Signature Frags – From Hobbyist to Coral Farmer

Chris, Gareth, and James are joined by Christian, the founder of Signature Frags — one of the UK’s best-known coral farms and a name synonymous with colourful, tank-hardened Acropora.

We dive into Christian’s journey from hobbyist to coral farmer, what sets Signature Frags apart (from rigorous quarantine to long grow-out processes), and the realities of running a high-end coral farm in the UK. Along the way, we cover coral husbandry, pests and pathogens, the role of dissolved oxygen and microbiomes, and why seeing colonies alongside frags is such a different customer experience.

It’s an inspiring conversation full of insights into the future of the hobby, the challenges of coral farming, and what makes corals thrive long-term in home tanks.

🔗 Check out Christian’s coral at signaturefrags.com

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Reefing Radio - AQUAH 2025 Debrief

Chris and Gareth sit down for an impromptu episode fresh from the AQUAH trade show. We share first impressions, standout corals (including a jaw-dropping Colorado Sunburst anemone), and the vendors that nailed it on the day.

We cover:

• The balance of coral sellers vs dry goods – and what surprised us most

• Aquatic Emporium’s show-stopping booth and why it stood out from the rest
• New tanks that caught our eye – including a tempting D&D peninsula and nano options from UNS
• Gear highlights – from ATI’s latest Stratons to Chris’s new PARwise Pro purchase
• Networking wins – vendors and suppliers lining up to join Reefing Radio in future episodes

🎧 Tune in for a relaxed debrief full of coral chat, kit talk, and a peek behind the scenes of one of the UK’s biggest reefing events

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Reefing Radio – “Does Size Matter?”

Chris, Gareth, and James tackle one of the most common questions in reefing: what are the real differences between running a small tank and a large one? Inspired by a listener upgrading from a nano to a four-foot setup, we dig into the trade-offs between scale, cost, and enjoyment.

We cover:

• Stocking strategies – why small tanks highlight tiny fish & critters, while big tanks let you go big on tangs and foxfaces

• Aggression & space – does a larger tank really reduce conflict, or just give you more battles to manage?

• Coral growth – bonsai colonies vs basketball-sized torches, and how aesthetics shape your choices

• Maintenance – the speedboat vs oil tanker analogy: stability, water changes, and how much muscle it takes to shift 60 litres

• Equipment – what you can get away with second-hand, and why return pumps aren’t the place to cut corners

• The “perfect size” tank – from cubes to peninsulas, we each share where we’d land if we had to start again

  
  

From James flooding his kitchen to Gareth finally rehoming his foxface, it’s a wide-ranging chat packed with lessons learned and plenty of debate on whether bigger really is better.

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Reefing Radio – “Keeping It Stable” pt. 2

Chris, Gareth, and James return to wrap up our deep dive into reef tank stability — this time we cover the parameters and approaches we didn’t get to last week. From magnesium mysteries to nutrient balance, trace elements, and the pros and cons of different dosing strategies, it’s a packed episode.

We cover:

• Magnesium & calcium – does magnesium really matter, and why do some tanks never consume it?
• Alk/Ca balance – James’ strong views on why the two need to be paired
• Trace elements & ICPs – useful tool, false reassurance, or just a money pit?
• Nutrient stability – balancing nitrates & phosphates, high vs low nutrient systems, and how lighting ties in
• Dosing approaches revisited – All-for-Reef, two-part, DIY mixes, and kalkwasser (including slurry and reactors)
• Quick-fire round – the one parameter we’d peg forever, and the most overrated one in reefing

We also announced the winner of our £50 Prestige Reef gift card giveaway – congratulations to the winner!

🎧 Tune in for one of our longest episodes yet, full of debate, confessions, and a few surprising takes on what really matters in reef stability.

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Reefing Radio – “Keeping It Stable” pt. 1

In this episode, Chris, Gareth, and James dive into one of reefing’s biggest challenges – keeping things stable. From alkalinity and calcium to pH, magnesium, and even the microbiome, we share how we approach stability in our own tanks and what we think really matters.

We cover:

• Using (and questioning) things like Chemiclean and bottled bacteria
• Why salinity might be the most underrated parameter
• The role of microbiome diversity in a healthy reef
• Balancing stability with observation – testing vs just watching your corals
• Our own tank updates: pipefish, pectinia, Apex setups, summer struggles, and more

There’s also still time to enter our £50 Prestige Reef gift card giveaway! Just comment on our Instagram or Facebook post for this episode to be in with a chance.

🎧 Tune in for an hour of reef chat, laughs, and maybe a few disagreements about what really matters in reefkeeping.

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🎙️ Episode 2 – Reefing Success

Welcome back to Reefing Radio! In this episode, your hosts — Chris, Gareth, and James — dive into the topic of reefing success .

🌊 What does success look like in the reefing hobby?💡 How do we define it for ourselves?🏆 And what wins (big or small) have we had in our own tanks?

💬 We want to hear from you: What does reefing success mean to you? Comment on the episode or send us a message!

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🎙️ Episode 1 – Meet Reefing Radio

Welcome to the first episode of Reefing Radio! In this kickoff episode, your hosts — Chris, Gareth, and James — introduce themselves, share how they got into reefing, and give you a peek into their current tank setups, reefing styles, and salty obsessions.

We also chat about why we decided to start the podcast, what you can expect in future episodes, and how we hope to build a relaxed, hobbyist-focused space for reefkeepers of all kinds.

Whether you’re fragging zoas in a nano or tweaking calcium reactors on a 6-foot SPS beast, there’s something here for you. Thanks for tuning in — and welcome to the Reefing Radio community.

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