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The importance of an appropriate feed web within a captive reef system has become clearer every year, as we better understand the complex ecosystem that we are all here to recreate. The prevalence of bottled plankton solutions for sale in this hobby is a testament to the understanding that photosynthetic corals are healthiest when they receive the natural balance of energy, both from light and from plankton predation. And in this new era of breeding marine fish in captivity, sources of appropriately sized and sufficiently high-quality food for newly hatched larvae and juvenile fish is proving to be the limiting factor for success. There is no substitute for fresh, high-quality plankton reared at home; never refrigerated, frozen or processed. Aqua Medic offers two solutions (most often run together) to develop your own quality phytoplankton and zooplankton cultures.
The Plankton Light Reactor is a 2.5 liter system for producing phytoplankton, the bottom rung on the food chain and an essential first stage culture for rearing larger zooplankton. The resultant micro algae can be fed directly to many filter-feeding invertebrates, offering a more consistently high quality food and at an enormous cost savings over using expensive, refrigerated, bottled solutions. The Plankton Light Reactor includes an 18 watt fluorescent light that, when teamed with a source of CO2 and a starter culture of phytoplankton, will ensure an impressive culture within days of set-up. Direct a portion of this phytoplankton culture directly to the aquarium and another portion into a Plankton Reactor to support a culture of zooplankton for the feeding of fish and invertebrates seeking a larger meal.
The Plankton Reactor is an identical 2.5 liter cultivation unit to the Plankton Light Reactor, without the light. When you supply the Plankton Reactor with phytoplankton from the Plankton Light Reactor and an air bubble source, you can double the number of rotifers in a culture in as little as four days. Rotifers (Brachionus) are an excellent small zooplankton food source and a common zooplankton used in this second stage culture. Using a second Plankton Reactor you can feed a portion of your rotifers into a third culture of larger zooplankton or pods to further enhance your ability to supply natural food items from across the food web, on demand.
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