Sunday, August 13, 2006

Favites: Moon Coral (WYSIWYG)

I have yet to do a "what you see, is what you get" type of livestock availability list on my blog, but some day I may. I was speaking to a client last week about an available space in her aquarium and she was thinking about a trachyphylliidae, open brain coral. I happened to have a very healthy moon coral, commonly called a closed brain coral, in stock for the past couple of weeks and with an email and a copy of these of photos, the piece was sold.

Moon corals, of the favite family, are some of the most common corals in the world. They are typically massive, domed or rounded shaped. Favites are often hardy corals and very well suited for captive care in a reef aquarium, tolerating a wide variety of lighting and flow conditions. Feeding tentacles emerge at night, the flesh typically remains expanded during the day, as in the photo above.

This coral is about 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

C...the Journal of Aquatic Science, Travel and Adventure

For a man who spends endless hours at his computer conversing with literally thousands of hobbyists it's impressive he's able to find time to write and manage a new quarterly publication, C...the Journal of Aquatic Science, Travel and Adventure. Anthony's expertise can be found at Team Marine Depot's "Marine Systems and Husbandry" forum, Reef Frontiers "Reef Corals with Anthony Calfo" and his home pages at Wet Web Media and Anthony Calfo's Reading Trees.

Here's a quote from Anthony on the Marine Depot forum: "It's been a busy year as usual, but a blessing to have good work! I am very proud to announce the release of my latest project: C . . . the Journal of Aquatic Science Travel and Adventure. The image work is stunning and aimed to impress as well as educate... the construction quality of the magazine itself is of the highest - it's the same or better cover stock and body pages than your favorite perfect bound books! This journal is printed on 100# gloss laminated stock with thick 80# pages to hold all the ink from those beautiful pictures!"

If you are unfamiliar with the work of Anthony Calfo, the Book of Coral Propagation; Volume 1 (Volume 2 is in production) and Reef Invertebrates: Selection, Care and compatibility are available at his Reading Trees website.

Anthony has always been a huge supporter of local reef clubs including the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento and the Western Marine Conference. This weekend he will be at the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society's "Reef-a-palooza" speaking on Black-Body Radiation, Lighting Technologies and their Spectrums. For a gentleman from Pennsylvania, he travels the world sharing his knowledge monthly.

If you are a fellow admirer of the sea, this journal is for you. If you are a client of mine, you may just start seeing this publication in your hands soon.