For the second year, Reef Retreat was held over a lovely June weekend at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. This two day educational conference was attended by over 170 reef keepers, researchers and public aquarists. As an all inclusive conference, attendees enjoyed a Friday reception, meals throughout the weekend and multiple opportunities to build community. Sleep was not a priority!
For those with a bit of extra time, field trips were the order prior to the conference. Choices included a visit to the Long Island Aquarium, the Marine Magnet High School and the New England Aquarium. The post event Sunset Cruise on Sunday provided excellent views and a chance to wrap up those last conversations.
There are no frag sales or products to purchase at this conference, it’s all about education and community building. Each day brought a new set of speakers with a variety of interesting topics. Vincent Chalias discussed coral restoration programs, while Tia Davis-Wells provided some excellent ideas surrounding the use of macro-algae with only a few hints at felonious outcomes. Lena Fitzgerald walked us through nutrition in larval rearing and Todd Gardner shared stories of collecting marine ornamentals along the mid-Atlantic coast.
Sanjay Joshi gave an excellent presentation on quantitative measurements using your test kits and understanding uncertainty, accuracy and precision. Todd LaJeunesse discussed nutrient acquisition on coral reefs and the effects on reef populations.
Richard Ross teamed up with Matt Wandell to demonstrate methods to create flow in our aquariums. It was fascinating to see how public aquaria implement new technologies to move water. While I enjoyed all of the presenters, I came away from Joseph Pawlik’s talk on sponges with a better understanding of where these animals fit in the ecosystem and potentially our aquariums. It was fascinating!
We weren’t done yet! Abigail Scro took us through environmental DNA detection, Alex Veglia walked through the effects of viruses in reef aquariums and we enjoyed flash talks from several reefers. The session ended on a reef to human pathogen discussion. Steve Hartter, James Biggers and Joe Yaiullo discussed the adventures of palytoxin and hospital stays, vibrio and other pathogenic infections resulting in surgeries, along with a few illustrative examples of said procedures. Note to self: Don’t forget your PPE when working on your tank!
Wishing you had joined in on the fun? Reef Retreat Vol III is scheduled for June 4-6, 2027. Look for announcements on how you can get your tickets this coming Fall. Register your interest on the website here.
Events such as this could not happen without the generous support of sponsors and a hardy group of volunteers. Special thanks go to Quality Marine, Chemipure and Abyzz, among a handful of others, for their commitment to both Roger Williams University Wet Lab and this program.
