Nice coral rock washed up on beach...

[madmax7774]

I am on vacation, and I am in here in Atlanta visiting my parents on my way to FL (Disney), and My dad went to the ocean a few months ago, and he collected about 25 lbs of nice sized coral rocks that had washed up onto the shore for me. It actually some nice looking stuff, and is rather pourus. I am going to bring it back home, and I want to turn it into good rock again. How do I do that? My thought was to wash it thouroughly, and then let it sit in a plastic garbage can of water that I take from my display during water changes. I also figured a few scoops of live sand in the bottom of the can to get the process rolling. Maybe a month or so in the can with a heater and powerhead to keep things circulating? Will this work? Apparently he went to Folly beach in South Carolina, and it was all over the place. Assuming that the act of picking this stuff up off the beach isn't highly illegal, He is going to get me more when ho goes back.

[davjbeas]

I would rinse it very well, and slowly add it in the tank, maybe 1 piece a week. bacteria should naturaly colonize the surface and the crevices. I think for the rinsing tap water would be fine because you are not trying to import anything living from the rock(I assume it is dry and has been for a while). If you have a deck spraying a garden hose on it would be good. This is what I would do. There are probably other opinions as well.

 

David B.

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[BeltwayBandit]

I would recommend against it. I'll keep digging to find out what law James is referring to that bans the collection.

 

From wwwm:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav...k/live_rock.htm

Where does it come from?

 

Live rock has been collected in a number of places but most of it comes from islands in the South Pacific. The majority originates from island nations like Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. There are two primary reasons for this. First, the collection of live rock in U.S. waters was banned by the government in 1997. Second, it's cheap. Island workers will work for much less than U.S. workers and since airplanes fly to the islands loaded with supplies and fly back relatively empty, air freight out of the islands is reasonably priced.

 

While the government may have banned the collection of "wild" live rock, they decided to allow businesses to make their own and collect it. So, aquacultured live rock, which is produced almost exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys has made its way into the market with all of this Pacific rock. The result is a variety of live rock types from a variety of areas to choose from.

 

Some more good history of live rock collection is here:

http://www.reeferrocks.com/liverock/history.htm

[BeltwayBandit]

Here's the legal answer:

 

50 CFR

 

[Coral Hind]

BB - With all respect and I do not want to start an argument but I do not think that law applies to a few rocks off the beach. That federal law was to protect the gulf and caribbean reef from commercial harvesting of rock for the hobby trade. If there were a law covering the collection of this rock it might be a local or state law to protect against erosion of the beach.

 

Madmax - IMHO I would hose off the rock, ensure it is calcareous, and place it in the tank. If you want to check on the laws give the SC State Department of Natural Resources a call. If you are scared then PM me and I will take it off your hands

[BeltwayBandit]

No worries, I'm not trying to pick a fight. Just posting what I found. Vague references to a nationwide ban and specific references to the south atlantic and gulf of mexico.

 

IMO its not worth the risk to save a few bucks.

[jason the filter freak]

If it's washed up it isn't live is it. I'm by no means debating here becase well debating > me. Just asking...

[rrubberbandman]

my last visit to the keys...........

i was sooooooooo tempted to bring back a few rocks from BAHIA HONDA...the park right after the seven mile bridge..........but...........i couldnt force my wife to drop me by there on our way to the plane.

OH well.............

Bryan

[Rascal]

Someone should ask a lawyer.

 

Here's my CYA statement: this is NOT my area of expertise and I am not licensed to practice law in South Carolina, but the practice of law is not exactly rocket science and anyone who can understand grammer and use a search engine can easily figure this stuff out. I think Jason was on the right track.

 

Here's the definition of live rock according to 50 CFR 622.2 Definitions and Acronyms:

 

"Live rock means living marine organisms, or an assemblage thereof,

attached to a hard substrate, including dead coral or rock (excluding

individual mollusk shells)."

 

15 CFR 922.162 (dealing specifically with the Florida Keys but it's a more exhaustive definition so I've included anyway) :

 

"Live rock means any living marine organism or an assemblage thereof

attached to a hard substrate, including dead coral or rock but not

individual mollusk shells (e.g., scallops, clams, oysters). Living

marine organisms associated with hard bottoms, banks, reefs, and live

rock may include, but are not limited to: sea anemones (Phylum Cnidaria:

Class Anthozoa: Order Actinaria); sponges (Phylum Porifera); tube worms

(Phylum Annelida), including fan worms, feather duster worms, and

Christmas tree worms; bryozoans (Phylum Bryzoa); sea squirts (Phylum

Chordata); and marine algae, including Mermaid's fan and cups (Udotea

spp.), corraline algae, green feather, green grape algae (Caulerpa spp.)

and watercress (Halimeda spp.)."

 

And finally, South Carolina Code 50-5-15 section 30:

(30) "Live rock" means living saltwater organisms or an assemblage of them attached to a hard substrate including dead coral or rock . Living saltwater organisms associated with hard bottoms, banks, reefs, and live rock include, but are not limited to:

 

(a) sea anemones (Phylum Cnidaria: Class Anthozoa: Order Actinaria);

 

(b) sponges (Phylum Porifera);

 

 

Edited March 22, 2007 by Rascal

[jason the filter freak]

good find

[madmax7774]

Thanks Guys, I will let you know how it goes. By the way, My dad was concerned that he would get in trouble about taking the rock, and he called the South Carolina dept. of fish and game, who referred to some else, who referred him to someone else... long story short, but eventually he was told "harvesting anything on a large scale for commercial purposes on or near a beach could be trouble", but the hobby of "beachcombing" which this person believed is what my Dad's activities are covered under, is perfectly legal. My Dad asked about going back and collecting few more gabage can fulls of the rock, and the guy said it should not be a problem.

So i think we are ok. Thanks for all the responses.

[Coral Hind]

Rascal - Great info! Hey do you do divorces? I am thinking about getting a bigger tank and I might need your services.

 

So when is the club road trip to Folly Beach, South Carolina.

Edited February 2, 2007 by prevyet

[YBeNormal]

Rascal - Great info! Hey do you do divorces? I am thinking about getting a bigger tank and I might need your services.

 

With all of the tank tours, meetings, and other WAMAS events lately, I might also be in need of a lawyer soon. Maybe we can go a group buy and get a discount?

[davelin315]

Hey Guys, I agree with the above (although I'm not licensed to practice in that jurisdiction either so don't quote me quoting him on it) but you have to be careful of what you put into your tank. Live rock is typically collected off shore because the water is cleaner than on the beach. The stuff near the beach could be coated and filled with who knows what, especially if it's a beach that has a lot of swimming during the summer months. That's not to say that I've never put stuff into my tank from a beach before, when I was in Hawaii as a kid with my parents we brought back bags of rock from the beach, incredibly light coral skeletons that had been weathered on the beach, and even though I got some funny looks from the wild life authorities out there, the only prohibition (and it may have been simply a superstition based on local lore) was no corals, plants, and lava rock. That rock made it into my tank years back and has never presented any problems (it's now with a friend who still lives in Chicago) but it was also from a much cleaner environment than yours is from - not many people were on that beach because it was nothing but rock, except for me, the intrepid reefer!

[dschflier]

Well next turck load I will pay for the gas