Where do scolys come from

[Ohioreef1700]

I am posting this to help put an end to the mystery about where scolymia are harvested from, how they are harvested and any other info that anyone has on them.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

It's not a mystery, most of them come from Australia. All the info you need is on Google, there are quite a few places that have the info you're looking for.

 

[Ohioreef1700]

I understand they are from Australia there is just no info on how they are harvested

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I don't want to come across as a smart *** but the people that have license to collect them just either walk along the tidal flats at low tide, or dive for them and literally pick them up with their hands.

OR maybe i don't understand your question.

 

[Reef Frog]

According to Julian Sprung, they are circumtropical and can be found in the waters of the Caribbean, Brazil, Indian Ocean & West Pacific, Central Pacific & of course Australia. Now this information comes from a *book* and not Google but I'm going to trust it anyways. I was a little surprised to see a Caribbean & Atlantic presence.

Several distinct species exist like S. Vitensis, S. Australis and S. wellsi. The crazy colors and patterns seem to come mostly from Australia.

I have wondered if the Australian varieties' supply has become restricted or demand is really headed up, as retail LFS pricing has more than doubled in the last few years. A grade A war paint or candy apple seem to be priced now in the $200-$250 USD range, sometimes even more.

Hey Dkuhlmann, please take no offense but you were kind of snappy there IMO. It's not like the OP was asking "what's this red stuff on my sand" or "can I add another Tang to my Biocube". I sometimes cringe at those too but usually just pass them by.

I think we all know that 99% of the collective world knowledge is now on a Google server somewhere, and 50% of that info on Google is a mess. Wanting to discuss things in a hobby context is why communities like RC exist. The LPS Forum has been kind of sleepy for a while now - it's not like a post of this nature is junking it up. Just my opinion, but I thought the post was fine and on topic in a forum like this. Just my 3 cents.

__________________
*BOOK* The predominate form of information storage and dissemination until about the end of the 20th century. Often created by professionals in various fields of knowledge & usually edited for clarity and accuracy.

 

[Ohioreef1700]

Thank you for your very educated response and no offence taken dkuhlmann

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I tried not to come off in a negative way, and sorry if it sounded that way. It would be a WHOLE LOT BETTER if you could hear the person than to see it in type. If you know what I mean.

I love scolys but am not willing to pay what is being charged for them. Same goes for the meat corals, the prices are outrageous.

 

[Ohioreef1700]

That they are I am a seller of alot of the high end peices and had no clue as to where they were coming from and I couldn't get an answer out of anyone so I turned to reef central for answers and I thank everyone who contributed

 

[Ohioreef1700]

I knew the country / region they were coming from just not the specifics on how they were harvested

 

[Reef Frog]

I don't think the Carib or Brazilan ones make it to the USA but could be wrong.

But I think it's safe to say most of the nice ones we see are from Australia. To my knowledge they have their act together on the conservation front so I assume the harvest is regulated and sustainable. Probably the same in the Solomons too.

We've had many Austrailians on this forum in the past. Maybe they can provide some detailed & first hand knowledge. But it's summer there now so we might have wait for a while for a response as they are probably all playing beach volleyball with bikini clad beauties or surfing.

 

[Reef Frog]

I tried not to come off in a negative way, and sorry if it sounded that way. It would be a WHOLE LOT BETTER if you could hear the person than to see it in type. If you know what I mean.

I love scolys but am not willing to pay what is being charged for them. Same goes for the meat corals, the prices are outrageous.

I hear ya Dkuhlmann! It's all too easy to take the written word, especially on line among strangers and see something that isn't there or experience other miscommunications. It happens to me with friends and family even.

I'm also in agreement with you on recent price trends. I did buckle on Black Friday on a beauty I couldn't resist. Paid $200 for a XL beauty originally marked at $250. I trust the LFS owner when he told me the price increases are on the wholesale end. But the market may be resisting (at least my local market) as most of these pricey specimens are NOT moving. BTW I saw one at LFS store B priced at $350! It never sold and is in his display tank now. Ohioreef you're a seller - do you have an opinion on the price inflation? Is consumer demand going crazy - collection reductions - a little profiteering by the coral sellers?

 

[Ohioreef1700]

It's on the wholesale end all the way the cost of transportation drives up the Costs as well box charges and shipping costs on the huge orders I put in are hundreds of dollars which adds to the pool but it's on the collection as well there are they are not collecting as much in hopes of regrowth so that they can conserve for the future.

 

[WaReefer458]

My Lfs had this one a few months ago. They were asking 350$ for it. I agree that they are rad but no coral is worth that imo.

 

[steallife904]

My LFS has 2 right now that are crazy looking but asking 750 for one and 999 for the other..... no way

Just curious if anyone has seen pics of them in the wild? I have tried looking for them as well as acans in the wild and it seems to be hard to find.

 

[Ohioreef1700]

I want to see some pics of them in the wild wow those are some awesome scolys

 

[Patwa]

According to Julian Sprung, they are circumtropical and can be found in the waters of the Caribbean, Brazil, Indian Ocean & West Pacific, Central Pacific & of course Australia. Now this information comes from a *book* and not Google but I'm going to trust it anyways.

Indeed. JEN Veron confirms this in his definitive Corals of the World.

I don't think the Carib or Brazilan ones make it to the USA but could be wrong.

no, they don't make it here at all...export in stony corals from those areas is prohibited. The only opportunity would be if you buy liverock from the Caribbean and there happens to be a hitchhiker polyp that made it through and survived

here are a couple photos I took of scolymia sp. in the wild

Turks and Caicos

Jamaica

 

[Reef Frog]

Misc Ramblings

Misc Ramblings

Nice Patwa! Great photos. Based on the lighting I'm going to guess these photos were taken in shallow water? It's interesting to note that both photos show them sitting on rock, not sand beds like the way most aquariasts seem to keep them. Can you give more details on the conditions where you found them? Depth, closeness to shore, light/shade etc? I'd imagine that if collecting were allowed it would be easy to harvest these scolys.

Some of the animals surrounding the scoly in those pics was pretty interesting too. Very colorful. I can say I've ever seen them in person diving or in photos. Too bad limited collecting or ornamental aquaculture isn't permissible in the Caribbean Sea. I know many of the island governments would welcome some fresh revenue.

I've seen grade A scolys in a LFS that were apparently in the process of asexual reproduction (splitting) and the thought occurred to me that maybe that's more likely to happen in an aquarium if the scoly is on rock. Hmm. Just a thought.

 

[Ohioreef1700]

It's sweet to see how they are in cave like conditions to accommodate their light requirements

 

[Patwa]

Nice Patwa! Great photos. Based on the lighting I'm going to guess these photos were taken in shallow water? It's interesting to note that both photos show them sitting on rock, not sand beds like the way most aquariasts seem to keep them. Can you give more details on the conditions where you found them? Depth, closeness to shore, light/shade etc? I'd imagine that if collecting were allowed it would be easy to harvest these scolys.

Some of the animals surrounding the scoly in those pics was pretty interesting too. Very colorful. I can say I've ever seen them in person diving or in photos. Too bad limited collecting or ornamental aquaculture isn't permissible in the Caribbean Sea. I know many of the island governments would welcome some fresh revenue.

I've seen grade A scolys in a LFS that were apparently in the process of asexual reproduction (splitting) and the thought occurred to me that maybe that's more likely to happen in an aquarium if the scoly is on rock. Hmm. Just a thought.

thanks.

Those pics were taken probably around 10am, in approx 10m of water so the full force of the sun hadn't even hit those corals as yet. They were not that far from shore.....maybe a 3-4 minute boat ride from the dock at the most. I joked I could probably start my dive from the boat and surface at the dock.

Note that scolymia sp., from what I saw in T&C and Jamaica, is very, very uncommon. On both dives, these were the *only* scolymia I saw. Hopefully that's not the case in other areas of the Caribbean and Atlantic.

I see folks putting their scolymias on the sand too. I rather them be attached to a rock, but I like how they look positioned sitting on the sand.

I came up with a way of mounting my meat coral (acantophyllia) so they are completely attached to a flat piece of rock. I make sure the epoxy connects the underside (centre) of the coral to the rock, like how the stalk of a mushroom connects the mushroom cap to the ground or how a golf tee connects the golf ball to the green.

Then I place the rock on the sandbed and cover it with a thin layer of sand. When the coral puffs up it looks like it is simply sitting directly on the sand, but in reality it is not even touching the sand at all.

 

[d-man]

My parents always told me that the stork brings them once mommy and daddy love each and want to add another one to the family