Any of the 'plankton' food products useful for seeding a tank w/ 'microbeasties'?

[MadReefist]

"Microbeasties" is the term the other indoor/home hobby/etc 'reefers' came up with as a blanket term for bacteria / microbes / etc (which for 'actual' reefs would also encompass microcritters / alga / etc). A most charming term it warms my heart.

Anyways, I've noticed there are many 'plankton' coral/etc 'food' products out there. I myself have a fascination with maximum microbeastie diversity while surely some of these products are useful for seeding our tanks/refugiums/etc?

A broader discussion of other ways of achieving maximum diverse microbeastie (and minibeastie [visible to the naked eye]) populations is also welcomed and encouraged!

 

[Sk8r]

I feed frozen mysis, and apparently eggs must come along for the ride, because I always have a colony. I would think that if eggs are surviving the freeze, other smaller life may do the same.

 

[CuzzA]

Phytoplankton will be the best food source for zooplankton. As far as seeding a tank. Using real ocean rock, like from Tampa Bay Saltwater and any of the products from Florida Aquaculture Nursery Farms would start any tank off in the right direction.

http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com

http://www.aquaculturenurseryfarms.com/?fullSite=1

 

[Quiet_Ivy]

"Microbeasties" is the term the other indoor/home hobby/etc 'reefers' came up with as a blanket term for bacteria / microbes / etc (which for 'actual' reefs would also encompass microcritters / alga / etc). A most charming term it warms my heart.

A broader discussion of other ways of achieving maximum diverse microbeastie (and minibeastie [visible to the naked eye]) populations is also welcomed and encouraged!

Oh you are in Tampa! Just buy some rock from TBS
ipsf and inland aquatics have kits, reefcleaners has pods.
Also when I got a hunk of Chaeto it came with assorted microbeasties. (Great term, Im going to use it from now on.)
Apologies for awkward typing, housesitting and this keyboard is Victorian

hth
Ivy

 

[MadReefist]

Ironically those other "reefers" came up with the ultimate term for plankton (yet its coinage came mostly for describing mere bacteria)!

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

Ever try Reef Bugs?
"Super convenient live-food-in-a-box for aquarium corals and other reef filter feeders. Marc Weiss Aquarium Products Reef Bugs Complete contains real live microplankton dry-packed in their spore state for convenient use on demand. Place appropriate amount of Reef Bugs Complete in a glass with a few ounces of aquarium water for 20-30 minutes to hatch natural, micron-sized microplankton. No complicated hatchery or storage required!"

 

[ca1ore]

I feed frozen mysis, and apparently eggs must come along for the ride, because I always have a colony. I would think that if eggs are surviving the freeze, other smaller life may do the same.

What mysis are you using out of curiosity? Both varieties I have access to are a FW species.

 

[ca1ore]

Anyways, I've noticed there are many 'plankton' coral/etc 'food' products out there. I myself have a fascination with maximum microbeastie diversity while surely some of these products are useful for seeding our tanks/refugiums/etc?

I think it extraordinarily unlikely that any coral foods are going to add to tank diversity (unless they're live in the first place). Lots of these kinds of foods available simply because lots of people 'think' it's a good idea. Pick a good fish food with variable particle size and coral foods are unecessary.

 

[Reef Frog]

I'll sometimes use a mix of refrigerated food (oyster eggs, arctic pods, chclopseeze & very small fish eggs) and sometimes drop in a small amount of dried zooplankton (TLF Gonipower & something else) to feed brains, favias, favites, a scoly, tube anenome and a few other things. I get a good feeding response from everything.

And if I look closely with a magnification glass, I'll see starfish arms reaching out for a bite and anthropoids scurrying about excitedly. I know for sure hermits & other small crabs get a share too. I believe that the fine food that doesn't get eaten by the corals, which is probably most of it, usually ends up clinging to the rock or sand bed.

So I'll venture a "Yes"' to the OP's question. I believe this food along with micro pieces of fish food & fish excrement, provides the primary food for the micro life at the bottom of the food chain. I'm also certain that bacteria feed upon anything that escapes a micro animals mouth. But it's really easy to over do it feeding this stuff, so you have to be careful.