Live rock source

Anyone know of a location where live rock is a collectabe and exportable asset? Is it difficult to obtain permits for this sort of thing? I would consider taking a collection trip if this was something legal/ not damaging to the area! ;D

 

I'm certainly not an expert, but everything I have read indicates that you must get a permit and be licensed. In Florida they have banned the collection of any natural reef and limit activities to aquaculted live rock.

I appears that the days of collecting things at random are over. One challenge is that the eco environment is much colder in most of the US waters for the types of livestock we see in this hobby. Southern Califirnia, The Gulf States including Florida, and Hawaii being the exceptions.

Here is a link to the permitting requirements for Hawaii:

http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dar/lic_permit.htm

HTH ;D 8)

 

the phillipines are about the only other place where i can think lr is collected leagely thats where all your fiji rock comes from

i think agurcultured and homemade lr will become more and more popular in this hobby as time goes on

 

this is a link for manufacturing your own LR its a harder way of doing things but this way you always get that perfect rock http://www.oceanarium.com.au/articles/manufacturing_your_own_live_rock.htm

 

I believe Tonga rock is collected legally.. aquacultured rock would be dumb because they make concrete out of the reef - so to make concrete aquacultured rock there would actually be more detrimental because they would use dynamite instead of collecting broken up chunks of dead rock.