Think of easy, beginner LPS corals and you’ll probably think of Duncan corals, Candy Canes, and Micro Lords maybe, but there’s one frag that’s positively shining in our tank despite us not giving it any special care whatsoever – the…
Lobophyllia rowleyensis is a much-overlooked LPS coral
For an LPS coral to be a popular aquarium subject it needs to have color and movement, with Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia being classic examples. But this is often to the detriment of other genera and species on sale next to…
Cairns Marine’s Yellow Mottled Hammer Coral has us going Bananas
We’ve handled a lot of hammer corals over the years, both Branching and Walling, but this Yellow Mottled Aussie Ancora from Cairns Marine stands out for its color, mottling pattern, and its uniqueness. “This one came in a few weeks…
Cyphastrea is the ultimate ornament encruster
It’s been a while since we started getting creative with aquarium ornaments and corals, but nothing makes you look twice more than an ornament with a tight skin of encrusting Cyphastrea. For a long time, ceramic skulls were the ornament…
If You Knew How Rare Fox Corals Truly Are
The fox coral has one of the most unique polyp shapes of any coral and it’s a real treat for coral divers to see underwater. As you know, we like to explore reef areas where not many divers go because …
Deciding Between an Orange Scoly and an Orange Acan
This weekend while visiting the Rocky Mountain Coral Farmer’s Market we were faced with an interesting dilemma that we thought would make for a fun short read. At the booth of Jesus Corals we spotted two different corals sporting our…
Coral Colonies are So Fun to Unbox [Video]
After stocking up for more than three years you’d think that the Reef Builders Studio would be all filled up but not quite. We’re on a mission to keep and grow and gain experience with virtually all species and prominent…
Captive Bubble coral bommie is 24 years young
A quarter of a century-old Bubble coral has just turned up at an LFS in the UK. Traded in to make room in his display tank, the previous owner admitted to taking it into his garage and having to break…
What is a True Platygyra Maze Brain Coral?
Despite what they are being called, most maze brain corals in the reef aquarium hobby are not actually Platygyra at all, but a different and distinctive species called Paragoniastrea australiensis or Paragon coral for short. The reasons for the misidentification are too numerous…
Coelastrea, Red-headed Stepchild of the Merulinidae
This article is a guest post by long term coral-taxonomy Liason Joseph Rowlett. His Indo-Pacific corals book is one of the best and newest references to learn more about coral identification. Coelastrea had a troubled entrance into this world. The…
