Twenty years ago, “mini reef hobbyists” were lucky to get corals in a particularly juicy shade of brown, and if they were lucky there might be a hint of green in an elegance coral or trach…
Chalice Corals
Pictures of cool cryptic corals from the Flores Sea
When we get corals through the regular distribution channels, we are at the mercy of the coral collectors in Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean as to what corals they collect, and most often these will b…
We’re barely scratching the surface of Mycedium diversity
When we observe the diversity of corals found in the aquarium hobby, it’s easy to think that somehow what we’re getting is a reflection of what is available in nature. By that guideline yo…
Convict chalice Echinophyllia documented in its natural habitat
Convict chalice corals are specimens of Echinophyllia plating colonies with a very distinctive series of stripes running usually from the edge of the oral disc (mouth) to the colonie’s edges. Th…
Get ready for lots of exciting stories from the Fluval Sea Flores Expedition
We’re back from the Flores Sea with loads of exciting observations and documentation on the reefs of this part of Indonesia. With support from Fluval Sea and no less than nine months of planning…
A contrasting trio of Mycedium chalice corals
On a recent tour of the Dallas World Aquarium, we had to opportunity to see a very unusual colony of Mycedium, together with two other recognizable species in the genus. All three colonies of these ch…
Green-streaked Mycedium colony from Exotic SeaLife International
With both Echinophyllia and Oxypora chalice corals already getting their time in the multicolored spotlight, it was only a matter of time before stupendous streaked specimens of Mycedium started showi…
Evil one-eyed chalice coral sighted at 110 feet in Kwajalein Atoll
While on a deep dive on the ocean side of Kwajalein Atoll, we came face to face with a pair of chalice corals with a striking look unlike any we have seen in aquariums, or in the wild. With a single p…
Corals touching in aquariums is not the end of the world
It’s easy to get caught up in aquarium dogma and the reefing world is no different with prescribed military food tray style separation of all corals. But in practice the interactions between cor…
The coral tree of life is being rewritten one LPS at a time
Warning: the following is a nerdgasm of coral taxonomy, guest-written by Joe Rowlett, one of the many talented fish geeks working the fish tanks at Old Town Aquarium in Chicago. Historically, corals …