New Research Shows Zooxanthellae are Older than Dinosaurs

Symbiotic zooxanthellae are the backbone of tropical reefs built by photosynthetic corals. Therefore understanding how zooxanthellae ‘works’ and how different they are is paramount to understanding how coral reefs work as an ecosystem, and how they can adapt to a…

Could Genetically Modified Algae Save Coral Reefs?

Coral Reefs Photosynthetic marine algae are crucial to the survival of the coral reefs. These tiny algae live symbiotically inside coral tissue and are responsible for converting sunlight into usable energy for the coral’s survival. Yet as we know all…

Can You Transplant Zooxanthellae To Bleached Corals?

Coral bleaching is a huge problem out in the ocean, but it can also be an issue in home aquariums. Sometimes we have the urge to rescue a bleached coral or anemone we spot for sale, and other times the…

Five Ways To Go Beyond The Basics Of Aquarium Lighting

I can clearly remember a time when understanding light on our aquariums was more like trying to wrap your head around alchemy than actual science. We discussed light in number of tubes, watts per gallons, and trichromatic, actinic and daylight…

A new way to photosynthesize discovered in mesophotic coral, Stylophora pistillata

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science found that photosynthetic algae in corals which inhabit mesophotic reefs have a never-before seen adaptation to life in the twilight zone. Researchers found that the Symbiodinium spp. algae responsible for powering photosynthesis…

Coral Bleaching: This sad video shows the violent process

We know what the after effect of coral bleaching looks like, but now we are able to know what actually happens during this process thanks to this time-lapse video of coral dumping its zooxanthellae as a reaction to the stress…

First Video Of Coral Bleaching Behavior

For the first time coral researchers in Brisbane, Australia have recorded a time-lapse video of coral bleaching behavior. To capture the video researchers took a photograph every 3 seconds using a combination of digital camera, smart tablet and microscopes to record…

Tridacna Clams in Reef Aquariums

Giant clams of the genus Tridacna are popular mollusks for reef aquariums. Oftentimes, people unfamiliar with the ocean are familiar only with the shells of clams. Their true beauty, however, can only be realized when they are living and healthy,…

Giant clams are even more specialized to harvest light than we thought

We all know that giant clams of the Tridacna and Hippopus genera are fast-growing molluscs which are found in shallow water reef waters where they can bask in the sunlight, harvesting energy from their symbiotic zooxanthellae. Unlike corals which have Symbiodinium zooxanthellae which…

First four MACNA 2014 speaker videos now available to view online

The Marine Aquarium Conference of North America is such a seminal event in the marine aquarium community, it’s a gem to be able to gather once a year with friends and colleagues from all over the world. One of the…