Reefing Radio

Behind the Scenes at TMC with CEO Brian Schaff | Part 1: Fish Systems

We recently visited Tropical Marine Centre — the UK’s largest importer of marine fish and coral — for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with CEO Brian Schaff.In Part 1 of this series, Brian takes us through TMC’s fish systems, quarantine and acclimation processes, animal care philosophy, and the logistics involved in handling thousands of marine fish each year.We also discuss fish health, decompression, captive breeding, UV sterilisation, feeding systems, and how TMC approaches marine livestock care at scale.Huge thanks to Brian and the whole team at TMC for taking the time to show us around.Part 2 coming soon.Don't miss our full sit-down interview with Brian Schaff discussing the reefing industry, supply chains, sustainability, and how the marine trade works. Find out more about Tropical Marine Centre: 🌐 ⁠Website⁠ [https://tropicalmarinecentre.com/uk/] 📸 ⁠Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmarinecentre/?hl=en-gb] 📘 ⁠Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/TropicalMarineCentre/] 👉 Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@reefing_radio⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/reefing_radio] Find us on Facebook: ⁠⁠Reefing Radio⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/people/Reefing-Radio/61576445456312/] YouTube: @reefing_radio [https://www.youtube.com/@reefing_radio] Got feedback or questions? Drop us a message! Subscribe to hear more reefing chat every week

How the Reef Trade Works with TMC CEO Brian Schaff

In this episode, Chris, James, and Gareth are joined by Brian Schaff, CEO of Tropical Marine Centre (TMC), the UK’s leading suppliers of marine livestock and aquarium equipment. We take a closer look at how marine livestock makes its way from the ocean to our tanks, with Brian walking us through the central role TMC plays in supplying the UK reefing hobby. Along the way, we get into wild vs captive breeding, the positive impact the hobby has on local communities, and why the trade is often more responsible and sustainable than it’s given credit for. We also touch on fish ranching, as well as the complexities around topics like biopiracy. If you’ve ever wondered where your fish and corals come from — and what happens before they reach your local fish store — this is a detailed look inside one of the UK’s most important reefing operations. We’ve also filmed a separate video tour of TMC with Brian to accompany this episode, so keep an eye out for that coming soon. Find out more about Tropical Marine Centre: 🌐 Website [https://tropicalmarinecentre.com/uk/] 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmarinecentre/?hl=en-gb] 📘 Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TropicalMarineCentre/] 👉 Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@reefing_radio⁠⁠⁠ 📘 Find us on Facebook: ⁠⁠Reefing Radio⁠⁠ 💬 Got feedback or questions? Drop us a message! 🎧 Subscribe to hear more reefing chat every week

Low-Tech Reefing, DIY Waveboxes & Mantis Shrimp

In this episode of Reefing Radio, we’re back to a classic catch-up after a run of guest episodes — just the three of us talking through what’s been going on in our tanks lately. James shares updates on his soft coral system, including new additions, how it’s starting to fill out, and his approach to keeping things simple with minimal equipment and intervention. We also touch on sourcing more unusual corals and how his tank is evolving visually as it grows in. Gareth talks through his new shallow reef build, including the DIY wavebox that’s been getting a lot of attention, the challenges of modifying the tank, and his plans for a more natural-looking setup with fewer coral types grown out over time. We also get into stocking ideas, from groups of fish to future plans for clowns and anemones. Chris rounds things out with updates across his tanks, including dealing with white spot using tank transfer method, changes to dosing, and setting up a mantis shrimp pico tank. We also reflect on how our tanks are starting to look more alike, and whether that’s just the result of reefing together. 👉 Follow us on Instagram: @reefing_radio [https://www.instagram.com/reefing_radio] 📘 Find us on Facebook: Reefing Radio [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576445456312] 💬 Drop us an email at: reefingradio@gmail.com [reefingradio@gmail.com] 🎧 Subscribe to hear more reefing chat every week

Dr Jamie Craggs Pt. 2: How to spawn coral at home

In this episode of Reefing Radio, we continue our conversation with Dr Jamie Craggs to explore one of the most exciting frontiers in the reefing hobby: spawning corals at home. In the previous episode, we unpacked Jamie’s work and the growing importance of coral reproduction for reef restoration. This time, we bring it back to the hobbyist level — asking a simple but powerful question: can you actually spawn corals in your own tank? We dive into the practical realities of coral spawning, from understanding reproductive strategies and seasonal triggers to what really matters in a home setup. How important are temperature swings, lighting cycles, and moon phases? What can you get away with — and what actually makes the difference? We also explore the tools that can help you get started, including the coral spawning database [https://data.ncl.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Coral_Spawning_Database/13082333?file=25048211⁠] developed by researchers at Newcastle University — to start predicting when your corals might spawn. The conversation then moves into what happens next: from catching spawning events to raising larvae, settlement challenges, and why this is where things get genuinely difficult. Along the way, we touch on hybridisation, sustainability, and what this could mean for the future of the hobby. If you’ve ever wondered whether coral spawning is something only labs can achieve — or something you might realistically attempt yourself — this episode gives you a clear, grounded starting point. 👉 Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@reefing_radio⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/reefing_radio?igsh=MWVmcGs0OGhrb3lhbw==] 📘 Find us on Facebook: ⁠⁠Reefing Radio⁠⁠ 💬 Got feedback or questions? Drop us a message! 🎧 Subscribe to hear more reefing chat every week

Dr Jamie Craggs Pt. 1 — Marine Science, Coral Spawning & Reef Restoration

First things first — apologies for the gap since our last episode! Life got in the way for a few weeks, but we're back on schedule now and we've got a cracking episode to make up for it. In this episode, Chris, James, and Gareth are joined by Dr. Jamie Craggs — marine biologist, coral researcher, and the scientist who changed everything we thought we knew about spawning coral in captivity. Jamie is the principal aquarium curator at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London and the lead scientist behind Project Coral. He's also co-founder of Coral Spawning International, which is deploying spawning research globally in support of reef restoration and local communities — with over 100 systems now operating across 19 countries. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Here, we focus on the big picture and Jamie's story: why the world's coral reefs are in such serious trouble, from climate-driven bleaching to blast fishing, and what the stakes really are for biodiversity, coastal communities, and the future of the hobby. Jamie takes us through his journey from hobbyist to researcher, explaining how he made the leap from jellyfish to corals and achieved the world's first predicted coral spawning event in a fully closed system — and what it took to scale that breakthrough into a global restoration tool. We also get into coral biology along the way, covering the difference between brooders and broadcast spawners and why good husbandry is a more powerful scientific tool than it's often given credit for. Jamie also highlights the Great Reef Census as a brilliant way for hobbyists and ocean lovers to contribute to real coral reef research from anywhere in the world — link here [https://greatreefcensus.org/]. In Part 2, we get practical. Jamie will be back to walk us through what coral spawning at home actually looks like — and whether it might be more achievable than you'd think. Stay tuned. 👉 Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@reefing_radio⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/reefing_radio?igsh=MWVmcGs0OGhrb3lhbw==] 📘 Find us on Facebook: ⁠⁠Reefing Radio⁠⁠ 💬 Got feedback or questions? Drop us a message! 🎧 Subscribe to hear more reefing chat every week