Palustris is more than just bacteria, it’s a natural engine that fuels corals, cleans your reef, and keeps harmful microbes in check.

What is it?

Our product, Palustris, is a live bacteria culture with largely one strain: Rhodopseudomonas palustris and two complementary bacterial strains. Rhodopseudomonas palustris is a purple non-sulfur bacteria that is able to thrive under any condition. What we mean by this is; Palustris is able to survive with or without light, and obtain its nutrients either through organic (any chemical with carbon or hydrogen bond) or inorganic compounds (anything without a carbon or hydrogen bond like metals and CO2)(2,3).

What does it do?

Palustris is best known for its nitrogen fixing capabilities(2,6,7). Nitrogen fixation is the process of turning free Nitrogen into ammonia or ammonium. In this case, Palustris is able to create ammonium, an important food for corals and their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae)(2). As Palustris is a core bacteria, this relationship becomes vital(2). For more information regarding the importance of ammonium please refer to Meet Ammplify: Your Coral’s Direct Line to Reef-Ready Nitrogen.  Nitrogen fixation is a well known benefit to corals by increasing zooxanthellae populations, providing a bioavailable form of nitrogen to both the coral and zooxanthellae(2,3,5). Additionally, palustris has been known to help purify water, remove organic compounds such as: animal waste, nitrates and phosphates (depending on which is more present in the water), and chlorides, balance pH, and finally it can help outcompete bad bacteria such as cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates (4).

Why is this beneficial?

Coral and bacteria have a more significant relationship than most hobbyists realize. All coral have what is called the “coral holobiont” which is a core group of bacteria that actively work with the coral and its surroundings to provide the proper nutrients and protection(5,6). Each species of coral can host some of its own unique bacteria along with its core, selecting and acquiring the bacteria from the water column as needed(6).  Depending on the state of the surrounding water and what nutrients are or are not available, the coral is able to acquire different strains of bacteria to fixate different elements(1,5). Additionally, some strains of bacteria, like Palustris, produce antimicrobiol compounds(6). We dive into the relationship between coral and bacteria deeper in our blog post: “Coral and Bacteria: why is bacteria important?” In the instance of palustris, it is a nitrogen fixating bacteria, antimicrobial producing,  and capable of disintegrating organic and inorganic compounds like detritus, carbon dioxide, and metals(3,4).  

Adding Palustris into your tank will not only aid in protecting your coral, boost zooxanthellae populations, but feeding it as well. It further benefits your tank by getting rid of unwanted detritus and competing with bad bacteria to produce a cleaner and more stable environment. 

Sources

1. Bai C, Wang Q, Xu J, Zhang H, Huang Y, Cai L, Zheng X, Yang M. Impact of Nutrient Enrichment on Community Structure and Co-Occurrence Networks of Coral Symbiotic Microbiota in  Duncanopsammia peltata: Zooxanthellae, Bacteria, and Archaea.Microorganisms. 2024; 12(8):1540.https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081540
2. Brown B, Wilkins M, Saha R. Rhodopseudomonas palustris: A biotechnology chassis. Biotechnol Adv. 2022 Nov;60:108001. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108001. Epub 2022 Jun 6. PMID: 35680002.
3. Glaeser, J., Overmann, J. Selective enrichment and characterization of Roseospirillum parvum, gen. nov. and sp. nov., a new purple nonsulfur bacterium with unusual light absorption properties. Arch Microbiol 171, 405–416 (1999).https://doi.org/10.1007/s002030050727
4. Li Meijie , Ning Peng , Sun Yi , Luo Jie , Yang Jianming, 2022. Characteristics and Application of Rhodopseudomonas palustris as a Microbial Cell Factory. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,Volume 10 - 2022,
5. Mouchka, M. E., Hewson, I., & Harvell, C. D. (2010). Coral-Associated Bacterial Assemblages: Current Knowledge and the Potential for Climate-Driven Impacts. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 50(4), 662–674.http://www.jstor.org/stable/40863412
6. Raina JB, Tapiolas D, Motti CA, Foret S, Seemann T, Tebben J, Willis BL, Bourne DG. Isolation of an antimicrobial compound produced by bacteria associated with reef-building corals. PeerJ. 2016 Aug 18;4:e2275. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2275. PMID: 27602265; PMCID: PMC4994080.
7. Zhang Yanying , Yang Qingsong , Ling Juan , Van Nostrand Joy D. , Shi Zhou , Zhou Jizhong , Dong Junde, 2016. ‘The Shifts of Diazotrophic Communities in Spring and Summer Associated with Coral Galaxea astreata, Pavona decussata, and Porites lutea,” Frontiers in Microbiology, Volume 7, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01870