California-based Unique Corals is showing off a rare offering in the reef aquarium hobby: Live Rock from Australia!
California-based Unique Corals is showing off a rare offering in the reef aquarium hobby: Live Rock from Australia!

“Real” live rock collected in the wild was once a cornerstone of the reef aquarium hobby, but it has largely been replaced by artificial (manufactured) or quarried rock options to form the foundation of a modern reef aquarium. If you want actual “live rock” that had been in the ocean, your options have been pretty limited in recent years, mainly relying on aquacultured rock from Florida or a few other locations abroad.

“Real” live rock, it seems, is now quite rare in the hobby, and with that, it’s noteworthy to share a recent announcement from Los Angeles area Unique Corals.

Another look at this Australian live rock, highlighting heavy coraline algae growth along with sponges, Halimeda macro algae, and no doubt other exciting finds that you won't encounter on dry, man-made or quarried rock.
Another look at this Australian live rock, highlighting heavy coraline algae growth along with sponges, Halimeda macro algae, and no doubt other exciting finds that you won’t encounter on dry, man-made or quarried rock.

via Unique Corals

We have beautiful Australian Live Rock here and in stock at Unique!

These rocks have been sustainably harvested and are covered in stunning coralline calcification. This rock spent less than 4 days going from ocean to tank in the U.S.

Pieces are non-WYSIWYG’; shapes and sizes will vary. $19.99 per pound.

Order yours before they are all gone!

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Unique Corals’ Joseph Caparatta shared a bit more of the back-story behind this rare and “unique” offering!

“We brought in some rock from a small coral collector in the Cairns region to help establish some biological needs for a science lab. The lab is planned around an Acropora spawning project in the U.S. with help from Dr. Jamie Craggs.

“Because the systems were set up only a month or so prior to the naturally occurring spawning dates, we needed something to jump-start the tanks. Along with some seasoned MarcoRocks from our Unique Corals systems, we all decided that some freshly collected Australian rock would be beneficial.

“We are now offering the surplus to everyone. Depending on how this goes we might decide to offer it on a regular basis if we are promised that collection sites are deemed non-impactful and spread out to different reefs.”

This Australian live rock showcases an amazing diversity of life. How much unique biodiversity can you spy in this photo?
This Australian live rock showcases an amazing diversity of life. How much unique biodiversity can you spy in this photo?

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