I’ve maintained for years that not only are aquacultured corals the future, they are the responsible sustainable option. And if sustainability isn’t enough for you, farmed corals are generally much hardier than their wild counterparts.
I’ve been involved in building out Eye Catching Coral‘s massive facility: from the MRC Hybrid holding tanks to the iSeries filtration. Jim and Ben wanted to build the absolute best facility in the world and even though I may be a tiny bit biased, they’ve nailed it. And the growth shows: they’ve just sold 250,000 corals grown in their facility! That’s a huge accomplishment and testament to the industry’s support of aquaculture.
I can’t wait to share (and produce) the video tour of the ECC Facility once the final phase has been completed. In the meantime, enjoy a couple of teaser shots and read their official press release below.
Company Celebrates Significant Achievement in Sustainable Marine Aquaculture
Vienna, Ohio, USA – May 28, 2026 – Eye Catching Coral, a leader in sustainable marine aquaculture and distribution, today announced it has sold 250,000 units of its 100% aquacultured and in-house grown live coral frags. The company has also sold 10,000 units of aquacultured anemones to date.
Operating since 2000, Eye Catching Coral is a live coral wholesaler specializing in both sustainably collected wild corals and aquacultured frags. The company supplies retail stores, public aquariums, online vendors, and educational facilities across the United States.
“It has taken many years of extremely hard work by our team, and I am incredibly proud. Growing and selling 250,000 aquacultured coral frags demonstrates strong market confidence and demand for our responsibly aquacultured marine life.” said Jim Gintner, CEO & Founder of Eye Catching Coral.
The build-out of the company’s nearly 30,000 sq. ft. dedicated coral aquaculture facility began in 2019. One of the largest facilities of its kind in the world, it is still undergoing completion and expansion. Eye Catching Coral plans to host a customer tour and open house in late 2026 to celebrate this milestone.
Gintner added special thanks to the company’s staff and leadership: “None of this would have been possible without the hard work, passion, and expertise of our entire team. Their commitment has driven this success. I especially want to thank Ben DiEugenio, our Co-Owner & Vice President, who designed our industry-leading aquaculture facility from scratch and oversees its operations. His vision and determination have been instrumental in making this dream a reality.”
The company also expressed deep gratitude to its customers: “We are truly thankful for your continued support. Your belief in us and enthusiasm for our corals and anemones fuel our mission every day. We are excited about our aquaculture program and remain committed to helping safeguard the future of our industry.”
Looking ahead, Eye Catching Coral is poised for significant growth. The company expects to ramp up production as it approaches full operational capacity and ultimately projects annual output of 250,000 to 500,000 aquacultured coral frags once at scale. It expects to have all aquaculture systems fully operational by the end of 2027.
Jim Gintner, CEO & Founder
Eye Catching Coral
A huge congratulations to the entire team at Eye Catching Corals! This is honestly such an incredible milestone for the hobby. It takes an immense amount of dedication, time, and investment to aquaculture corals at a wholesale level. I don’t think most hobbyists quite understand how much effort it takes to do something like this.
The quality of the work coming out of Eye Catching Corals truly can’t be overstated. Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement! I’m glad to be able to call some of the amazing folks over there my friends.