Best places to buy phyto

[Back where it all began]

I don’t have the capacity to raise my own phytoplankton. At present, I am purchasing it from algeabarn. It is a quality product, but the expense adds up.
Any suggestions on alternatives would be appreciated.

 

[Victor_C3]

another place to look is reefnutrition.com.

They sell direct to the consumer and also supply retailers. They’ve been in business at least 20 years, if not more.

I can’t vouch for the price or the quality of their product as I haven’t bought or tried their live plankton blend. I bought three bottles of algaebarn’s live blend on sale and I visually saw only about 10-25% of the plankton moving around under a microscope (I’m a total nerd). I’m not sure if the non-movers were dead or simple sessile species of plankton. I’m no biologist, but other than freshness, I don’t think it matters if plankton is alive or dead. I don’t think filter feeders are selective at all other than for the size of the particle they are eating.

Next time I purchase plankton from algaebarn, it will be when they aren’t running a sale. I don’t have anything against reef nutrition (AKA Reed Mariculture), I just tend to never switch to different products unless I have a good reason to. I’m weird like that.

 

[Victor_C3]

For what it’s worth, unless you have the ability to grow three or more separate species of plankton, I’d always buy a live plankton blend. Different species are typically different sizes and are all consumed by different organisms.

 

[Back where it all began]

I appreciate your info. From what I read, culturing your own provides way too much. I’m like you, I tend to stick to a place, so I’ll order some more from algeabarn. Seems like a quality product, just a tad expensive.

 

[Victor_C3]

I just learned something.

Because of their size many plankton species don’t move on their own. They simply aren’t big enough to move against any current.

 

[Back where it all began]

Very interesting. I can see why removing any socks and skimmer fir awhile might benefit their longevity.

 

[NS Mike D]

speak to your lfs if they don't already carry @Reef Nutrition. Most LFS will order it for you if they know you will buy it. They produce both phyto-feast and phyto-feast live. My LFS carries the live about $30 and if you don't need the special handling and prefer longer term nutritional stability the regular is saves a lot after considering the lack of shipping costs.

Of course, you end up spending the savings and then some on coral frags at the LFS

 

[Flameback Pair]

Check out EasyReefs. They have a pouch you can stick an airline tubing into and dose it with a dosing pump. The bag lasts 18 months without refrigeration.

 

[Victor_C3]

Very interesting. I can see why removing any socks and skimmer fir awhile might benefit their longevity.

That is exactly what I’m doing with the system I’m setting up. Read my build thread and I go into a decent amount of detail about my setup.

 

[Little_Red_Ryan_Hood]

I don’t have the capacity to raise my own phytoplankton. At present, I am purchasing it from algeabarn. It is a quality product, but the expense adds up.
Any suggestions on alternatives would be appreciated.

Acroporium.com has great prices and quality.
$9.99 for 16 fl oz

 

[Victor_C3]

Check out EasyReefs. They have a pouch you can stick an airline tubing into and dose it with a dosing pump. The bag lasts 18 months without refrigeration.

They have some very interesting looking products. I will have to look into them for use in my system.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Thanks for the recommendation, @NS Mike D

@Back where it all began Our Phyto-Feast (dead version) is 20 times as concentrated as all other brands and has a 9 month 'best by' date, and that's just in our 6 oz. bottle (we also sell it in 16 and 32 oz. volumes). You get much more for your money and we are incredibly consistent. Anyone here can do this comparison with other brands. We encourage it.

If you don't have a store that carries us, we are currently running a free shipping promo if you are interested. https://reefnutrition.com/promo/stay-home/

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Mass production of phytoplankton and zooplankton is our specialty.
Best,
Chad

 

[Seanb1]

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