Figi vs. Florida Live Rock

stw280

Member
Is their a difference in the Figi live rock compared to the Florida Aquacultered. Or is it just the aesthetics.
 

birdy

Active Member
Yes there is a difference, Figi is very light and porus and comes in different shapes but it is drop shipped from figi and spends a lot more time in the box so there is more die off, I prefer figi.
FL aqua. is more dense (heavier), and doesn't have the shape that fiji does IMO. But it is shipped from FL usually fresh out of the ocean and arrives to your door with tons of life (some times that included unwanted hitch hikers like mantis shrimp). You need more FL rock than Fiji rock to fill up a tank.
Honestly a mix of the two would be a good choice.
 

clint_reno

Member
Fuji liverock is actual ocean rock. Florida rock is aquacultured. That means regular rocks are placed in the ocean, and left to become home to ocean creatures.
I imagine there are strict laws in Florida/USA that prevent companies from removing actual reef rock. Florida aquacultured rock is regulated by rules.
In a way, Florida rock is more "Earth friendly". That is important to some.
 

stw280

Member
So you could never get away with what they are doing in Figi, here in America?
Where do the corals for sale in the aquarium marketplace from?
Were they raised in captivity or harvested from a reef somewhere.
Thanks for all the info.
 

robchuck

Active Member

Originally posted by stw280
So you could never get away with what they are doing in Figi, here in America?

Politics are different in Fiji, but the rock collected there isn't coming directly from the reefs. When you purchase Fiji LR, you are getting rock that has been blown off the reefs during storms. Corals that die on the reef become the structure for the rock and replenish the rock base on the reef.
Where do the corals for sale in the aquarium marketplace from?
Were they raised in captivity or harvested from a reef somewhere.

Most corals are collected from Indo-Pacific waters (the law makes it tough for Caribbean corals to make it into the trade).
More and more corals are being captively propagated, and that trend will continue as the hobby grows and tougher restrictions are placed on livestock collection.
 
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