Corals inside no-take zones are more resilient to natural disturbances

As marine biodiversity continues to decline it is important we maximize the effectiveness of conservation efforts. The Great Barrier Reef is facing multiple threats from natural and man-made natural disturbances but for the first time, researchers at the Australian Institute of…

Why Reef Building corals are being hit the hardest by coral bleaching

Coral reefs are under existential threat. This year alone large scale bleaching has been observed on 500 separate coral reefs along the Great Barrier Reef, and up to 50% of bleached corals from in water surveys have already died, in…

New Finding Dory trailer reveals much more of the sequel movie

Finding Dory is the loooooong awaited sequel to Disney’s hit movie, Finding Nemo. A new Finding Dory trailer released today gives us a much better look at the follow up movie and reveals many more of the story’s elements and settings. The first…

Australia Seeks Corporate Sponsors for Great Barrier Reef

The Australian government is turning to corporate sponsorships and partnerships to help raise funds to deliver conservation projects on the Great Barrier Reef. While this is a unique way of infusing capital into much needed programs, many are wondering if companies could…

Reef Builders Indonesia Travelogue – Menjangan Island and Permuteran Bay

Last week we had the opportunity to dive the North West coast of Bali. We did two spectacular wall dives off Menjangan Island and visited the Bio-Rock reef project in Permuteran Bay. First up Menjangan Island is located 5km (3 miles) off  shore from…

An introduction to coral crabs, good and bad

There is surprisingly little information specifically about coral crabs in aquaria.  Every now and then some hitchhikers arrive on our aquacultured and wild corals and we are able to gain a bit more insight into the life of coral crabs. Some crabs…

How to thoroughly quarantine your Corals

 With just about every endeavor success breeds new challenges. As I have already noted in several articles, with the improved success we have now achieved in keeping just about every type of coral and invertebrate long-term we are now seeing…

Common Coral Reef Pests and some ideas on how to remove them

In the early days of the hobby, we paid little attention to the many small animals that came in with our corals. We had such a difficult time keeping our corals alive that little thought was paid to the potential…

The rarely seen Striking Sea Star

Despite the diversity of sea stars that abound in tropical waters, relatively few species find their way into aquariums with any regularity. One of the most interesting species—morphologically, behaviorally and evolutionarily—is also one of the most seldomly encountered: the “Striking…

Lots of things can kill corals, suicide is not one of them

Over the years I have been asked a lot of questions by hobbyists regarding their corals and their tanks. Of these queries, the single most frequently asked question is” Why are my corals dying or why did this coral die?”…