![microbes-marine01]()
You can’t see the most important organisms within your reef tank. You can’t see some of the most important organisms on your body either. Why? Because they are microbes, tiny single celled organisms that arrived on Earth billions of years ago, as inorganic carbon became simple sugar. At any point during the day, there are millions and millions of microbes all over and throughout your body, and countless numbers within your reef aquarium. Believe it or not, these organisms are reef filtration, and the future and past of captive marine aquarium water quality lies in our understanding, and ability to selectively cultivate these organisms. Science is studying marine microbes for a variety of exciting purposes, from generating fossil fuels to curing disease. Various marine microbes even hold within them the promise of reversing the disastrous effects of climate change, restoring health to various coral and sponge species. For aquarists, we cannot deny our intimate relationship with these microscopic organisms, and our ability to successfully keep marine life healthy hinges largely on our ability to nurture them.Marine microbe basics:![MarineMicrobeSymbiosis_092212-617x416]()
The term “marine microbes” refers to any and all microorganisms found in seawater. Most of these are a cellular falling into one of three categories: viruses, prokaryotes (bacteria) and protists. Each of these groups varies considerably, when looking at each individual group’s intriguing biology. These microorganisms are found in almost all marine waters, and play every ecological role imaginable. Most important however, in both wild marine ecosystems and our aquariums, is forming the base of the food chain. Marine viruses: ![300px-Bacteria_virus]()
Viruses are deceptively simple organisms, little more than nucleic acid with a protein container. They are a parasitic particle, attaching themselves to a living cell and injecting a bit of nucleic acid. This acid runs through the cells, instructing each to create another virus. They are incredibly abundant in sea water, with 5 ML of seawater serving as home to 50 million viruses. Most marine viruses are bacteriophages, meaning that they prey on bacteria. Marine prokaryotes: These organisms lack a distinct nucleus, meaning that their DNA is not bound within a membrane sac in the cell. For many years prokaryotes were simply referred to as bacteria, but fairly recently they were broken into two groups, archeabacteria and eubacteria. There are no fundamental differences in either group’s physiology or ecological role, although archeabacteria appear to inhabit extreme deep-sea habitats. Most bacteria gain their energy from either absorbing dissolved marine organic matter through the cell membrane (osmotrohpy), or some form of photosynthesis.… More:
The post Marine microbes: your aquarium’s most important tenant appeared first on reefs.com.
The local aquarium really gained its name to fame from the adorable ‘Dolphin Tale’ movies. It is currently trying to raise donations to move to newer and larger 68 million dollar facility in the downtown area. However, according to the Tampa Bay Times, there are some major questions brewing in the minds of the Church of Scientology. But not just questions, the Church has recently taken action, employing an accountant, economist, and investigative reporter to look into the aquarium plans. 
The Church of Scientology is one of the biggest downtown Clearwater property owners. The Church own’s over 184 million dollars worth of property, 76 percent of which is tax free-since it is used for religious purposes. The Church hasn’t stated any official opposition to the aquariums plans as of yet, but seem to have lots of questions. Not sure what the purpose of opposing an awesome, renovated aquarium would be, but lets hope. MORE… More:
