Salem Clemens talks to John Sorkness about Carpet Anemones, how to ID them, keep them, propagate them, and maybe even spawn them! Tell us what got you into the hobby, how long you’ve been in it, and your passion for…
Snake Polyps are the Oddballs of the Coral World
A fascinating soft coral rarely seen nowadays is the “snake polyp.” several species belong to this family, including Isaurus tuberculatus, I. cliftoni, and I. maculatus. These species are closely related to zoanthids. They have a long stalk with a central…
10 Gallon Nano Reef Tank Makeover
If you’ve ever kept multiple systems at once, you know that sometimes we all have those one tanks – the ones you don’t have time for. You tell yourself you’ll find time, but then you don’t – this repeats for…
Reef 2.0 – The Integration of Omics Technology
In this article, I will explain how new scientific methods are beginning to make their way into reefing and what the future may hold for applying such technology. Overview of the “omics” approach In the past two decades, science has…
Dysbiosis and the Pathobiome – A Molecular Pathway for Coral Disease
In previous articles, we briefly explored the idea of the coral holobiont and what a healthy microbiome looks like. In this article, I will provide a brief overview of the microbiome of a diseased coral and the steps that cause…
What is Coral Polycropping?
In this new series, I will discuss strategies you can use with current technology to help mitigate the risk of coral disease in your reef tank. In this first installment, I will cover the benefits of polycropping. Polycropping vs Monocropping…
Weekend Watch – Facebook Live, with Salem Clemens
This week we debuted a pilot episode of a live session of Q and A with Reef Builders resident Microbiologist Salem Clemens. Salem is a mine of information about the inner workings of corals and how external stressors can affect…
Reefing Hot Takes Part One: Organic Nutrients and N-DOC Testing
I’ll discuss my “hot takes” on the reefing industry in this new series. In this first installment, I will cover N-DOC testing and the importance of measuring organic nutrients for our tanks. What is an N-DOC test? N-DOC is a…
Reef Microbiology Part Two: The Immune System
In this installment of the microbiology series, I will provide a more technical explanation of the coral immune response. Introduction to Immunology Immunology is the study of the immune system. There are two broad categories of immune responses – innate…
Reef Microbiology Part One: The Holobiont
In this series, I hope to bring a magnifying glass to the invisible world populating our tanks – the microbiome! The first installment of this series will focus on the microbes living in and on our corals. What is Microbiology,…