Cox Marine Creations - Homegrown Zoas and Frag

09/06/2026

STORY TIME

Reefing always has a way of keeping you humble. 🪸😂

I’ve noticed some bleaching on a few of my stony corals over the last few days, so naturally it was time to figure out what the hell is going on.

I did a full battery of testing the other day and wrote down EVERYTHING… except magnesium. 🤦‍♀️

I swear I tested it, and if I did, I remember it hovering somewhere around normal. But I didn’t write it down, so I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what it was.

Fast forward to today. Magnesium tested around 1075 ppm. 😳 Alk was 8.6 and slowly coming back up, so at least that’s headed in the right direction.

I added 20 mL of magnesium just to give it a little bump — nothing crazy in a roughly 200-gallon system. I’m definitely not going to start dumping a bunch of stuff into the tank trying to fix everything overnight.

Tomorrow, we investigate. 🔬

I’ll pull one water sample, run all my tests again, and pull an ICP sample from that exact same water. When the ICP comes back, I can compare my home testing directly to the lab results and hopefully figure out what’s happening.

Luckily, my zoas, hammers and fox coral are all happy and healthy. It’s my stony corals giving me grief.

Which is also why you don’t see me selling a bunch of stony corals. 😂 I LOVE them, but man, they’re a hard one for me!

And that’s why I wanted to share this. A coral business page usually shows you all the pretty stuff. But sellers have reef problems too.

I’m still learning. I don’t have a perfect reef 100% of the time and I’m not going to pretend I do.

I’ll share what I find — even if it turns out I was completely wrong about what I thought was happening. 😂

Reefing always finds a way to keep you humble. 🪸

— Cox Marine Creations
Veteran Owned • Utah Grown • Reef Tested

09/01/2026

Reef Check Tuesday! 🪸

How’s everyone doing so far this week? What big plans or little goals do y’all have??

Could be as simple as remembering to check your alk or feeding the tank, or as big as a full replumb. 😂 Let’s hear it!

As for me… I’ll admit I’ve been slacking a little on the business side lately. 🤦‍♀️ So this week I’m trying to get my ass back in gear!

I’ve got some new reef rock plug holders that NEED to finally get listed, a few other projects I’ve been putting off, and of course I’m keeping a very close eye on my new high-end Zoas while they settle in. 👀🌈

So what’s on YOUR reef to-do list this week?

08/24/2026

Welp… memory fails, Monday keeps sneaking up on me, AI and I keep fighting, and I think it’s officially time to admit defeat on the weekly weather map. 🤦‍♀️😂

After several weeks of doing these, I’ve decided I will no longer be producing a weekly U.S. Coral Shipping Weather Map.

Not because I’m going to stop watching the weather — actually, quite the opposite.

🌡️ Weather will weather. Forecasts change.

⛈️ Storms can pop up regardless of what Monday’s forecast said.

🔥 Wildfires start, grow, move and impact transportation routes.

📦 Carrier delays and route changes happen.

And honestly, a map showing a 7-day average temperature for an entire state doesn’t tell me nearly as much as checking YOUR destination and YOUR shipping day right before your corals leave me.

So instead of spending every Monday fighting with AI to make a nationwide map that could be outdated by Wednesday anyway 😂, I’m going to put that time where it actually matters.

Before every shipment, I will personally check the current forecast for your destination, along with any major storms, wildfire activity, transportation issues or extreme temperatures that could affect your order.

If I see something that concerns me, I’ll contact you before I ship. We’ll talk about the conditions and decide whether we’re comfortable shipping or whether holding your order is the safer choice.

No forecast is perfect. I can’t control Mother Nature, wildfires, storms or the carriers — but I can promise I’ll do my best to make an informed decision and communicate with you before your livestock leaves my hands.

And let’s be real… this also eliminates my weekly:

“SH*T! IT’S MONDAY!” 🤦‍♀️😂

So goodbye, weekly weather map. You were pretty, you were occasionally a pain in my ass, and you will not be missed. 😂

🪸 The safety of your livestock will always come first.

Healthy reefs. Happy re**ers. ❤️

08/21/2026

Y’all remember back in July when I said I had a massive 120+ zoa order getting ready to go out??

Wellllll… apparently I was off by just a few.

cough cough 85+ 😂😂

205+ homegrown zoas. 🪸
4 HOURS of pulling, bagging, labeling & packing.
2 giant boxes. 📦📦
And somehow I still managed to get a customer’s urchin hats packed up AND get my new refrigerated phyto/AB+ dosing setup going that morning. 😂

So yeah… when I said things had been a little quiet online but anything but quiet behind the scenes — THIS is what I meant. 😅

Seeing that many frags I grew right here in my own systems all packed up at once was pretty damn cool. ❤️🪸

Now I guess I better get back to growing some more. 😂

08/18/2026

Well ooops… apparently Monday snuck up on me and then blew right past! 🤦‍♀️😂 Better late than never — here’s this week’s U.S. Coral Shipping Weather Outlook for August 17–23! 🪸📦

🌡️ Heat: We’re getting a little bit of relief in parts of the country this week, but there are still plenty of areas where heat is a concern for live coral shipping. Arizona is averaging around 101°F, Texas around 97°F, and Northern/Central California around 98°F.

🔥 Wildfires: As usual, individual fires aren’t shown on the map anymore because… well… the country is on fire. 🤦‍♀️ I am still checking wildfire activity and any potential highway or transportation impacts before shipments leave.

🌦️ Weather: Weather is ever-changing, and conditions can change pretty quickly between the time I make this map and the day your order actually ships. This is meant to give everyone a general look at the week ahead — I will ALWAYS personally check and confirm the destination forecast, route conditions, wildfire activity, and anything else that could affect your shipment before it leaves me.

📦 Every shipment is evaluated individually. If I see something that concerns me, I’ll contact you before shipping and we’ll figure out the safest option together.

🤖 And yes, this map is created with the assistance of AI using forecast data I verify beforehand. AI and I still argue occasionally 😂, so mistakes are possible and conditions can change after publication.

🪸 As always, the safety of your livestock comes first.

Healthy reefs. Happy re**ers. ❤️

08/14/2026

🪸 Still here, still growing frags and printing all sorts of things, come check it all out!!!

coxmarinecreations.com

Life got busy but the tank didn't stop — I've got zoas, mushrooms, and hammers ready to go. Recent movers include Omega, Nuclear Dragon Eye, Everlasting Gobstopper, and Vegas Strip colonies, plus Green Branching Hammer frags and fox coral!

Everything ships with DOA coverage. 🌊
📍 Shipping from Enoch, UT

💬 DM me to see what's available or just stop by the website!

**er

08/12/2026

08/10/2026

🇺🇸 Weekly Coral Shipping Weather Update — August 10–16

This week’s map is here! 🪸📦 And look at that… AI and I managed to get along this morning. 😂

🌡️ Heat: We’re still seeing some serious heat across parts of the country this week. Arizona is averaging around 105°F, with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, California and much of the South still dealing with plenty of upper 90s and triple-digit temperatures.

Meanwhile, parts of the northern U.S. are getting a bit of a break, with several areas averaging in the 70s and low 80s.

🔥 Wildfires: As we decided a couple weeks ago, individual fires are no longer shown on the map because, quite frankly, the country is on fire. 🤦‍♀️ There are simply too many constantly changing incidents to represent accurately on one graphic. I am still monitoring wildfire activity and major transportation impacts before shipments, though.

📦 Shipping: Remember, the map is a general outlook—not an automatic yes or no for shipping. Every order is evaluated individually based on the destination forecast, route, heat, wildfire activity, carrier conditions, and anything else that could affect your coral in transit.

If something doesn’t look right, I’ll contact you before your order ships and we’ll figure out the safest option.

🤖 AI Note: This map was created with the assistance of AI using the forecast data I verified beforehand. AI can absolutely make mistakes (and occasionally likes to argue with me 😂), which is why I personally review the data and check conditions again before every shipment.

🪸 The safety of your livestock always comes first.

Healthy reefs. Happy re**ers. ❤️

08/09/2026

Upgrade!

08/09/2026

What. A. Week. 🔥

Between driving to Vegas in 107° heat, hauling home a brand new shallow frag tank, and tearing the fish room apart to make it all happen — it's been a lot. My body feels like it got hit by a truck, but the new tank is up, running, and looking amazing! 😅

The corals, though? They didn't get the memo that I was busy. They're still growing, still gorgeous, and still looking for new homes.

I've still got some beautiful pieces available and ready to ship — go check them out! 👇

🔗 CoxMarineCreations.com

See something you love? DM me and I can build you a custom package — whether you're looking for a specific color palette, a starter collection, or just want to grab a few frags, I'll put something together just for you.

New here? Sign up on the site and get 25% off your first order!

📦 Every shipment individually evaluated before it leaves
🌡️ Weather, routes & temps monitored for every order
✅ DOA coverage included

Shipping from Enoch, UT

Female Veteran-Owned | Utah Grown | Reef Tested