Description
AR Live Phytoplankton
AR Live Phytoplankton is a concentrated green marine phytoplankton designed to provide the essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, amino acids to feed a broad range of tropical marine aquarium filter feeders and invertebrates.
Sizes: 500 ml and 1 litre
Benefits:
- Feeds Corals and Invertebrates: Many soft corals, filter feeders (like feather dusters and clams), and non-photosynthetic corals rely heavily on live phytoplankton as a primary food source, capturing microscopic cells with their tentacles or feeding structures.
- Boosts Microfauna Populations: Phytoplankton forms the base of the marine food web by nourishing copepods, amphipods, and rotifers. A thriving microfauna population not only improves overall tank biodiversity but also provides a continuous, natural food supply for picky fish like mandarinfish.
- Improves Water Clarity: Live phytoplankton can help clarify the water column by consuming excess dissolved nutrients (like nitrates and phosphates) that would otherwise fuel nuisance algae and cyanobacteria outbreaks.
- Enhances Coral Colouration: By providing essential fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins, quality phytoplankton supplementation supports vibrant pigmentation in many coral species.
- Promotes Natural Grazing Behaviors: A biologically active reef tank enriched with microscopic life encourages fish and invertebrates to exhibit more natural foraging behaviors throughout the day.
How often and how much phytoplankton you should dose depends entirely on your tank’s volume, stocking density, and overall goals (such as general coral feeding, supporting a copepod population, or combating dinoflagellates).
How Much to Dose?
A common and safe starting baseline is 25ml 100 litres of actual system volume (display tank plus sump).
- Fish Only Aquarium: Dose 25ml per 100 liters daily.
- Photosynthetic Stony Coral Aquarium: Dose 75ml per 100 liters daily.
- Heavily Stocked Coral Aquarium with Filter Feeders: Dose 100ml to 120ml per 100 liters daily.
How Often to Dose?
Daily dosing is ideal. Consistency is much better for reef microfauna and corals than dumping large amounts in sporadically. Daily additions keep copepods well-fed and provide a steady food source for suspension-feeding corals without shocking your nutrient levels.
Best Practices for Dosing
- Start Low and Go Slow: If you’ve never dosed phyto before, start at the lower end (around 5ml per 10 litres) for the first two weeks. Monitor your nitrates and phosphates. Because phytoplankton consumes nutrients and gets processed by your cleanup crew, it can help lower nutrients, but an unconsumed overdose can cause a spike.
- Watch for Algae: If you notice a green film forming rapidly on your glass, sand, or rocks, you are likely dosing more than your tank can consume. Scale back your volume or frequency.
- Manage Your Filtration: Turn off your protein skimmer and UV sterilizer for about 30 to 60 minutes when you dose. Leaving them running will strip the live phytoplankton out of the water column before your corals and pods have a chance to eat it. Filter socks can prevent some microalgae cells from passing through so I recommend a clean, broad-meshed sock (or going sockless) at least for 24 hours around a heavy phytoplankton feed.
- Timing: If you are feeding corals primarily, dose when your corals are in “feed mode” (many LPS/softies prefer lights-on, while SPS-dominant tanks often benefit from dosing at lights-out when polyp extension is highest). If you are trying to outcompete nuisance algae or dinoflagellates, dosing at first light gives the phytoplankton maximum photosynthesis time.
