I woke up this morning to another teaser on Facebook. My local fish store (Neptune Aquatics of Milpitas, CA) couldn’t help but give us some preview shots of their new coral flats that will be used in the operation a new vendor venture call Triple X Corals: Four coral “vats” measuring 8 feet long by 4 feet wide will be double stacked in a very compact and efficient propagation endeavor. Looking to take a step back from the trials and tribulations of importing coral, the owner of Neptune Aquatics would like to focus more on sustainability while creating a side business that lives up to the high standards of todays reef keeping. With a brood stock he has been stockpiling for years Triple X Corals is sure to hit the ground running and provide hobbyists with some of the most exclusive corals California has to offer.

In a trip I took last week to neptune Aquatics the owner was kind enough to give me a tour of the new aquaculture facility and gave me some insights into the design and mission statement of Triple X Corals: Lit exclusively by LED lighting sources each tank will hold around 475 gallons of water and house species of SPS, LPS and Softie style corals. As stated earlier the four tanks will be double stacked in a room no larger than a studio bedroom in an attempt to mitigate heat exchange and eliminate the amount of floor space large coral vats can occupy. To my knowledge the facility will not be open to the public in any capacity but the retail outlet we as Bay Area reefers have become so thankfully accustomed to, will remain open indefinitely. With a conscientious attitude towards corals and a business model structured around hobbyists, Triple X Corals will surely bring some competition to the market.