Acropora horrida wows us with a green tip version

Acropora horrida is hands-down, one of the most beautiful and colorful species of Acropora available to aquarists, and it is also fairly common throughout Indo-Pacific reefs. ‘Horrida’ was one of the first Acros we drooled over from pictures of this…

The Unique Corals ’experience’

It has been a great reefing year for me, in that I have set up two new tanks for myself, been to MACNA and all three Reefaploozas and the topper, I have been to the facilities of the four enterprises that…

Stereonephthya, portrait of an uncommon soft coral

Stereonephthya is an uncommon soft coral which is seriously underrated, both as an aquarium coral, and as a unique member of the coral reef community. The simplest way to describe Stereonephthya is that it’s the lovechild of photosynthetic Nephthea and…

Cherry-picking fresh Acros right from the Coral Farm

Cherry picking corals from an ocean based coral farm is very much like picking ripe fruit from a tree. Otherwise known as mariculture, growing corals in the ocean offers the same advantages and disadvantages as growing of food crops. On one…

What do air compressors have to do with aquarium corals and fish?

We are back from an epic road trip through central Indonesia where we’ve been looking far and wide for rare fish and awesome corals. It is safe to say our journey was a success however, this really got us thinking…

Kristen Marhaver’s TED Talk on reef-building with baby corals

We recently came across this great TED talk which presents some pretty interesting research about coral larval behavior, and what it may take for baby corals to survive and thrive in a changing ocean environment. “How we’re growing baby corals…

Jimmy’s Ma’s incredible ‘Blue Monster’ coral beauty angelfish

Jimmy Ma is the undisputed connoisseur of unusual and aberrant Centropyge morphs. Over the years he’s shared with us his koi coral beauty, multicolor angel hybrid, a trio of Tigerpyge, and many many more. Among his impressive collection, the ‘Blue Monster’…

Longevity in the coral reef aquarium

Recently while perusing the web, I came across an interesting post by Paul B regarding his reef tank now being 44 years old. And while I have been doing this a long time none of the tanks I have ever…

The Best Beginner Small-Polyp Stony Corals

Upon entering the world of small polyp stony corals (or SPS), many people ask the magic question, “Which types are best for beginners?” In my opinion the most beginner-friendly choices are found in the genera Montipora, Pocillopora, Seriatopora, and Stylophora.…

Reef Builders Indonesia Travelogue – Bali Aquarium Serangan Coral Farm

Staring out to sea only a few short kilometers from the hustle and bustle of Denpasar Indonesia, it would be easy to miss what is going on beneath the surface. Above, you would notice surfers paddling between crashing waves and fishermen wading out…