CrayolaViolence
New member
I've seen a couple of reef farms lately that were pretty neat in how they were set up outside in natural light growing corals. I never even thought this was possible outside a tropical climate until yesterday when I saw a reef farm set up in NC. It was built inside a greenhouse. The woman is doing some serious overhauling, because things had been neglected, but even so, the corals were growing three feet down under the racks where she kept the frags, wild, like they were on a reef, just doing as they please. It was pretty remarkable in some ways.
This really sparked my curiosity, because I've built fresh water ponds, and before I got into (addicted) saltwater I had wanted to build another fresh water pond. Now I am seriously considering a large reef "pond". Of course it wouldn't really be a "pond, more like a trough but still, to see those corals growing so happy and "wild" would be pretty cool. I was wondering if anyone has ever done this? I realize grown outside they tend not to have the color they have under man made light, but there were some serious advantages, such as not needing light at all because she had the sun, even then had to shade the corals to keep them from getting too much sun.
I was brains storming with my partner because he's the engineer and has no interest in coral, but was interested in how it could be done. And if it would make the corals grow crazy fast like they were at her place, you'd have more than enough to fill your tank, or tanks of friends and be able to sell them cheaply enough to help keep other hobbyists in corals.
Maybe a pipe dream, maybe not. But I was wondering if anyone outside of a tropical (or any warm all year) climate has ever done it.
This really sparked my curiosity, because I've built fresh water ponds, and before I got into (addicted) saltwater I had wanted to build another fresh water pond. Now I am seriously considering a large reef "pond". Of course it wouldn't really be a "pond, more like a trough but still, to see those corals growing so happy and "wild" would be pretty cool. I was wondering if anyone has ever done this? I realize grown outside they tend not to have the color they have under man made light, but there were some serious advantages, such as not needing light at all because she had the sun, even then had to shade the corals to keep them from getting too much sun.
I was brains storming with my partner because he's the engineer and has no interest in coral, but was interested in how it could be done. And if it would make the corals grow crazy fast like they were at her place, you'd have more than enough to fill your tank, or tanks of friends and be able to sell them cheaply enough to help keep other hobbyists in corals.
Maybe a pipe dream, maybe not. But I was wondering if anyone outside of a tropical (or any warm all year) climate has ever done it.
