Aquarists don’t usually spend much time pondering the finer details of stony coral morphology, but within their calcareous walls is a wealth of information waiting to be explored. The microscopic structure in a scleractinian’s skeleton contains important clues to the evolutionary past, and, by [...]
Congratulations to the Coral Restoration Foundation, who has just received a $2.1 million dollar grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore eight reefs along the Florida Reef Tract. The grant will be spread out over three years and will be met dollar for [...]
Garf Bonsai Acropora (A. valida) The origins of the name Garf Bonsai go way back to when hobbyists, collectors, coral farmers and scientists were just beginning to create names for specific species, color variations and lineages of collectible corals. Among the first corals to be named was [...]
Fields of maricultured Acropora in Onna, Okinawa, JapanOkinawa, Japan is known for its great diving and lush coral reefs. Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect with this dive. I’ve heard all sorts of cautionary tales about diving in Okinawa due to its strong currents, but I’ve also [...]
Your coral source can play an important role in successWith the introduction of more aquaculture and mariculture facilities, there has been a boom in specimens available at the local fish stores these days. But I will say for certain that if you can get a frag from a successful hobbyist, those tend [...]
Top down shot of Acropora microladosWelcome to the next level of coral care. By now I am assuming you have at least understood all the key general practices to maintain some of the hardier corals, from soft corals to large-polyp stony (LPS) corals to some of the more rugged small-polyp stony (SPS) [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS3rbEJSOUs Brilliant news from the Horniman Museum and Gardens in South London: scientists there there report a United Kingdom first - the successful in-vitro fertilisation of captive corals! Gravid (already carrying eggs) corals were transplanted to the museum [...]
The story of my Astreopora montiporina colony is an interesting one. If you're not familiar with this coral don't worry, it is not commonly known or collected; it was named as a new species in 2011. Back to my story, I purchased a colony of clove polyps four years ago and when I was making some [...]