Grown out Elkhorn A. palmata images?

[gon08]

I still think its funny that he had to legally aquire a piece elkhorn monti a few years ago..I didnt know you to legally aquire a frag from another person....

That is what caught my attention. Why would you have to "Legally" purchase a frag and then come on here looking for captive grown pictures of a commonly grown coral and call it A palmata? Whatever his real intentions were, it caught my attention.

 

[markie mark]

and i'm sure there has to be people with this species because from what i've been reading,whatever lands on your rock down there is yours...long article about it in coral magazine about the guy that had lots on rock that he used to harvest but instead of selling to the hobby decided to replant,which I thinks is great..if theres none in the ocean,than there want be any in the hobby ever no matter what...well if anybody reading this thread knows where you can get some of these acros thats not from florida waters let me know...I saw something somewhere where they were culturing these corals in jamaica for replant and the aquarium hobby..i'll try to find out where I saw this...

 

[ousnakebyte]

and i'm not a poacher,if the corals were able to be purchased legally than I would buy one for sure...like I said,anybody can go to the keys and pop a frag and bring it home....why are all the stony corals illegal to harvest there? like the mustard hill coral?type of porites...it covered every square inch of just mollases reef when I was there..it cant be endangered???

I know you are not a poacher. But if you were illegally obtaining this coral, then you would be.

P. astreoides, or the mustard hill coral, is a brooder and releases several settlement-competent larvae that probably settle in close proximity. This is probably why you see much of it in close proximity.

No, P. astreoides is not threatened or endangered, but due to the steep decline in Caribbean/western Atlantic reefs over the past 30 years, stony coral collection (the reef builders) - with a few notable exceptions - is not allowed. Again, there are exceptions, but they are few.

I've heard of the prolifera and just googled it...looks alot like A.cervincornis...I'm not trying to stay in a long debate on this thread but It would be cool if the corals were able to be purchased in my opinion..I understand about the whole endangered/conservation ordeal...would still be cool if a limited number of these corals were able to get into the hobby...if the wild ones took a turn for the worst than I still think there would be a better chance of replanting one day than if theres none to replant....

Yes, prolifera - called "Fused Staghorn Coral" - is the hybrid, and will look more like palmata or cervicornis, depending on which is the egg donor.

I'm not going to beat the dead horse (HA! just saw the new smiley - :deadhorse about hobbyists/general public housing an animal listed on the ESA. I've said my piece.

Is A. prolifera even reported in Florida anymore? I've seen A. cervicornis and Lot's of A. palmatta but never ever seen A. prolifera.

Given the nature of this conversation, I don't want to say...

Yes, I saw some in the Dry Tortugas a couple of years ago while assisting on a NOAA survey.

Cheers
Mike

 

[gon08]

Gotcha!

 

[markie mark]

cool,well atleast somebody on here has a good understanding of these corals.....

 

[allsps40]

If you've grown them for many years, I'd be interested to see photos of these bad boys that YOU have!



A palmata is not just any coral. It is HIGHLY endangered in the Atlantic, and was thought to be extinct, or nearly so, in the Pacific until very recently. I imagine that if teh wrong person saw this thread, such proof might be asked for.

Ok did not know it was an endangered coral.

 

[allsps40]

Florida Fish, Game and Wildlife is one
Florida Marine Patrol would be another.

Here in Florida LFS's have been closed down or heavily fined for selling stony corals illegally collected. BTW I go out on the reef all the time here in Florida and I have the opportunity to collect all kinds of corals if I wanted to, put them in my car and drive them home without having to ship anything. Still illegal to possess let alone sell.

As stated you are the minority in the hobby. Most of us dont live anywhere near the ocean let alone a reef. I frown upon those that collect illegally. I am a big supporter of aqucultured corals 80-90% of my corals are cultured. All where collected legally by known collectors and farmers.

 

[elegance coral]

Just want to throw my 2cents in here. As someone that has been busted collecting corals in the Florida Keys, I can state from first hand experience, you would be stupid to have one of these corals in your possession. I wouldn't want one of these corals anywhere near me. The authorities don't play with this kind of stuff. A one inch frag could destroy your whole future.

I applaud the efforts made by those trying to save this coral in the Florida Keys, but it's a lost cause IMHO. The species may be able to hold out in some isolated areas of the Caribbean, but they're doomed in the Florida Keys. The environment has killed off 90+% of them. Raising them in captivity only to return them to the environment that's killing them won't help.

 

[ousnakebyte]

I applaud the efforts made by those trying to save this coral in the Florida Keys, but it's a lost cause IMHO. The species may be able to hold out in some isolated areas of the Caribbean, but they're doomed in the Florida Keys. The environment has killed off 90+% of them. Raising them in captivity only to return them to the environment that's killing them won't help.

Yes, I agree, and I certainly see the point. Other than environmental perturbations, one of the most detrimental characteristics of Florida's Elkhorn population is that it is genetically depauperate. Over time, it seems to have largely reproduced through clonal fragmentation.

The reintroduction experiment that is just getting started is not meant to hopefully save the reefs today, but to see if it is even a viable restoration strategy - to see if it is possible to take corals that have been in captivity and have them adapt to life in the wild.

Perhpas in the future, if it does prove possible, then sexually reproduced individuals can be reintroduced - to help increase the genetic diversity (this doen not have to be limited to Florida, of course).

But, I agree, cessation and/or alleviation of the current stressors are necessary before any large-scale restoration will likely be successful.

Cheers
Mike

 

[markie mark]

does anyone know why you have to legally aquire a perfectly legal a frag of elkhorn montipora? Anyone???

 

[ccube]

http://www.secore.org

 

[aquavista99]

I have been snorkeling/diving the Florida Keys for three of the last four years and I have seen "some" nice, healthy Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) corals as far North as Key Largo as well as in the Middle Keys (Marathon). I will be diving Looe Key soon, near Key West and I hope to see some more Elkhorn colonies in the Lower Keys as well. These corals are endangered and protected for a reason .... They were once the most abundant and important reef-building corals in Florida and the Caribbean, but now they have declined by more than 90 percent in many areas, mainly as a result of disease and bleaching.

Here are a few pictures of Elkhorn coral that I photographed on various reefs in the Florida Keys. :thumbsup:

 

[rkaires]

Very nice!