Phytolize is 100% freeze dried phytoplankton which lasts up to 12 months at room temperature in a sealed container. The algae cells are fully intact and bursting full of nutrition which makes it an ideal, inexpensive and hassle-free solution to maintaining home rotifer and copepod cultures.
Phytolize is also the perfect food for soft corals, xmas tree worms, clams, sponges, and other filter feeding invertebrates.
A phytoplankton which can actually be used to maintain plankton cultures is also a very beneficial additive to a reef aquarium when used correctly. Regular addition of phytolize will result in a significant increase in existing zooplankton populations, including Copepods, Amphipods and Mysid shrimp. Healthy populations of zooplankton assist in maintaining water quality by consuming left over food and waste. Live, nutrient rich Zooplankton and their larvae are also the ultimate coral and fish food.
Anyone who has looked into breeding clown fish or other marine fish will have discovered that live rotifers are generally required as a first food source. Rotifers are pretty easily obtainable nowadays, however, in order to keep the rotifers alive and full of nutrients, they need to be fed phytoplankton. This is where breeding gets a bit complicated. A starter culture of phytoplankton is required and several live phyto cultures need to be kept to maintain a constant food source. Alternatively, expensive frozen phyto pastes and concentrates are available but these must be kept frozen and will only last 6 months. Unfortunately, the bottled phytoplankton you find on the shelf of your local aquarium store cannot be used to maintain a culture. Those products will generally just foul the water very quickly. Many people use those products in their tanks but I guess that poses the question- If those products can't be used to successfully maintain zooplankton cultures such as rotifers or copepods, then are they actually beneficial to your reef aquarium? Is it being consumed or is it just polluting the water?
Our Rotifer and Copepod cultures are maintained with phytolize. Our Clowns are raised using Phytolize and our corals systems and reef tanks are regularly dosed with phytolize. Now it is finally available to the public!
Directions:
For rotifer/copepod culture: Mix 5ml (1 spoonful) of powder with 50ml RO water and stir/shake until dissolved. Add mixture to culture until water is light green. Add enough daily to keep culture water a light green colour. The culture water will clear when Phytolize is consumed. Ensure Phytolize is being consumed before adding more. Larger doses will be required as the culture density increases.
For Reef Aquariums: Mix 5ml with 50ml RO or aquarium water and stir/shake. Add 1ml of liquid mixture per 100 litres 2-3 times per week.
Larger quantities can be mixed up and stored in the fridge for 1 month. Always shake mix well before using.
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