Salty Green Thumbs

bcolvin

bcolvin

New member
First off I do not sell retail.... Period. I don't do tours. I hope I am not in violation of any policies since I am not trying to sell on here.... let me know if I am and I will remove my post.

I wanted to bring to your attention of, what I think, what is a pretty cool idea/facility that myself and two other hard core reef guys have put together over the past years.

About four years ago, two of my good buddies (probably the two best aquarists I have ever met) and I decided to build coral propagation center that used only natural sunlight and was green friendly. After years of planning we got the facility up and running. Currently we run about 12,000 gallons with hopes of expanding to more tanks. Here are some pics of the corals that we are raising. I will try and post more pics when I can.

What I am hoping is to get some suggestions on corals that you would like to see propagated so that in the future we could get them out to our LFS as well as nationally. Also, thanks to everyone on this site for your help throughout the years.

Here is a link to our corals and what we have grown

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saltygreenthumbs/page2/

BC
 
What corals are every other propagator out there growing? The problem with the corals in the pics you linked is that they are easy to get and cheaply, from any reef club in the country. The other people in this business are looking for limited edition corals. Something different loaded up and grown. Common does not work. Just my opinion.

I have offered my help to you on other forums, but I did want to take a look at your facility. I got no response so I just gave up. I think I even offered some of my rarer frags. Oh well, Good luck.
 
spstimie,
As he mentioned, he doesn't do tours, so that's probably why you got no response. Also, I think you are completely wrong in what businesses are looking for. Higher end corals rarely make it into shops, because the small percentage of advanced reef aquarists who are looking for high end coral search online and don't support the markup that is necessary for a small local fish shop. Businesses are looking for hardy corals that reach a broad audience. Not some super special SPS that is 1/4" long for $130. Just to shed a little light.
 
The other forum did not specify no tours, and was a different question. Like I said about the corals, Its just my opinion. I agree some of those will do fine at the right price, but it is almost always cheaper to take it from the ocean. Bottom line and all(not my priority but hey). Higher end corals sure end up at wholesalers, and they go somewhere. I wouldn't pay $130 for anything, I'll wait till it's cheaper. I have been involved in this hobby since I was 8 and got into the industry about 5 years ago, so I think the lights are just fine.
 
Yes, I agree that high end corals are on wholesalers list. Then they usually go to online shops where the next pathetic craze gets out of wack. Don't get me wrong, I love and have hundreds of "rare" corals, but we all got our start somewhere. Also, many propagation businesses are started to ease the harvesting from the ocean. So IMO I feel a couple bucks more for something aquacultured is just fine. After looking at some of the pictures, there are some pretty nice corals (Tyree green leather, neon candy, confusa is huge!)

bcolvin, Id say your stuff looks pretty darn good. If your selling locally, I bet the stores would love it. I've heard xenia is a great seller to small shops. Good luck!
 
Thanks guys for the response.

Spstime I checked all my posts and threads I have started and I don't remember asking you for help but if I blew you off I am sorry.

Dark Angler you are correct in the fact this is what local fish stores have stated they want. That is why I am growing them. There are also a TON of great shops locally and nationally that carry the really expensive corals so I am not even trying to compete.

As far as the facility goes I have spent thousands of hours and dollars on the place.... there is nothing good that would come out of inviting a bunch of people I don't know to it. Maybe some day but not anytime in the near future.

Again what I was hoping for, which may be a long shot, is what types of corals you like to see at shops. I know what I have may not be what most of you pine over, but what are some of the corals that can be propagated that you like to see at the LFS? I have the space and time to put into many different types of corals.

Also, if you want to tell me how bad candy canes and anthlelia suck that's fine, but right now they are keeping me a float :) Thanks for the feedback.

BC
 
You(or one of the two guys you were working with) posted about pricing. Wanting to sell to wholesalers, no stores or retail. I probably sent a pm offering to call people I know at some of the wholesalers to see if I could get you any answers. I did want to take a look at the place, but I can read about greenhouses the same as aquariums. I never said anything sucks, just that it is common. I love those corals, I even have a few. If you are selling to stores now and not just wholesale, then the key is, what can you produce cheaper to the stores than wholesale? Where can you save your customer money? What dies in high numbers in transit? What is easy to propagate?
 
you are the willy wonka of coral farmers. what the big deal? are you hiding a sweatshop of asian children who care for the coral. I'm kidding, grow everything, common, rare, if its colorful. grow it.have fun! if it pays off. SWEET...
 
I think he might growing something "else" with all that natural light. Just kidding! Grow what sells the most.
 
How about Zoas? They are colorful and easy to grow. Very hardy and look good in stores. Cheap corals with eye-catching color seem to sell the quickest in the LFS's. How about some rare mushrooms. I have a superman mushroom and even people who don't like mushrooms seem to like it bc not everyone else has it.
 
SAZAMA said:
you are the willy wonka of coral farmers. what the big deal? are you hiding a sweatshop of asian children who care for the coral. I'm kidding, grow everything, common, rare, if its colorful. grow it.have fun! if it pays off. SWEET...
Click to expand...

I think it is the fact that they are growing in a greenhouse and don't want to give away any secrets of how they are doing it. Although other people do it in other states, the winter here makes it a challenge. Not a challenge that the answers aren't available for, which is why I said I can read what I need to know.

The fact that you have this facility and are propagating corals at this level is awesome. I would love to say grow everything, but the reality is whoever you sell it to has to see it in the bottom line. I personally will not buy Banggai Cardinals that are taken from the ocean, but a great majority of them are still wild caught. Why is that? Because it is less expensive. Really I would prefer that everyone had to order from facilities like yours. At least for the items you have.
 
Thanks for the replies!!!

Rehnberg. I like the thoughts although I might be let go of my teaching position.

Grim clams are hopefully going to come down the pipe. We are working with a couple supplements like potassium nitrate to boost growth. So far it looks good but we have a ways to go.

Dave and Monica. Our zoos are growing like crazy!!! I will try and post some pics. We have about 25 square feet of them right now. I am excited about trying some new stuff on these.

Spstime. Thanks for the reply and props on getting it up and going. However, it seems like you are trying to take digs at me or stir the pot whenever you get a chance. How about you let that part go? The rest of your info has been good though.

Are you trying to start a greenhouse or another facility if so it sounds like you have a plethora of info at your disposal. That is exactly how we started. However, I might be interested in discussing what I have done at a reef club meeting if there was interest.

Thanks again,
Willie
 
Most but not all do great. In the GH I was definitely fearful of loosing coloration especially on the green corals. The main thing is getting too much light and bleaching the corals. Often we run various amounts of shade cloth, based on seasons and weather patterns, to make sure that corals are getting enough but not too much light. Check out the pics that are on the flickr account to get an idea of coloration.

Coral acclimation back to artificial lighting has been great. So far we have had no problems in this. If I was to say one way or another though I would have to go with the colors seem to darken up in the artificial environment. This may be more to do with the blue spectrum of light that is created and shows up in our corals as darker rather than the coral producing more pigmentation. As a sidenote The red coloration in the GH is awesome! The red caps, acans, rose bubbles anemones, mushrooms, and various zoos look sweet under the natural sun and I think better than with the blue light of the aquarium.

BC
 
bcolvin said:
Spstime. Thanks for the reply and props on getting it up and going. However, it seems like you are trying to take digs at me or stir the pot whenever you get a chance. How about you let that part go? The rest of your info has been good though.

Are you trying to start a greenhouse or another facility if so it sounds like you have a plethora of info at your disposal. That is exactly how we started. However, I might be interested in discussing what I have done at a reef club meeting if there was interest.
Click to expand...

I have been trying to get a peak since I met you at MACNA XX. It is probably the largest system of its kind in the state, with or without the greenhouse. When I tried to contact you before, I just figured helpful information might be worth a look. I was just really interested, but I will let it go. I have spent a lot of time looking at greenhouses. Mostly I just want a greenhouse for plants, but a coral tray had crossed my mind. Nothing on the scale you have. Gotta love the internet, we all have access to endless information.
 
Honestly, I would be thinking easy SPS, volume, and low prices. The problem with this hobby is that it is too expensive and difficult for most people. Anything you can do to reduce the expense or give people stuff that is easier to keep alive (and still attractive) would expand your market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Jumping Back In
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
griss
griss
wvned
Not sure what to do
Replies
8
Views
1K
OrionN
OrionN
padi200
Which salt and 4 more things!
2
Replies
30
Views
394
Billfishbrsin
B
K
Need help with Sicce MicraPlus Pump Mod for Fluval Evo 5 Tank
Replies
0
Views
100
kingyking888
K
Dr. Reef
Better and Sweeter than LiveAquaria
Replies
0
Views
127
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
Back
Top