blue in or out of the tank, not just when it's under 20,000K Radiums
In terms of price, I have attempted to offer packages that I consider to be an excellent value. Considering that shipping and packaging often cost me $50-$60, the price for the actual frags in my 5 SPS pack is only $55-$65. What a bargain!
My "Exotic SPS" frags are also reasonably priced for what you get. The colors on them are vibrant, and I try to make sure that the sizes are appropriate also. If a frag turns out smaller than I intended, I generally will throw in an extra piece. It is very important to me that the customer feels that they have gotten their money's worth from me!
Of course the main reason for all of this is so I can have a beautiful display tank. In order to keep it looking good, I try not to "over frag" corals. Therefore, some corals will be listed as unavailable as they are in a grow out phase. Of course many of my "Exotic SPS" are in high demand, and they are generally slow growers, so many of them may be listed as unavailable. I do update the site regularly as the corals grow out to fragging size again, and I also offer waiting lists on some of the very popular species such as the blue torts, and the purple monster.
Well that's enough babbling for now, so thanks again for the warm welcome. I am happy to be here. Let me know if you have any questions!
"A BRW Original"
