SEEDING A TANK WITH LIVE COPEPODS AND ROTIFERS
HOW AND WHY TO DO IT
As reefers, we all strive to achieve a healthy and balanced aquarium that recreates the ocean’s ecosystem as closely as possible, so that our favourite fish and corals can thrive. We carefully select sand, live rock, a clean-up crew… but what about the bottom of the food chain, all those microorganisms that our favourite livestock depend on in the wild for food and life itself? My Little Ocean is here to help you establish healthy colonies of live plankton. Let’s go through the basics of this process.
WHAT IS SEEDING?
Seeding a tank is the process of creating a sustainable culture of rotifers and copepods. When fed regularly with phytoplankton, rotifers and copepods will start reproducing and will provide a continuous food source for your livestock, while feeding on tank waste and promoting the overall heath and balance of your tank.
Plankton are a group of organisms at the base of the ocean’s food web. Although some, like copepods, have their own characteristic movement, they are not able to swim against the current and they drift in the water following tides and currents. There are two main kinds of plankton: phytoplankton, which are plants and rely on photosynthesis to produce energy, and zooplankton, which are animals. Zooplankton include, in order of increasing size, rotifers, copepods and brine shrimp.
WHY SHOULD YOU SEED A TANK WITH LIVE PLANKTON?
Food for your Finicky Eaters
Some fish and corals such as mandarin dragonets, seahorses, anthias, corals and clams can be finicky eaters. Copepods, rotifers and phytoplankton will satisfy even the pickiest sea creatures!
Brighter Colors
Live plankton is the equivalent of a multivitamin for your livestock! As a result, many of the fish and corals that eat it take on a fuller, more vibrant color.
Cleaner, more Stable Tank
Live zooplankton feed on fish waste, invasive algae and other detritus, making them a critical, yet often overlooked, part of any clean up crew. This helps reduce tank maintenance and increase water stability, meaning less work for you and a better environment for your fish, corals and inverts!
Healthier, more Active Fish
Increased biodiversity
Live phytoplankton, rotifers and copepods add to the biodiversity of your aquarium, contributing to create a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
Reduced Risk of "New Tank Syndrome"
Seeding Dry and Artificial Rock
If you choose to add dry rock or artificial rock to your tank, seeding the aquarium will allow beneficial microorganisms such as copepods, rotifers and beneficial bacteria to colonize your rock.
WHAT TYPE OF PRODUCT DO I NEED AND HOW MUCH?
The amount of phytoplankton, rotifers and copepods needed to seed a tank depends on factors such as the size of the aquarium and the quantity and type of livestock. To assist you in choosing the type and amount of My Little Ocean products required to seed your tank, you can refer to our general recommendations below.
NOW THAT I HAVE MY PRODUCT, HOW DO I SEED THE TANK?
- Open the bottles and allow them to reach room temperature.
- Wait until the evening, after turning the lights off. Turn off the sump, returns, and other filtration as well.
- Add all the rotifers and copepods: if you have a sump, pour half in the tank and half in the sump; if you do not have a sump, pour everything inside your tank. Leave all flow off for about an hour to allow the product to settle down to the bottom of the tank.
- One week after seeding, start feeding your copepod and rotifer population weekly with phytoplankton. We suggest an average dose of 5 ml of phytoplankton for every 10 gallons of water once a week. The best time to add phytoplankton is in the evening, after turning the lights off.
- We suggest adding more copepods and rotifers approximately every 3 months to boost your zooplankton population, more often if you have lots of predators in your tank!
OUR 5 in 1 SEEDING PRODUCT: MY LITTLE OCEAN PRO REEFER BLEND
Our Pro Reefer Blend contains the perfect mix of phytoplankton, rotifers and three different species of copepods and is specially designed to seed a tank or boost your own reproducing zooplankton population. My Little Ocean Pro Reefer Blend makes it easy to seed your tank and benefit from all the advantages that come with it! Simply allow the product to reach room temperature, turn off all flow and lights and pour the bottle content in your tank, or half in the tank and half in the sump. If you have a Small tank, add half of the bottle content and the other half after 3-4 days. One week after seeding, start feeding weekly with My Little Ocean Live Phytoplankton. An average recommended dose is 5 ml of Phytoplankton for every 10 gallons of water once a week. It is as simple as that!
