Once in a while, you come across a coral during a dive, and you can’t not share it with everyone. This was the case during an exploration dive in the south of Sumba. Exposed, high swell, cold up-wellings, everyone was…
Coral
The Orange Tree Gorgonian is a Rare, Deepwater Treat
The wonderful Swiftia exserta, also known as the Orange Tree Gorgonian, is a treat for all those reef hobbyists who enjoy oddball marine life. Their striking color and shape have them highly sought after in the non-photosynthetic side of the…
Rare Soft Coral Surfaces at QGI Aquatics
We have all seen our fair share of soft and azooxanthellate corals in the hobby, but this one is definitely different. Not much is known about Chromonephthea as they rarely make it into the hobby. The specimens pictured were imported…
Malaysia’s Largest Inland Coral Farm Uses Radio Frequency ID Tags
Earlier this year I was invited to speak at The Garden and Aquatic Show in Singapore. This show also featured quite a few highlights of interest for reefkeeping enthusiasts. One of those was a marine aquascaping contest. All participants started…
Study Reveals How Corals Gain N and P in Darwin’s Paradox
An article published in the Journal Nature has found that photosynthetic corals not only host their symbiotic algae, they feed directly on it too, and importantly, it is how they uptake Nitrogen and Phosphorus. The paper titled “Reef-building corals farm…
NOAA designates 6,500 square miles of Critical Habitat to protect Caribbean Corals
NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule to designate critical habitat for five species of Caribbean coral under the US Endangered Species Act. Effective from September 8, 2023, 28 mostly overlapping areas in US waters will be designated Critical Habitat,…
The Five Best SPS Corals For Beginners
Small Polyp Stony Corals are some of the most popular aquarium corals, and the most populous on natural reefs, famed for their spiky branches, flat tables, or swirling plates. Not all SPS corals are the same, however, or as easy…
100% Coral Bleaching as Florida Sea Temperatures Rise Over 100 Fahrenheit
As if Floridian corals weren’t under enough environmental pressures, this past week, temperatures hit triple digits in Florida Bay and the Keys causing 100% coral bleaching events in some areas. A world record-breaking sea surface temperature of 101.1F (38.4C) was…
Flower Bomb is a Newly Released Tabling Acro from Top Shelf Aquatics
This coral was originally imported from Australia and hand-picked as a pale, small mini colony with loads of potential. I have hand-picked many pieces from various suppliers throughout the years but this one really stood out as something that could…
Forced Fusion of the Dallas Acropora
Experimenting and playing god with corals is something that will always grab my attention. So when I noticed Ben Duncan, the owner of Exotic Aquaculture, a boutique reef store In Melbourne, Australia doing some grafting with iconic staghorn Acropora I…