How do you import corals?

[blueheaven]

As you guys know, I'm going to set up a large scale propagation system in school.

I am thinking of importing corals from overseas farms, but can anyone tell me the stuff I need to settle (licenses, etc) and any other information I need to know

[sps_dude]

upz for this thread.... i also want to know........ probably if i want to get large quantity of corals from farms from indonesia......

[Achilles Tang]

AVA has to be the one to approve any such importation.

You can enquire with them but I think they allow only research institutions and marine ornamental traders to import in livestock.

What's the objective of your school's propagation efforts? To restock coral reefs around singapore or to sell off to raise funds for the school?

[corrado]

hi BH,

Propagate for future sales?

if yes, I do not think its viable.

if no, you are better off with the sponsors here for whatever other reasons.

HTH

[blueheaven]

Well actually my school's propagation systems are meant for research and conservation purpose. But more emphasis will be put to research. Now looking at collaborations with SSC and TMSI

I have emailed to AVA about the regulations and paperwork involved but still looking for importers

[Achilles Tang]

There's a lot of red tape involved from the authorities, so it may be an easier route if you order in from a LFS with import permits.

Curious... which school are you from? Is coral propagation part of the learning syllabus now? The students should start from propagating soft corals as a start.

[FuEl]

How I wished I was born later...

[blueheaven]

I'm from Dunman Sec

The thing is that usually the LFS keep nice strains for themselves so it defeats the purpose of trying to reproduce nice strains as a brood stock.

Well its not part of the syllabus but students as well as external researchers are going to be involved

2006 MACNA and IMAC I'll be going...

[Achilles Tang]

It's an ECA?!

Brood stock?? Research??? Are you propagating for commercial purposes or for educational purposes? Who's leading this project? Who's funding this project? What kind of scale are you looking at? How long a term is this for? What happens when the year is over, do other students take over? What's the final outcome?

[blueheaven]

It's an ECA?!

Brood stock?? Research??? Are you propagating for commercial purposes or for educational purposes? Who's leading this project? Who's funding this project? What kind of scale are you looking at? How long a term is this for? What happens when the year is over, do other students take over? What's the final outcome?

Nope, its just a grant given to me by the school to carry on my conservation efforts.

I'm going to propagate partly for commercial purposes but on the heart of spreading the nice strains so that they would not be lost. Another reason is to aid in current conservation efforts and projects.

My Biology teacher will be head consultant/advisor for this whole thing as he has a Masters in Aquaculture. The individual projects will be lead by either myself or external researchers.

Funds are given by the school itself and I'm looking at medium scale with 2 5ft by 4ft by 1ft tanks and a huge rubbermaid tub for fuge.

When the year is over, I'll come back to continue/facilitate the projects going on.

Hopefully, it'll run for 5-6 years and we are looking at forging breakthroughs in the reefkeeping hobby.

[marinecraz]

wow my salute to you.

[Maxima]

I'm from Dunman Sec

The thing is that usually the LFS keep nice strains for themselves so it defeats the purpose of trying to reproduce nice strains as a brood stock.

Well its not part of the syllabus but students as well as external researchers are going to be involved

2006 MACNA and IMAC I'll be going...

Your motive is great

Your Statement makes you look very swallow.

Don't mean to be rude, just being direct before u start contacting collectors for "Nice Strains"

There's no such thing as nice strain or colors being kept by LFS for themselves.

Nice Strains or Colors? Species dependent. Sometimes the unique colors come in 1:100, 1:1000, 1:10K or 1:10M

Come on. Tell me your plans or how deep your Wallet to purchase only the so called "Nice Strains"? Might not make sense.

If you want to challenge yourself. I suggest if you might want to research into how to change coral colors.......it might more commerical sense & U may end up a millionaire and I'll be your first customer

I think you need to know more about this industry

Max

[blueheaven]

Yeah I know that nice strains are not easy to come by but when it comes usually we won't get it.

Maybe I'll change "nicer strains" to "more appealing genetics"

As I've said, this is more for research purposes and not to make money.

And yes, coral colouration using halogens is in the one of the projects

[Achilles Tang]

Hmmm, at least you are honest enough that there is a commercial angle to this. So who profits from this or is it meant to subsidize the school project?

The only conservation angle to this has to come from:

1. Ensuring that the corals do not die in your school's safekeeping over the months and years.

2. That they are transplanted back into the coral reefs 'around Singapore?' and then monitored for growth and adaptability throughout the years.

I envy how this was never allowed in my schooling days.... Then again... we were too busy playing marbles, football, police & theives, catching spiders & frogs etec.

AT

[blueheaven]

Actually funding is not an issue as the school will pay for everything.

And because of this, I'm willing to purchase specimens costing $200-300

And the frags are going to my school's life sciences facility and to all conservation projects. Even those frags I've sold, the money goes back to the prop unit

And I'll most probably attend the frag swopping sessions overseas with my frags

[Achilles Tang]

Yeah I know that nice strains are not easy to come by but when it comes usually we won't get it.

Maybe I'll change "nicer strains" to "more appealing genetics"

As I've said, this is more for research purposes and not to make money.

And yes, coral colouration using halogens is in the one of the projects

I can tell u that your research involving halogens will come to nought.

Coloured halogens merely add a colour tinge which disappears when u switch off the lights.

I hope you have some better research objectives that are more credible and beneficial like growing coral strains to be more adaptable to rising water temperatures, turbidity and better resistant to viral infections etc. that will help salvage the worldwide danger to corals from human activities & global warming.

Unless your school is under direct supervision from a world-class coral research institute like the ones in Australia, I don't see what the outcome will be like in terms of research goals.

Wanting to start off with ‘nicer strains or more appealing genetics’ is pointless.

The reef isn’t made up of 100% ‘gems’ or corals with colours or shapes that we reefers hanker after. There are thousands of species out there. What will your research lead to?

I suggest your school start with propagating easy to keep corals like softies first.

After all, the vast majority of students will not share the passion unlike us reefkeepers and they lack the basic understanding of the reef inhabitants in an artificial environment.

Chances are, mistakes will be made and needless deaths of more sensitive livestock like hard corals in the name of ‘research’ is pointless.

Not trying to put you down but enthusiasm alone doesn’t float the boat.

[Achilles Tang]

Actually funding is not an issue as the school will pay for everything.

And because of this, I'm willing to purchase specimens costing $200-300

And the frags are going to my school's life sciences facility and to all conservation projects. Even those frags I've sold, the money goes back to the prop unit

And I'll most probably attend the frag swopping sessions overseas with my frags

Your school is sending you to hobby conventions and hobby meets for frag exchange???

Our tax money is to support teenage hobbyists?

The school is willing to pay up to $300 for rare specimens??? I'm speechless.... *faint*

Is there another school wanting to breed rare dogs in the name of research.... I can volunteer my dog... I just need help in importing a bitch into Singapore, shouldn't cost more than $15,000 per dog!

[XPeriment 626]

No offence BH, but I think you gotta be clear what your objectives are. There's no way the budget of a secondary school in Singapore can contribute meaningfully to conservation efforts of corals, considering the scale at which destruction is taking place. If it is for learning and basic research, that's one thing. You can't repopulate a reef with brood stocks. I agree with AT, studying how to increase the survivability of corals in harsh water conditions or improving viral resistance are far more useful than colour tinkering with halogens.

In addition, looking for "fine specimens" that LFS keep for themselves sounds commercial and not scientific in the least. People consider specimens "fine" because of shape and colouration. This has no relation at all to importance of the specimen to the ecosystem and what part it plays in the bigger picture. If you go down that route, you will have a nice collection of "fine specimens" which will be ultimately useless for conservation or even mere research since the "not-so-fine" specimens (optically) are equally, if not more, important to the ecosystem. If you intend to conduct a serious study on this subject and to educate other students on it, you will do well to have a broad mix of corals rather than just zoom in on the "nice specimens".

[Gripshoppe]

I got involved in building man-made reef structures with concrete and recycled pvc racks... build and dump into the ocean.

One man-made reef rack cost around Aus$10 and after 2months...the amount of life that colonised on it... Woot!!!

It kinda became a beacon for reef fishes in the otherwise barren sea patch.

Cheap and effective...

Maybe your school can fork out the money $200? and we can all make racks and throw into water sround kusu island!!!

[Gripshoppe]

oh... and we can go there every once a while to harvest and sell!!!

Any divers??? Advance and above!!!

[damien]

let's look at some school projects.

[giantbicycle]

love this idea HERE

[blueheaven]

To clear all misconceptions and doubts about my project, please do not think that I am some sort of over-enthusiastic reefer that wants too much.

Yes, I know the devastation of the reefs now is really serious but this is what drives me to do this. If the thought that "what can you do" lingers around, then of course this will be a total flop. I believe in my passion towards saving the reefs and also spreading awareness about conservtion. I am only doing to my best extent of what I am capable of at this moment, at least I tried.

Research topics not only include halogens but also in many fields such as life sciences and microbiology. Of course not all students are allowed in this project but only cherry picked individuals whom are seen to have interest in the fields.

And I have still trying to emphasize that when I say "nicer strains", I am referring to corals with genes that make them more appealing and I truely hope to have more of these around although it does not have anything to do with improving the ecosystem. And the fact that these corals come once in a blue moon as quoted by bro Maxima, it just simply proves that these are in small numbers and wouldn't it be good to have more of them?

My school's Life Sciences facility will be working closely with me to develop better strains of corals that not only can withstand harsh conditions but also we will be looking at stimulating the promoter that activates the production of coloured proteins.

And lastly, I can say that we do not need to be under some University or what to achieve research goals. My school's Life sciences have already made 5 MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS since its establishment in 2002.

As we are going way off topic, I would want anyone who is still doubtful or oppose to what I am doing to PM me and I can explain more.

[Creetin]

My sentiments are that although BH has good intentions, I honestly feel that as a taxpayer myself, I do not feel that taxpayer money is being used wisely... I mean it cant be cheap to run huge tanks like that.

While research for education purposes is one thing, but to propogate and sell corals from these school tanks sounds really off the key as a school. While they are about that, they can probably research into better cha kway teow and sell them too. Might sell better as well.

Sorry BH, appreciate your good intentions in conserving reefs but I think your ambition of setting up a research station in a school - in a commercial sense or research sense may have to be carefully though out. Commercial - u probably need a licence and AVA aint gonna grant that to a school. Research - u need huge funds to run those tanks but since u probably cant sell, how to justify the running costs? Plus u have to think about how the public will react to this being run in a school...?

[corrado]

hi BH,

Would you like to know why the private sector has so much disregard for civil servants and SAF scholars?