Cairns Marine

08/08/2026

Proud to wave the Aussie hand-caught banner 🇦🇺

A great post from one of our clients comparing their USA and Australian marine fish deliveries side by side.

What we particularly appreciated was hearing them talk openly about the difference they see in some species — fish that consistently arrive strongly and thrive when sourced from Australia, while the same species from other origins can sometimes simply fade away.

That doesn’t happen by accident. Australian hand collection, careful handling, experienced divers, short supply chains and a genuine focus on the condition of every animal all make a difference.

We are very proud of the fish we send, but it means a lot more when the people receiving and caring for them recognise that quality for themselves.
If you value Australian hand-caught marine fish, support the businesses that continue to back them. They are supporting a fishery, a supply chain and a standard of collection that Australia should be proud of.

Thanks for the shout-out — and for continuing to support Aussie collected fish. 🇦🇺🐠

A few weeks ago we did a special USA fish import unboxing and it ge...

07/08/2026

Today marks a real changing of the guard at Cairns Marine, with Matt Maloney — better known to many as “Nano Matt” — and Chris Bache finishing up with us.

Between them, Matt and Chris represent more than 40 years of Cairns Marine history.

Matt started with us as a diver and went on to work across just about every part of the business over the years. He has been part of Cairns Marine through an enormous amount of change and growth, and his knowledge and experience have become part of the fabric of the place.

Chris started with us in maintenance and quickly became one of those rare people who could turn his hand to almost anything. He played a huge role in building the famous Cairns Marine transport containers used for our public aquarium shipments around the world, while also spending plenty of time on the water collecting many of the unusual and special animals that have become such a big part of what Cairns Marine is known for.

Both have contributed an enormous amount to Cairns Marine over many years. They have helped build the business, solve countless problems, pass on knowledge and shape the company into what it is today.

We will miss having them around, and we will always be grateful for what they have given to Cairns Marine.

Matt and Chris, thank you for everything. We wish you both the very best for whatever comes next

06/08/2026

🐟 SUPER FISH NERD CHALLENGE — THE REVEAL 🐟

This week’s mystery eye belonged to the Humpnose Unicornfish, Naso tonganus. The Beluga's of the fish world. The selectively hand-collected adults in this video are currently in holding at Cairns Marine before travelling to public aquariums around the world.

Congratulations to our first two correct fish nerds: Johannes H. Steen and Nguyễn Nam Phương : another week on the list!. Thanks to everyone who had a go.

These are terrific fish for large mixed-species exhibits. They are active, confident swimmers that spend plenty of time high in the water column, where visitors can actually see them, and they graze algae as part of a varied diet. In our experience, sharks also show remarkably little interest in eating them — a very useful quality when some of your future tankmates come with several rows of teeth. Big, visible, useful and apparently not especially delicious: that is a strong aquarium résumé.

A new Super Fish Nerd Challenge lands every Wednesday at 6:00 pm Cairns time, with the answer revealed each Thursday at 6:00 pm.

05/08/2026

🐟 SUPER FISH NERD CHALLENGE 🐟

We love our fish nerds at Cairns Marine — and we proudly are a bunch of fish nerds ourselves.

This week we are getting right up in the face of our mystery fish. There is no full-body profile, no helpful tail and no obvious fin shape to make things easy. All you have to work with is the eye, skin texture, facial structure and a few subtle markings.

For a proper fish nerd, that might be more than enough. Can you identify the species? For a complete answer, we need both the:

Common name
Scientific name

The first two people to provide the full correct identification will be recognised in tomorrow’s answer reveal. As always, there are no prizes — just fish-nerd glory, bragging rights and the satisfaction of identifying a fish from what is essentially one very suspicious-looking eyeball.

Put your answer in the comments, but please do not add links or photographs that might give the answer away for everyone else. NO cheating and using AI!

Our standing challenge times are:

🐠 New challenge every Wednesday at 6:00 pm Cairns time
🐠 Answer revealed every Thursday at 6:00 pm Cairns time

Good luck, fish nerds.

02/08/2026

🌊🔥 G'DAY REEFERS! 🔥🌊

The coral goodness just keeps coming! 😍

Here's another look at Cairns Marine's incredible range of hand-collected Australian corals! Sustainably harvested from the iconic Great Barrier Reef by our experienced dive team. Every piece is carefully selected to bring you the color, quality, and uniqueness that Cairns Marine is known for.

💥 These beauties won't last long, so get in quick!

📩 Ready to order?
🇦🇺 Domestic Sales – Mel
✉️ [email protected]

🌏 Export Sales – David
✉️ [email protected]

🚨 And it gets even better...

This Monday we'll be receiving a fresh shipment of bright, colorful SPS along with an awesome range of stunning inshore fish. The perfect opportunity to build an epic mixed order of premium Australian livestock!

Don't miss out, your favorites will disappear fast! 👊🐠🪸

01/08/2026

🪸 Fresh from the Great Barrier Reef – Mackay Collection 🇦🇺

Collected this week from the pristine reefs of Mackay, these stunning Acanthastrea lordhowensis showcase the incredible colour and diversity found on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Every coral is carefully hand collected by our experienced team, ensuring minimal impact on the surrounding reef while maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare. Through strict government quotas, scientific management, and responsible collection practices, Australia's coral fishery continues to demonstrate that sustainable use and reef conservation can work hand in hand.

From fiery oranges to vibrant greens and some even multicolors 😉, each colony is completely unique. A true reflection of the natural beauty of the GBR.

At Cairns Marine, we're proud to supply responsibly collected Australian corals to aquarium professionals around the world while supporting the long-term sustainability of this remarkable ecosystem.

🌊 Sustainably Hand Collected
🇦🇺 Great Barrier Reef, Australia
📍 Collected this week from Mackay

30/07/2026

🐟 THE GRAND REVEAL 🐟

This week’s Super Fish Nerd Challenge was the Bluelined Surgeonfish, Acanthurus lineatus, also known as the Lined Surgeonfish or Clown Tang.

🥇 First correct answer: Kai (no surprises)
🥈 Second correct answer: Seth Ward

The tail was the giveaway: a dark caudal fin, broad pale crescent and bright edging.

And what an animal it is. Acanthurus lineatus is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful surgeonfish, with vivid blue and yellow lines across the head and upper body, a pale underside and orange-yellow fins.

We do not have them often and generally only receive a small number. They are also not a fish for everyone.

Acanthurus lineatus can reach about 38 cm total length. It is a powerful, active and strongly territorial algal grazer that naturally occupies shallow, wave-exposed reef habitat.

In aquaria, it needs a genuinely large, mature system with strong water movement, excellent oxygenation, plenty of swimming room, continual access to suitable algal foods and carefully chosen tank mates. It is not a sensible surgeonfish for the average reef aquarium, but in the right system it is an absolutely magnificent display animal.

It is a good reminder that choosing a fish should be about far more than colour. Adult size, natural behaviour, feeding ecology and the aquarium available all matter.

Well done to everyone who picked it from the tail alone, especially our first two fish nerds this week.

Domestic and international trade clients interested in future availability can speak with Mel or David.

29/07/2026

🐟 SUPER FISH NERD CHALLENGE 🐟

Another easy one this week… or at least it should be for the regulars.

We have cropped right in on the tail, but there is more than enough there for a proper fish nerd to work with. Have a good look at the shape, pattern and colour. This is a very distinctive fish once you know what you are looking at.

Common and scientific name please.

And before we get started… where was Lemon last week? Noticeably absent when the bragging rights were being handed out. We expect a return to form this week, Lemon!

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

🐠 Put your answer in the comments.

🐠 Common and scientific name are required for a complete answer.

🐠 The first two correct answers will be recognised in tomorrow’s Grand Reveal.

🐠 Recognition and bragging rights only. No prizes, other than proving you know your fish.

🐠 The answer will be revealed tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. Cairns time.

Good luck, fish nerds!