Overview

• Formulated specifically for temperate (“cold water”) marine aquaria.
• Provides five types of marine zooplankton, and marine-based food particulates, collectively ranging in size from 50 µm – 2 mm.
• Fortified with free-form essential amino acids, vitamins important to immune system function, carotenoid-rich oils of marine origin (also rich in omega-3 HUFA), and natural feeding attractants to improve feeding responsiveness in fishes.
• Rich in natural pigments that have been found to intensify overall coloration in consuming organisms.
• Appropriate for feeding anemones, LPS corals, gorgonians, and solitary and colonial polyps, particularly at night when tentacles are extended to maximize chances of prey-capture.
• Readily consumed by planktivorous fishes and motile, suspension-feeding invertebrates.
• Encourages polyp-expansion in anemones, gorgonians, and their allies.
• Does not require refrigeration.
• Formulated by a marine scientist.

Sizes

• 250 ml
• 500 ml
• 2 l
• 20 l

Technical Background

UltraPlanktōs-ZCWM is a concentrated suspension of five different types of marine zooplankton, and four types of marine-derived food particulates, all ranging in size from 50µm – 2 mm and having an extremely diverse nutritional profile, rich in a number of fatty acids including the omega-3 fatty acids EPA, ARA, and DHA, as well as in carotenoid pigments, vitamins, minerals, and several important amino acids. Omega-3 fatty acids and pigments have been shown to provide tremendous benefit to the overall health and coloration, respectively, of planktivorous organisms. Additionally, the particulates are infused with a blend of free-form amino acids that encourages feeding response in fishes, and improves coloration in Cnidarians. UltraPlanktōs-ZCWM is a complete food complex for planktivorous fishes and motile suspension-feeding invertebrates inhabiting temperate (“cold water”) marine aquaria. For feeding of temperate marine sessile invertebrates, UltraPlanktōs-PCWM provides a suitable size range of phytoplankton and marine-derived particulates to ensure that nutritional requirements of those organisms are satisfactorily addressed.

Does not require refrigeration. Maintained free of contaminants and stored in a cool location, has maximum effectiveness within four (4) years of date of production.  Not impacted by temporary freezing.

Instructions and Guidelines

Shake product well before each use. Turn protein skimmer and other forms of mechanical filtration off prior to adding food suspensions to aquaria, and allow 10 – 15 minutes after feeding before resuming operation of filtration.

Target Feeding (recommended): Target feeding may be carried out with a lengthy piece of rigid air tubing, plastic syringe, pipette, dropper, or similar device; pour 5 ml (1 capful on 250- and 500-ml bottles; 1/2-capful on 2L bottle) into a clean container, such as a cup, and suck a portion of this into the feeding device, then slowly discharge the contents of the device 2 – 4” upstream of the target organism(s). Repeat these steps as deemed necessary. Rinse the portion (inside and outside) of the feeder that was placed into aquarium water before placing it into this bottle (if feeding directly from the bottle rather than from a separate container); failure to do so will contaminate the product and encourage it to decompose.

Broadcast Feeding: Add up to 5 ml per 50 US-gallons (189 L) of water in the entire aquarium system in an area of rapid water movement daily for the first four weeks of use; thereafter, the dosage may be increased as desired. Beginning with a low dosage and gradually increasing it with time will allow the biological filtration in the aquarium to adjust to the increase in nutrients, and helps discourage water quality from deteriorating.

When feeding sessile invertebrates, planktonic food suspensions (such as this one) are best utilized by target feeding specific invertebrates in an aquarium; in doing so, the majority of the food may be consumed by the intended organisms rather than ending up in filtration media or indirectly impacting water quality (as often occurs when indiscriminately “broadcast feeding” by adding liquid food suspensions to a stream of water and allowing the contents to disperse randomly throughout the aquarium system).

Guaranteed Analysis

Moisture (max) 91.00%, crude protein (min) 5.20%, crude fat (min) 1.60%, crude fiber (min) 0.10%, ash (max) 2.10%.

Ingredients

Purified water, marine crustacean roe, adult cyclopoid copepods, phytoplankton-fortified adult arthropod cladocerans, adult and unhatched Brachionus sp., unhatched Artemia sp., proprietary free-form amino acids, proprietary marine oils, citric acid, ascorbic acid.