Rich Ross

If it were a snake it would’ve bit me

Richard Ross’s Home Coral Breeding Video is a Recipe for All Reefers

Captive coral spawning is a big deal right now and represents the cutting edge of decades of trial and error when we learned first how to keep them alive, then how to frag them, and now, most importantly, how to breed them.

The successes of pioneering individuals and institutions couldn’t have come at a more noteworthy time either, as we not only face the threat of potential collection bans which could affect our hobby, but the world’s wild corals face new, increased threats of localized extinction and need to be at least preserved until we can fix the oceans on a much bigger scale. 

That’s why when we just watched Richard Ross breeding hard corals at home it flicked an internal switch that made us think about the bigger picture. About not just dozens of people breeding their own corals at home in the future, but the potential for thousands of people to spawn and raise corals in captivity, supplying not just their own domestic aquarium markets but unlocking the key to wild coral conservation at the same time.

Home coral spawning and rearing is a landmark moment in the evolution (and sustainability,) of our hobby.

Thanks to people like Jamie Craggs, Keri O’Neil, Richard Ross, and the coral suppliers who are investing in captive spawning, for the first time, the future of our hobby (and reef conservation in general,) looks really, really bright, and It makes us want to fast forward another ten or twenty years to see where it takes us. 

For the first time, there is a scalable, repeatable recipe for spawning and raising corals, and it’s one that skilled hobbyists can even do from home. Please watch and remember this video, as it represents something that is nothing short of remarkable.

A demanding pet with 8 legs and personality

By  LINDA LOMBARDI, Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, February 4, 11:08 AM
When Nancy King got a pet octopus, she made a serious commitment: She wouldn’t spend a night away from her home in Dallas the entire time she had it.“I had decided it would be an experiment in whether I could have a relationship with an octopus,” she says. “I sat with her every day and spent time with her, and I got rewarded for that.”
If the closest you’ve gotten to an octopus is sushi, you probably wonder: Rewarded how? In fact, octopuses can be very interactive, and show evidence of a surprising degree of intelligence — even what seems like mischief-making.

Making Babies! Once a Year Coral Spawn Event

From and written by Animal World

October 5, 2013 by 

Tenting a Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis All Photos included here courtesy Richard Ross California Academy of Sciences

The Octo Mom pales in comparison to the Florida Keys Coral Spawn

An event that happens just once a year yet results in hundreds of thousands of babies. Imagine have just one such happening to produce all the offspring you could ever want! That’s the annual spawning of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other corals off the Florida Keys.

For just a short period of time each year, by a phase of the moon, thirty thousand coral colonies or more are synced-up and driven to reproduce. This happens in August or September, usually just a few days after a full moon.

Now that type of baby making is enough to stir the envy of any mom, Octo or otherwise! Granted, there’s not the same type of physical interaction mammals have, making babies in the animal world. There’s no dating or marriage, nor ongoing obligations. (more…)

Dr. Seuss in the Bedroom

From Reefs.com

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There has been a strange sense of romance across reef dwelling animals of late, with reports of very large spawning events we do believe, love is in the air.  It seems a few people have taken on some interesting breeding projects, including this one by Rich Ross, the Dr. Seuss Soapfish Belonoperca pylei.  Rich reports that the fish are sleeping together and fingers are still crossed for no bad behavior between them.  Stay tuned for further updates and see our next post on the frisky lightning maroon clownfish.

CEPHALOPOD BREEDING