This Week in Reefing – February 18th, 2024 We’re less than a week away from Reefstock Denver and everyone on the Reef Builders team is excited to see you! If haven’t purchased your tickets yet, make sure to do so…
Search Results For: probiotic
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…
The Jekyll & Hyde Chemistry of Phaeobacter gallaeciensis Bacteria
During the Fall of 2016, I was an undergraduate studying aquaculture at the University of Rhode Island. Like other aquaculture students, I was given an opportunity to work in one of the department labs as an assistant. It so happened,…
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…
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,…
New study finds herbivore fish poo is bad for corals
For a long time, it has been assumed that herbivores are good for coral reefs and corallivores are bad. Herbivores like surgeonfish and rabbitfish graze the algae which would otherwise overgrow, smother and outcompete corals, and a reef without herbivores…
Billions of Starfish Melt Into Goo on the Pacific Coast
A disease affecting over a dozen starfish species is decimating coastal populations from Alaska to Mexico. Called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, the pathogen, possibly Densovirus, is infecting starfish, causing the limbs to detach and their bodies to melt, with some…
Biological filter media is back – here’s how to use it
The reintroduction of biological filter media has been one of the most significant changes in reefkeeping in the last 10 years. For decades, the Berlin Method taught us to ditch “traditional” aquarium filtration methods and instead rely on the microbial…
Five Reefing Trends that we don’t do anymore
You need to have a good sense of humor in this hobby when you’re told for decades to get rid of nitrate, only to be told now to dose it! Here are some natural filters, fashions, and nutrient control methods…
