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 be known species that are…
LPS Corals
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 you’d think that Mycedium was somewhat rare, or…
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. The lines of convict chalice corals can be very dark, or…
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, we succeeded in diving and surveying and…
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 chalice corals were imported as Mycedium…
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 showing up. Exotic Sealife International, a wholesaler out of South Florida is flaunting…
Two-face masterpiece Scolymia looks both ways
It’s been a little bit since we reported on a Scolymia australis nice enough to be post-worthy but after a long absence, Frag Junky gets the honorable mention for their two-faced masterpiece scolymia. A “Masterpiece Scoly” is among the best of…
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…
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 corals that are similar, and between those that…
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 have often been grouped at the genus and family level based…