Russel Kelley, Jake Adams, Nic DosSantos and I just came back from a very productive expedition to the Great Barrier Reef, in a collaboration between Reef Builders and Ultra Corals Australia. Using a large ocean worthy cruise vessel and four…
Who Says Australia Lacks Coral Diversity?
Going diving on a regular basis with the master collector Nic Dos Santos from Ultra Coral Australia, I’ve had the chance to see a nice cross section of the Great Barrier Reef. And if there is one thing I can…
Australia Pink Nephthea is a Soft Coral Jewel
Soft corals don’t get the attention they deserve. Maybe because they are considered beginner corals, maybe because they are not as colorful as hard corals but there are some notable exception to that. Let us guide you through one of…
Orange Acantastrea echinatas is a Sight to Remember
The TRUE Acans, Acanthastrea echinata, used to be the norm few years back. They were abundantly shipped from Indonesia in a huge range of colors but are now very rarely found from Australia, especially in a nice gold or orange coloration.…
Acropora anthocercis, Another Champion Coral of the Outer Reef
When we think about Aussie Acros, there are quite a few that come to our mind before Acropora anthocercis. But actually this species is a very popular Acropora, almost as common in the trade as the Spathulatas or Strawberry Shortcake. The…
Indonesian Gold Torch Corals that GLOW in the Dark!
By now we are well accustomed to Australian gold torch corals, Euphyllia glabrescens, and we’d almost started to forget the colonies we used to get from Indonesia. In the land down under, Gold torches are shallow water, cryptic corals, living…
Cuteness Overload while Touring Bali Aquarich
Since I live in Bali, only three hours drive from the best ornamental marine fish breeder in the world, I get to visit him on a regular basis. Mr. Wen-Ping Su has been breaking the news of all aquarium related…
Acropora spathulata is the iconic Australian Staghorn Coral
Last week, we reported about probably the most popular staghorn coral from Australia, Acropora microclados, a.k.a the Strawberry Shortcake. This time, we will tell you about another iconic Australian staghorn coral, Acropora spathulata. A problematic species? First of all, having…
You Won’t Believe Where Strawberry Shortcake Acros Live
Recently in Australia, together with Nic from Ultra Coral Australia we had the luck to go and observe Acropora microclados, aka the Strawberry Shortcake (SCC), in its natural environment. And because we’re sure most aquarist don’t realize where Strawberry Shortcake…
Is this the ‘True’ Montipora capricornis?
For so many years, we thought we saw Montipora capricornis everywhere. So many people were use that name for just any about any cup-shaped or plating Monti including M. foliosa, M. florida or M. aequituberculata was labelled a ‘Monti Cap’.…