SPS Frag imports from USA

[Dave_P]

Just looking at some of the USA frags sites and some of their SPS's are gorgous colours i.e. blue, red acros etc.

Has anybody tried importing these?

Obviously there are transport issues to deal with, but I doubt with air freight that it wouldn't be insurmountable.

Is it legal to import cultured corals into the UK, this way?

Dave

[ricordea]

don't know all the details but as far as I am aware you need an export permit/licence and an import permit/licence. i.e. a document issued by the US authorities and a defra permit...others on the board will know more about it.

I also believe (but could be wrong) that the same applies from other EU countries, although some shops just go across to Holland buy some stock and just bring it back...there being no real customs to speak of coming back.

[hairyduck]

I've imported some monti's and loads of zoas before without any issues, it's legal as long as they have the required paperwork in the US, certain corals will however require cities which is another cost to add on. However the shipping cost usually is prohibitive and the Americans seem to be very good with Photoshop! If you shop around over here you will find some equally nice acros and stuff!

You need to remember that if there is any delay in shipping/customs then chances are you will loose all your sps and there will be no comeback with the shippers or suppliers (a couple of months ago I lost £250 worth of zoos I was shipping in for that very same reason!)

I've come to the conclusion it's not worth the hassle and stress any more!

[guybirch]

Where abouts do you get your stuff from? I have seen one site willing to export to the UK but most others say they cant legally!

PM me if it causes a problem with the mods :)

[maestro]

I looked into this including telephone calls with defra and if they are on the CITES list you need a permit, as far as im aware all sps corals i,e acropora are on the cites list.

I need to add the problem with importing soft corals is that they although they arent on the cites list themselves they are nearly always mounted on a piece of live rock with does require a license.

[simon garratt]

Adding to this, theres nothing in the states that isnt available over here, and they like to hike the prices with claims of rare colour morph etc etc.

If you hunt around and politely Pm people over hear that have well established tanks, I recon youd get just as good quality, veriety, with the added bonus that the local shipping times etc mean you stand a better chance of success.


regards

Si.

[JasandJules]

The only sites I looked at, firstly looked like the colours had been taken with "ultravibrance" mode on the camera, and secondly they wouldn't supply to the UK. I would have assumed you would need an import license?!?!?

[popsock]

Its a shame but even for farmed stuff you need to jump through all the hoops, after all, a customs man checking your stuff won't know a farmed coral from a wild one. They don't even seem to turn up for work half the time.

[Dave_P]

Thanks guys for your comments.

If anybody has any blue acro frags, please PM me.

Dave

[simon garratt]

Dave, why dont you go through the members tanks section and Pm people who have them, rather than expecting them to do the leg work for you. Solid blues such as A. Paralis are slow growers in most cases so the guys that have them will be expecting a moderately good fee for a peice in most cases.

Remember though that colour is not set in stone. Its your tank and your ability to keep them thats important and solid blues/Purples are probably the hardest to maintain. If your tanks not spot on, chances are it will brown out and your expectations will be dashed.

Its all in the water...:)

[Dave_P]

Message understood, thanks Si.

I know what you saying with changes in colours, I have seen it myself within the few months of my current tank. I have notice in my tank that my frags tend to lighten up after a few weeks. I am not too sure whether that's good or bad. All my SPS frags have good (well I think so) polyp extension.

For example Antsreef gave me stylophora frag, in his tank the polyps are dark green in mine after a few weeks they have turned light green. Also the body itself seem lighter. Looks perfectly heathly with loads of growth.

Picked up a hystrix frag off a LFS. They had fragged it off the mother colony which had started to receed. In the LFS it was a deep orange/brown, after a few weeks in my tank it's a cream colour and seems to be growing like mad. I look at every day and I am convinced that I am noticing growth. Probably just an illusion though.

Have to be honest and say, having never keeped SPSs before, I am absolutely gob smacked how quickly they grow. Picked up a small monitipora digitata colony weekend before last. A few bits were broken off in transit. Already the fractures have round off and you wouldn't know they had been broken.

Dave

[wayne in norway]

I really need to root this out, but I did have a link to a thread on ReefCentral from someone complaining that all the good stuff went to Europe and all they could get was boring brown acros.....:)

[hairyduck]

A friend of mine in the states says the same, remember it's a damned big country and there aren't that many fish shops that stock the nice stuff, much like over here but on a huge scale!