Apocyclops copepods are the perfect live feed solution for aquarists looking to enhance the health and vibrancy of their aquatic life. Slightly larger than Tisbe copepods yet smaller than Tigriopus copepods, these medium-sized organisms are known for their characteristic jerking motion in the water column. This natural movement actively attracts smaller fish, encouraging consistent feeding behavior and ensuring optimal nutrition.

Nurtured on an 11-strain blend of phytoplankton and fed twice daily, our Apocyclops copepods are shipped with live nanoalgae in each bottle, guaranteeing they arrive in peak condition. Female Apocyclops lay eggs every 4 to 6 days, making them an excellent choice for aquarists interested in cultivating their own sustainable live feed.

Key Benefits of Apocyclops Copepods

• High Protein Content: A superior source of protein for fish, promoting growth and vitality.
• Natural Algae Control: Voracious appetites help reduce nuisance algae in reef aquariums.
• Sustainable Harvesting: Weekly harvesting is possible due to their rapid egg-laying cycle.
• Attracts Fish to Feed: Unique jerking motion stimulates natural feeding instincts.
• Optimal Shipping Conditions: Includes live nanoalgae to ensure copepods arrive healthy.

Enhance Your Reef Ecosystem

Whether you’re supporting the dietary needs of smaller fish or looking for a natural solution to algae control, Apocyclops copepods are a versatile and beneficial addition to any reef aquarium. With their ability to thrive in diverse environments and their unmatched nutritional profile, these copepods are an essential component for maintaining a balanced and thriving aquatic ecosystem.

Tisbe biminensis copepods are small, nutrient-packed organisms that serve dual purposes in your reef aquarium. Not only are they excellent live feed for fish like mandarins and gobies, but they also act as an efficient cleanup crew. These bottom-dwelling copepods love hiding in rocks, making them difficult for small to medium fish to consume quickly. Their high nutritional content, derived from live phytoplankton, ensures your aquatic life gets the best possible diet.

When culturing Tisbe pods, they thrive on phytoplankton and require consistent feeding to maintain a healthy population. Whether you’re using a small vessel like a 1-gallon mason jar or a larger setup, these copepods can be a sustainable and rewarding addition to your aquarium ecosystem.

Key Features and Benefits

• Nutritional Powerhouse: Tisbe copepods are loaded with nutrients, making them an excellent live feed for fish.
• Bottom-Dwelling Cleaners: They naturally clean your reef aquarium by consuming detritus and hiding in rocks.
• Moderate Production Cycle: Harvesting is possible every 2-3 weeks, ensuring a steady supply.
• Culturing Tips: Feed 4-5 times weekly or twice daily in smaller vessels to prevent cannibalism within the culture.
• Freshly Packed: Each 8-ounce bottle contains thousands of pods, packed fresh the week of shipping.

See Your Pods Before You Buy

We take pride in delivering the freshest Tisbe biminensis copepods. If you’d like to see this week’s harvest before placing your order, simply send us a text or email. We’ll provide a video of the bottles packed for shipping, so you know exactly what to expect.

The 2 Pod Blend is the perfect choice for seeding your aquarium or replenishing your copepod population. This blend includes Tisbe biminensis and Apocyclops copepods, two complementary species that contribute to a healthy and thriving reef ecosystem. Whether you’re looking for a natural cleanup crew or a nutrient-rich live feed for your fish, this blend has you covered.

Culturing these pods together is simple and rewarding. However, over time, Apocyclops may dominate the culture due to their faster reproduction rate. To maintain a balanced population, we recommend regular feeding of live phytoplankton 3-5 times per week.

What’s Inside the 2 Pod Blend?

• Tisbe biminensis:
  Small, bottom-dwelling copepods that are excellent as a cleanup crew. They consume detritus and hide in rocks, making them hard for small to medium fish to eat. Tisbe copepods are highly nutritious when fed live phytoplankton and can be harvested in 2-3 weeks when culturing.
• Apocyclops copepods:
  Medium-sized copepods that are slightly larger than Tisbe. They exhibit a jerking motion in the water column, enticing smaller fish to feed. Apocyclops reproduce rapidly, with females laying eggs every 4-6 days, allowing for weekly harvesting.

Key Benefits

• Nutritional Powerhouse: Both species are rich in nutrients, ideal for fish like mandarins and other smaller species.
• Natural Algae Control: Tisbe copepods help reduce nuisance algae while acting as a cleanup crew.
• Easy Culturing: Apocyclops reproduce quickly, ensuring a sustainable live feed supply.
• Balanced Ecosystem: A mix of bottom-dwelling and free-swimming copepods supports a healthy aquarium environment.

Culturing Tips

When culturing these pods together in a 1-gallon vessel or larger, Apocyclops will eventually dominate due to their faster reproduction rate. Ensure consistent feeding of live phytoplankton to maintain a thriving culture.

Brine shrimp grow fast and will reach adults within 2 weeks of arriving. We use Brine Shrimp Direct EZ shell hatch eggs, meaning you won’t have to worry about shells in the bottle or about your fish getting shells stuck in their digestive tract. 

Rhodomonas salina is a fast-growing, nutrient-packed red phytoplankton that is a favorite in the aquaculture sector. Known for its rich red color caused by the antenna pigment phycoerythrin 545, this strain is highly valued for its ability to enhance the vibrant colors of corals and fish. With protein levels of up to 60% and a high concentration of EPA and DHA fatty acids, Rhodomonas salina is an excellent feed for rotifers, brine shrimp, copepods, and scallops.

To achieve the best results, this strain should be fed within 10 days of arrival. Proper storage and daily maintenance, such as shaking or inverting the bottle to keep the cells suspended, ensure its maximum nutritional benefits. Rhodomonas salina begins to transition from red to yellow or green after 7-10 days in the fridge, so timely use is essential.

Key Features and Benefits

• Nutrient-Dense: Contains up to 60% protein, EPA, and DHA fatty acids for optimal nutrition.
• Color Enhancement: Packed with phycoerythrin to intensify the coloration of corals and fish.
• Easily Digestible: Ideal for enriching rotifers, brine shrimp, copepods, and scallops.
• Fast-Growing: A cryptophyte microalga that thrives in marine environments.
• Convenient Storage: Can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days with daily shaking to maintain cell suspension.

Culturing and Feeding Recommendations

• Storage: Store in the fridge immediately upon arrival. Shake or invert daily to prevent settling.
• Feeding: Use within 10 days for the best results. This strain can be fed daily, and overfeeding is not a concern once your system is accustomed to it.
• Applications: Perfect for enriching live feeds like rotifers, pods, brine shrimp, and for color enhancement in reef aquariums.

Why Choose Rhodomonas Salina?

Rhodomonas salina is a powerhouse phytoplankton with a unique combination of high protein content, essential fatty acids, and color-enhancing pigments. Its ease of use and exceptional nutritional profile make it a staple for aquarists and aquaculture professionals alike. Whether you’re intensifying the colors of your reef or enriching live feeds, this strain delivers unmatched results.

Chlorella is a spherical, non-motile microalgae ranging from 2-10µm in diameter, known for its rapid growth and minimal care requirements. Thriving with just a light source and CO2, this strain is an excellent choice for aquarists and aquaculture enthusiasts looking to sustain vibrant reef ecosystems. Its dense nutritional profile, including high levels of protein, fats, chlorophyll-a and -b, and vitamins A, B1, and B3, makes it a powerhouse for enriching live feed and supporting reef health.

To achieve a dense and nutrient-packed culture, we recommend feeding Chlorella with F/2 fertilizer. This ensures your culture is loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients, offering maximum benefits for your aquarium inhabitants.

Key Features and Benefits

• Nutrient-Dense: High in protein, fats, and essential nutrients, including chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b.
• Rich in Vitamins: Contains vitamins A, B1, and B3 to support the health and growth of your reef.
• Rapid Growth: Multiplies quickly with minimal care, requiring only light and CO2.
• Versatile Application: Ideal for enriching live feed cultures like rotifers, copepods, and other reef inhabitants.
• Low Maintenance: Thrives in simple setups, making it beginner-friendly.

Culturing Recommendations

• Fertilizer: Use F/2 fertilizer to achieve a dense, nutrient-rich culture.
• Environment: Provide a light source and CO2 for optimal growth.
• Bottle Sizes: Available in 16oz, 32oz, 64oz jugs, and 1-gallon jugs to suit various needs.

Why Choose Chlorella?

Chlorella is a foundational microalgae for aquarists seeking a reliable and nutrient-rich phytoplankton strain. Its ease of growth, dense nutritional profile, and versatility make it an essential addition to any reef aquarium or aquaculture setup. Whether you’re enriching live feed or supporting reef health, Chlorella delivers exceptional results.

A Versatile Diatom for Shrimp and Copepod Cultures

Thalassiosira weissflogii is a large diatom phytoplankton renowned for its adaptability and nutritional value. This strain thrives in a wide range of salinities, from brackish to saltwater, and is cultivated at a specific gravity of 1.022 in our labs. Widely recognized as one of the best algae for rearing shrimp commercially, Thalassiosira weissflogii is also a favorite for copepod cultures, as its cells are quickly consumed within 24 hours of feeding.

This strain reproduces both asexually and sexually, with sexual reproduction typically triggered by environmental stress. Its color may shift to green when silicates are low, but oversaturating the culture with silicate water can restore its natural yellowish hue within 2-3 weeks. Occasional lime green tints may appear, indicating a temporary silicate deficiency.

Key Features and Benefits

• Nutrient-Rich: High in HUFAs, EPA, and DHA fatty acids, essential for shrimp and copepod nutrition.
• Wide Salinity Tolerance: Thrives in brackish to saltwater environments, making it versatile for various setups.
• Rapid Consumption: Highly favored by copepods, with cells disappearing within 24 hours of feeding.
• Sustainable Reproduction: Capable of both asexual and sexual reproduction for long-term culturing.
• Color Restoration: Culture color shifts to green when silicates are low but returns to yellowish with proper silicate supplementation.

Culturing Recommendations

• Fertilizer: Use Florida Aqua Farms modified F/2 fertilizer with water glass or silicate water.
• Dosing: Add 5ml of FAF F/2 and 2ml of silicate water per gallon of culture volume.
• Salinity: Maintain a specific gravity of 1.022 for optimal growth.
• Silicate Management: Monitor silicate levels to avoid color changes and maintain culture health.

Why Choose Thalassiosira Weissflogii?

Thalassiosira weissflogii is a must-have diatom phytoplankton for aquarists and aquaculture professionals. Its exceptional nutritional profile, adaptability to varying salinities, and ability to support shrimp and copepod cultures make it an invaluable addition to your phytoplankton arsenal. Whether you’re rearing shrimp or enriching live feed, this strain provides unmatched results.

Tisochrysis lutea, commonly known as T-iso, is a fast-growing, hardy phytoplankton strain renowned for its rich gold/yellow coloration, which turns brown when mature. Packed with high concentrations of essential fatty acids like EPA, DHA, and ARA, as well as lipids, amino acids, and bioactive vitamins, T-iso is a nutritional powerhouse for filter-feeding marine life. Its golden pigments make it an excellent live feed for corals, tridacnid clams, electric scallops, porcelain crabs, sea fans, and other invertebrates.

To maximize its benefits, T-iso should be swirled or agitated daily and used within 21 days of arrival. Proper feeding techniques ensure optimal consumption by your reef inhabitants, supporting vibrant and thriving marine ecosystems.

Key Features and Benefits

• Fatty Acid Powerhouse: High levels of EPA, DHA, and ARA provide essential nutrition for marine life.
• Rich in Nutrients: Packed with lipids, amino acids, bioactive vitamins, and golden pigments.
• Fast-Growing and Hardy: A resilient strain that is easy to maintain and culture.
• Versatile Live Feed: Perfect for corals, clams, scallops, crabs, sea fans, and other filter-feeding marine life.
• Vibrant Coloration: Enhances the health and color of your reef inhabitants.

Feeding Recommendations

• Daily Dosage: Feed 10-15ml per 10 gallons of water daily.
• Feeding Instructions:
  1. Turn off the return pump.
  2. Wait 2-5 minutes before feeding.
  3. Leave the return pump off for 30 minutes to allow corals, copepods, inverts, and filter feeders to consume the cells.
• Storage: Swirl or agitate the bottle daily and use within 21 days of arrival.

Available Sizes

• 16oz bottles
• 32oz bottles
• 1-gallon bags

Important Note

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. This product is intended for marine aquarium use only.

Why Choose Tisochrysis Lutea?

Tisochrysis lutea is a top-tier phytoplankton strain that provides unmatched nutritional benefits for filter-feeding marine life. Its rich golden hue, dense nutritional profile, and ease of use make it an essential addition to any reef aquarium. Whether you’re caring for corals, clams, or other filter feeders, T-iso delivers the nutrition your marine life needs to thrive.

Tetraselmis chui is a vibrant green phytoplankton strain, known for its fast growth and exceptional nutritional profile. This powerhouse strain is packed with beneficial cholesterol and nutrients, making it an excellent choice for enriching live feed cultures like rotifers, pods, and brine shrimp. With its motile cells actively swimming throughout your system, Tetraselmis chui ensures easy consumption by your reef inhabitants, promoting their health and vitality.

At Absolute Velocity Labs, we believe in providing choices to help you succeed in your reef hobby. That’s why we grow and offer the best strains, ensuring you don’t have to shop around for reliable, high-quality phytoplankton.

Key Features and Benefits

• Nutrient-Rich: Packed with good cholesterol and essential nutrients to support coral health.
• Fast-Growing: Rapid growth ensures a steady and reliable supply for your reef needs.
• Motile Cells: Actively swims through your system, making it easy for marine life to consume.
• Versatile Application: Ideal for feeding rotifers, copepods, brine shrimp, and other live feed cultures.
• Reef-Friendly: Supports the health, color, and vitality of your reef ecosystem.

Culturing Recommendations

• Applications: Perfect for enriching live feed like rotifers, pods, and brine shrimp.
• Why Choose Us: We grow and offer this strain so you can focus on your reef hobby without the hassle of searching for reliable sources.

Available Sizes

• Offered in convenient sizes to suit your needs, ensuring a steady supply of this essential phytoplankton.

Empower Your Reef with Tetraselmis Chui

Tetraselmis chui is the ultimate green phytoplankton for aquarists seeking a fast-growing, nutrient-packed strain to enrich their aquarium ecosystem. With its ability to support vibrant corals and thriving live feed cultures, this strain is a must-have for any reef enthusiast.

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a unique and versatile microalgae strain, renowned for its exceptionally high EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) content, reaching up to 51%—far surpassing other microalgae. This makes it an essential addition for aquarists and aquaculture enthusiasts aiming to maximize pod production. Unlike other strains, Phaeodactylum tricornutum grows in various sizes and shapes, offering a dynamic and adaptable solution for enriching live feed cultures.

Whether you’re cultivating copepods or other live feed, this strain provides unmatched nutritional benefits, supporting healthier and more productive cultures.

Key Features and Benefits

• EPA-Rich: Contains up to 51% EPA, delivering superior nutrition for pod production.
• Versatile Growth Forms: Grows in varying sizes and shapes, adapting to different culturing environments.
• Boosts Pod Production: Essential for aquarists looking to enhance copepod and live feed growth.
• Nutritional Powerhouse: Perfect for enriching live feed with its high levels of essential fatty acids.
• Dynamic Application: Suitable for a wide range of aquaculture systems and setups.

Culturing Recommendations

• Applications: Ideal for enriching copepods and other live feed cultures.
• Environmental Flexibility: Grows in various shapes and sizes, making it adaptable to different culturing environments.
• Nutritional Focus: A must-have for aquarists aiming to maximize the health and productivity of their live feed.

Why Choose Phaeodactylum Tricornutum?

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a game-changing phytoplankton strain for aquarists seeking to elevate their pod production. Its unparalleled EPA content, dynamic growth patterns, and exceptional nutritional profile make it an invaluable addition to any aquaculture or reef setup. Whether you’re enriching live feed or supporting vibrant ecosystems, this strain delivers consistent and superior results.