Cultured Coral Farm (Part 1)

For further information please visit http://www.fishkeeper.co.uk Please note that we cannot answer questions via this site- please call one of our stores for any queries you may have regarding this video or any other aquatic topic. Thank you. Many corals kept by tropical saltwater aquarium hobbyists are cultured or farmed by using either an open (mariculture) or closed (aquaculture) technique. Purchasing coral that has been cultured or farmed is becoming an increasingly popular option for saltwater aquarists who keep reef or invertebrate tanks. The benefit of buying aquacultured coral is gaining popularity for two reasons. First, there are some concerns about the sustainability of harvesting wild coral for the marine aquarium hobby without damaging any ecosystems, and second, aquacultured corals are, in very general terms, easier for the intermediate aquarist to keep. A large amount of the coral that we can sell have been farmed using the mariculture method in Indonesia. Technically-speaking, maricultured coral is grown in an open system where the coral is cultured in a protected area of the ocean. It is carefully cultivated under ideal "natural" conditions and then once maricultured corals reach a certain size (usually two to three inches), they are ready for sale. The beauty of cultured coral is that buying it preserves the inherent beauty of wild reefs while still providing reef hobbyists with stunning, hardy and affordable specimens for their reef or invertebrate tanks.