So on another forum I saw someone post about a rhizo. I'd not seen one before but it looked like a dendro but different colors so I looked them up! They are apparently very similar but get bigger and don't form colonies. I have also seen that they are illegal to export from Japan but once in the US, they are legal to own ... so I guess if you are buying from a person that has had them replicate in their tank it wouldn't be a bad thing. Just wondering your thoughts on these corals ... if you know anything about them ... anyone that owns them ... how often they reproduce in captivity ... I obviously don't want to support illegal trade, and they got into the country somehow, but that doesn't mean that aquacultured specimens are a bad thing since now that they are here it would cut down on illegal imports.
Here's the issue I have with rhizos. They are illegal to collect or import into the US or any other country in the CITES treaty. They are brought here by intentionally mislabeling them as torch or elegance corals. That means if we buy one, even though it's legal we are in essence supporting smugglers . I would love to keep one but I'll have to be happy with my torch and dendros until such time as they can be legally imported.
But would it be supporting the smugglers if they were aquacultured in the US? I know they originally came here illegally but maybe someone bought one not knowing and then propagated them ... just thinking that not everyone that has one is trying to support illegal imports.
