If you haven’t heard of Symbiodinium then don’t worry, not a lot of people have. You can think of Symbiodinium as the heart of your corals, scientists have compiled the world’s first detailed gene expression library for Symbiodinium, the microscopic…
Search Results For: Symbiodinium
Why is my Coral Dying? The Answer is Far From Simple
On social media, I often see the question, “Why is my coral dying?” In this article, I will explore how complicated it is to answer that question even from a scientific standpoint. In previous articles, I have covered the idea…
Heliopora are Not-So-Soft, Soft Corals
Given their common name of soft corals, one would likely assume that octocorals are well… soft. However, as is common in biology, there are always exceptions to rules. Within the Octocorallia, there are a few species that form aragonite-based skeletons,…
Understanding the Coral Biome and Microbiome
As our understanding of corals and coral reefs has increased over the past few decades it has become increasingly clear that a coral reef and even each individual coral is far more diverse than we ever would have expected. Having…
FAQs on Phytoplankton Part 3
We continue our deep dive into Phytoplankton with our resident phycologist, Taras Pleskun. Should I feed phyto as well as amino acids? As with all things, it depends on the general goals of the aquarium. Assuming the goal is to…
Could Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria Change Reefing?
The future of the reef aquarium industry is microbial. Microbes hold many of the nuanced secrets behind the long-term health and reproduction of corals, reef fish, and invertebrates. All of these creatures are a sum of their associated microbiomes and…
FAQs on Phytoplankton Part 1
You wanna know how Phytoplankton really works in your aquarium? We asked Phycologist Taras V Pleskun. Which reef aquarium corals and other animals can ingest, and benefit from Phytoplankton? Microalgae are the nutritional foundation of all marine ecosystems. They are…
NPS Leptoseris Found in Underwater Caves of the Indian Ocean
Leptoseris was once a completely overlooked group of corals in the aquarium world but recent years have seen an explosion of appreciation for these low light corals. Over the years reef builders have come to understand that these plating and encrusting…
Scientist Get One Step Closer to Tissue Cultured Corals
Tissue culture is not the same as cell culture, but the latter gets us one step closer to the former. If you’re not familiar with the concept, tissue culture is a form of cloning that is responsible for producing thousands…
Dr. Hugo Freudenthal, Renowned Scientist & Discoverer of Symbiotic Algae Passes Away
Hugo Freudenthal was a very accomplished researcher and pilot who made his mark on the field of coral reef ecology by discovering and describing symbiotic algae. Now known as Symbiodinium, the photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live inside corals, clams, anemones and many…
