There’s an oft-repeated adage in this hobby that you can take to the bank: “Only bad things happen quickly in marine aquariums” (or some variation upon that general theme). In other words, while problems in marine aquariums seem to crop…
Coral
The Xenomorph Coral Could Only Have Been a Zoanthid
The Xenomorph coral is an amorphous new species of zoanthid that reminds some people of the face-hugging extra terrestrials from popular culture. Many types of corals are pretty alien looking already but this newly described species of zoanthid is really…
Farmed Corals from Indonesia Will Never be the Same
After a few days of euphoria with everyone thinking that the unlimited supply of cheap maricultured coral from Indonesia is back we are feeling a bit hungover. We tried to communicate the message that things would be different in last…
Indonesian Cultured Coral Exports will Resume Next Week!
After a nearly two year hiatus, next week Indonesian coral farmers will once again be able to export their cultured corals. Following a long process that started with the re-election of president Jokowi in spring, then in September a new…
Acropora lokani is SPS Royalty Among Acros
Acropora lokani is a very common deeper water Acropora that is common in Indonesia and widespread through the Indo-Pacific. The lokani Acro has been farmed by the thousands for many years, decades even, so in that time we thought we’d…
The Classic Octo-Bubble Coral Finally has a Name
An overlooked 2003 publication describing few new species of corals from Sabah, Malaysia, on the northern tip of the Borneo island, shed lights on a commonly available bubble coral species for many years from Indonesia, and finally put a name…
Coscinaraea (Cycloseris) wellsi: The Unknown Coral from the Deep
Having to dive deeper and deeper to try to find something more interesting, on the way down on rare occasions I have come across a coral, that I never had seen before, in the 35-45 meter (~135 feet) zone. Coscinaraea…
Coral-Bacteria Communities are WAY More Important than Anyone Thought
Reading through different coral scientific publication, we came across one, that could be quite relevant for us reef aquarist. In this publication published in Nature, scientist from the Red Sea Research center, from the King Abdullah University of Science and…
Not All Wilsoni Corals are the Same
In the recents months we’ve been seeing an increase in the availability of insane Australophyllia wilsoni coming from Western Australia. This species is an Indian Ocean endemic, and the only coral that can regularly be found growing among kelp forest.…
Paraclavarina triangularis, Another Underrated Coral Beauty
Several weeks ago, we went on an expedition through the Great Barrier Reef, with Ultra Coral Australia. We spent a week on the reef and on multiple occasions came across a fascinating coral called ‘Paraclavarina triangularis. All of us ‘Coral…