When Ross started selling coral, he imported it from various places in Australia, mostly sourced from the Great Barrier Reef. Corals are live marine invertebrates which are popular with saltwater fishkeeping hobbyists. But after a while Ross became concerned that the coral he was buying was being taken from the wild. He also stated that in recent years the Great Barrier Reef has suffered mass bleaching events, so every effort needs to be taken to help the reef recover.

“It wasn’t very Eco-friendly,” he said. “I was unhappy that I was depleting natural resources. So I did some research and decided to propagate the coral right here in the UK”.

Now Ross runs an acropora-dominated coral farm and keeps the live coral in huge specialist tanks in order to supply his numerous customers.   As his business relationship with his suppliers expands, Blue Life USA, was looking for a UK wholesaler for their own product range. So, in 2018 Ross took the opportunity to distribute this brand too.

While the business is going from strength to strength and Ross is happy he is helping provide a sustainable future that is not depleting the ecosystem, the Blue Tang fish that started it all is also doing well – and looks as if he will continue to inspire Ross for a good few years to come.