Two new species of zoanthids, Palythoa mizigama & Palythoa umbrosa were described earlier this year but we’re just now getting a good look at the appearance of these novel zoanthids. What makes the two new Palythoa species really interesting is not…
Coral
Unseen Corals: The square fossils of Goniophyllum
Ever since our visit to the vast coral collections at the Smithsonian Institution, we’ve had our mind on all the “unseen coral” species out there, living and fossil. We think we know a lot about coral but really, the aquarium hobby…
There’s probably more than one species of blue ridge coral, Heliopora
Blue ridge coral, Heliopora coerulea, is a unique species of coral in the wild and in the aquarium.Despite being extremely widespread and common on wild reefs, for some reason blue ridge coral is pretty rare in aquariums, even though it is a…
A visit to the Smithsonian Institution’s vast coral collection
Aquarists spend the majority of their coral-keeping career looking at, staring at, and growing live corals, hopefully. This is the inverse case for coral taxonomists such as Dr. Stephen Cairns who studies the remains of corals as skeletons, and all…
The Hammer Coral: A Sizeable Stinger with Showpiece Potential
Several of the so-called large-polyp stony (LPS) corals offer the advantages of being very hardy, adaptable, and beautiful and, thus, make excellent reef aquarium candidates, even for relatively new reefkeepers. The hammer coral (Euphyllia ancora), however, I would characterize slightly…
Deeper look at some recent deep water acros
Let’s face it, as SPS lovers most of us we started out loving the polyp waving, the bushy, skeleton burying acros like the ORA Chips or the many varieties Acropora millepora. But over the years we’ve been privileged to see…
Please Watch this Important Video on Palytoxin!
Many of us are inspired to keep marine life for its exotic beauty or interesting behavior. But if we’re being perfectly honest, we have to admit there’s also something intriguing about keeping—and displaying to our friends and family—marine organisms that…
The Green Splash Astreopora is alive and well in captivity
When we first discovered the Green Splash Astreopora randalli growing in a turbid chalice coral reef in the Solomon Islands, we knew this coral was special. We’ve always had a special fascination for unusual corals, among them those that show…
ReefRack Customizes Coral Frag Storage and Display
Over my many years in the marine aquarium hobby, I’ve constructed various and sundry coral frag racks out of egg crate light diffuser, ranging from simple one-tiered platforms to somewhat more complex stair-step configurations. It’s relatively easy to do; I…
Palytoxin from Palythoa zoanthids is really, REALLY dangerous
If we could have your attention please, this is an important public service announcement from your neighborhood Reef Builders to let you know to be very careful when handling your Palythoa zoanthids. Zoanthids are hardy, neigh indestructible flower animals of…