Maricultured versus Aquacultured Aquarium Corals

Cultured Coral is Good for Saltwater Aquarium Hobby and Ecosystems

Feb 15, 2009

Many corals kept by tropical saltwater aquarium hobbyists can be cultured or farmed in both open (maricultre) and closed (aquaculture) systems but there are differences.

Purchasing coral that has been cultured or farmed is becoming an increasingly popular option for saltwater aquarists who keep reef or invertebrate tanks. The primary reason buying aquacultured coral is gaining popularity is really two-fold. First, there are concerns about the sustainability of harvesting enough wild-caught coral to meet the demand of the marine aquarium hobby without damaging ecosystems, and second, aquacultured corals are, in very general terms, easier for the intermediate aquarist to keep.

Types of Cultured Coral

When the saltwater hobbyist buys a cultured or farmed coral, he or she generally has two options:

Technically-speaking, aquacultured coral is grown in a closed system, and maricultured coral is grown in an open system. The closed system is very much like a saltwater aquarium, but one that is highly specialized to promote the growth of whichever coral species is being cultured. The open system is generally the ocean, where the coral is cultured in a protected lagoon.

For some the distinction between aquacultured and maricultured coral is nominal. "When most of us who operate in the islands speak of aquaculture, we are generally referring to what inland folks would call mariculture,” remarks Dave Palmer of Pacific Aqua Farms, a major marine livestock wholesaler in Los Angeles. “When you are surrounded by water, the thought of the extra costs of closed systems seems crazy. When you are inland on a continent you tend to want to differentiate your product from one using a cheaper open system or the ultimate open system, the ocean itself. It is funny,” Palmer adds, “you just rarely hear the word ‘mariculture’ when in the islands or even coastal Australia or New Zealand.”

The Difference Between Aquacultured and Maricultured Coral

Where the distinction is made, maricultured coral is generally slightly less expensive than aquacultured coral because aquacultured coral is commonly, although sometimes erroneously, thought to be hardier and less prone to carrying diseases and parasites. The reason that aquacultured coral is considered hardier is because it is raised in captive conditions (e.g., artificial light, captive water conditions, etc,). Aquacultured coral therefore does not have to be acclimated to captive conditions in the same way that maricultured coral does. As such, aquacultured coral may make the transition into the hobbyist’s tank better, although they tend to be somewhat more expensive than maricultured corals.

Maricultured coral is raised in protected natural ocean lagoons, where it is carefully cultivated under ideal “natural” conditions. Once maricultured corals reach a certain size (usually two to three inches), they are shipped to a wholesaler or retailer, where they are acclimated and quarantined before being placed in dedicated coral holding tanks. Most wholesalers and retailers will hold the maricultured coral in these special holding tanks for a period of two weeks. During this time, the specimens have the opportunity to fully acclimate to captive conditions. The coral that acclimates well and maintains its color is then selected for sale and should make the transition to the hobbyist's tank without any problems.

Some online retailers like Blue Zoo Aquatics, as well as many local fish stores, offer maricultured coral for sale. There are many coral aquaculture facilities in the United States including Doctors Foster and Smith's Aquacultured Coral Facility.

Buying Cultured Coral Preserves the Beauty of Natural Reefs

Whether it is aquacultured or maricultured, 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. Having said this, many species of coral can be harvested from the wild in an environmentally sustainable manner, and, when purchased from a reputable source, wild-collected coral is also a good choice for many aquarists.

The copyright of the article Maricultured versus Aquacultured Aquarium Corals in Saltwater Fish is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Maricultured versus Aquacultured Aquarium Corals in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.