At Reefstock Denver, I met many industry figures in person for the first time. Some of my best connections were those with Dr. Eli Meyer and Dr. Andrew Bouwma. Dr. Meyer owns Aquabiomics, and Dr. Bouwma is his colleague and…
Education
FAQs on Reef Aquarium Bacteria
There is so much we don’t know about the bacteria we buy and add to our reef tanks. Salem Clemens answers some of your most Frequently Asked Questions on Reef Aquarium Bacteria. Is it possible to keep bacteria alive in…
FAQs on Phytoplankton Part 4
Time for more questions and answers from the mean, green phytoplankton-making machine, Taras Pleskun. Do I need to refrigerate phyto? I would highly suggest refrigerating any live phytoplankton cells that you do not intend on feeding to the aquarium that…
Evaluating the Repeatability and Differences between ICP Tests
By Sanjay Joshi and Richard Ross. ICP testing has become more mainstream in the past few years since it was introduced in the hobby almost a decade ago, but questions about the utility of the testing results remain. ICP testing…
Is Ammonia Dosing a Possible New Way to Provide Coral Nutrition?
Understanding Coral Diseases as well the nutritional needs of corals has been one of the shortcomings of science and the hobby since Jacques Cousteau introduced us to the coral reefs in the 1960s. We have made extensive progress in improving…
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…
Why Coral Collectors Trim Corals and Why You Should Trim Them Too.
Have you wondered why some corals look the way they do when you buy them at your aquarium store? Some with a flat base cut, some with grinding marks on them, and other man-made alterations. You might have seen this…
Gracilaria vs Vibrio: The Antimicrobial Properties of Red Macroalgae
Bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae are some of the most universally present microbes in aquatic environments. Even well-established reef aquariums, exhibiting no apparent problems, likely contain a number of Vibrio bacteria species. This is because many species and strains of…
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…
The Promise of A Vaccine for Marine Ich, Cryptocaryon irritans
Marine Ich is one of the most prolific parasites in both the Reef Aquarium Hobby and Commercial Aquaculture. Cryptocaryon irritans is an obligate parasitic ciliate that can infect most marine fish taxa. Marine ich has a complex life cycle, which…