AlgaGen as a company is committed to sustainability in all aspects of marine husbandry. We have decided to offer an educational newsletter covering ground breaking advances in the hobby, techniques that will promote sustainability in reef keeping, and conservation news to allow those interested to take on various action-items beneficial to our world’s oceans and reefs.

Interviews with Innovators
 
Our first interview is with Matthew Wittenrich, Poma Labs
 
AlgaGen: Tell us about yourself and your current projects. What are you working on?
 
Matt: “I have been involved with the aquarium industry in one way or another for most of my life. I am a diehard hobbyist and can remember having aquariums just about anywhere they would fit when I was younger. I dabbled in breeding all kinds of freshwater fish. Everything from anabantoids to piranhas. I got the saltwater addiction when I was about 15 when I raised my first clownfish.

I am originally from western New York and began breeding saltwater fish in my parent’s basement, successfully raising 13 species by the time I was 18. During this time, information on breeding marine fishes in captivity was rare, so I began documenting some of this success in TFH magazine.  After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from Long Island University, Southampton College, I worked in commercial finfish aquaculture and collaborated on various research projects, before pursuing a Masters degree at Florida Institute of Technology.  I have been involved in diverse research projects from sex change strategies in pseudochromids, examining if larval clownfish can hear the natal reefs where they hatched, and understanding how larval fishes feed.

I then went on to earn a PhD from Florida Institute of Technology, with research focused on the early life stages of marine fishes, which address both ecological questions about how tiny larvae survive in the wild, as well as developing novel methods suited to rearing them in captivity. This is primarily achieved through understanding the functional design of the feeding apparatus and how it changes through the early life history stages. Through this research he has been successful in identifying stage and species-specific criteria that lead to successful feeding.   
One of the things I am most proud of is authoring The Complete Illustrated Breeder’s Guide to Marine Aquarium Fishes. This book along with some of my breeding work with mandarins earned me MASNA’s Aquarist of the Year Award in 2010. A huge honor to me.
Most recently, with the help of my co-founder Nuri Fisher, we have developed a research-based hatchery that focuses on developing methods for rearing difficult marine fish species such as angelfish. We have successfully raised 14 species of marine angelfish and are in the process of expanding our production facility to a new, state of the art campus we have been developing over the last 2 years. We are hopeful this will allow us to expand our production goals and push forward with new research that leads to commercial availability.”           
 
AlgaGen: Do you use live feeds? How important do you think live feeds are to aquaculture and the hobby? What Live feeds organism(s) do you work with primarily?

Matt: “Live feeds are the cornerstone of our operation - and quite possibly the whole of the aquarium industry and the ecology of the oceans. For decades, the bottleneck to producing marine ornamental species was assumed to be a lack of appropriate feed organisms. More recently, we have learned that in fact, the bottleneck is finding appropriate feed organisms in the presence of appropriate environmental conditions. We rely on AlgaGen to obtain clean, pathogen free strains of copepods that we culture as feed organisms.”
 
AlgaGen: What’s your favorite marine organism and why?
 
Matt: “I would have to say angelfish, though it’s tough to say which one. I will switch the question a bit and say my favorite fish that I have raised is the longfin conspicillatus x blueline angelfish hybrid. This fish to me, just represents how far the breeding world has come. I think back to raising clownfish in my parent’s basement and the fish we are seeing being raised today by so many talented aquarists and institutions is mind blowing. They were supposed to be impossible to breed, but here we are!”
 
 AlgaGen: What would you like to see for the future of the hobby?
 
Matt: “Good question. I would say a new generation of open minded, talented aquarists that understands the past and what it took to get here to carry the torch and blaze new, amazing and impossible paths. I would like to see a future of responsibility and sustainability that blends an honest conversation about wild fisheries and aquaculture since we need both!”
 
AlgaGen Corner
What is microalgae, and why is it valuable to a reef tank?
Microalgae or Phytoplankton are microscopic plants-in general. Some types of microalgae/phyto, are related to bacteria, some are related to higher plants and some behave is ways that resemble animal.  We have heard people say that "Phyto is just phyto"-not so at all! Years ago scientists thought there were 10,000's of different types, then 100,000's of different types, now they think millions.  Each are different in habitat, nutrition, behavior and appearance.  Greenwater or brown water may appear to be just that with the unaided eye but under a powerful microscope the detail is astounding...it becomes art (see photo 3 in slideshow)
Phytoplankton are one of the main contributors to the earth's atmosphere and available oxygen 50-85% (https://earthsky.org/earth/how-much-do-oceans-add-to-worlds-oxygen). As part of photosynthesis they consume nutrients (nitrates, ammonia, phosphate, copper, zinc, cobalt, manganese, etc) and carbon dioxide to grow, produce fatty acids and proteins and produce oxygen.
The addition of LIVE phytoplankton to a reef tank or captive tank is important because it provides critical nutrients such as fatty acids, proteins, anti-oxidants, immune stimulating compounds; it consumes excess nutrient in the systems and utilizes carbon dioxide.  In a way it can buffer the system's water and improve water quality.
Next article will discuss the different species that are grown in aquaculture and how to start your own culture.

Did you know?
Predicted species loss due to global warming
Actually, rising temperatures will have a negative impact on phytoplankton and nutrient cycling.  With stocks of Phytoplankton dying off there will be no food for the copepods and other zooplankton that eat them which in turn impacts food reserves for fish.
Fifty-five million years ago, ocean acidification led to a mass extinction of ocean creatures. According to fossil records, it took more than 100,000 years for the oceans to recover. Eliminating the use of greenhouse gases and protecting the oceans can prevent this from occurring again. (https://www.thoughtco.com/global-warming-effect-on-marine-populations-143491Check out these links!
https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-partners-launch-groundbreaking-florida-keys-coral-reef-restoration-effort
NOAA, partners launch groundbreaking Florida Keys coral reef restoration effort
NOAA, partners launch groundbreaking Florida Keys coral reef restoration effortNOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) initiated a ground breaking effort regarding Florida Keys Coral Reef restoration efforts.  This effort will preserve and restore 7 selected sites in the Florida Keys.  This has been a decades' long effort to revitalize and protect the highly diverse and economically valuable marine ecosystem in the region.
 
"The project, Mission: Iconic Reefs, calls for restoring nearly three million square feet of the Florida Reef Tract, about the size of 52 football fields, one of the largest strategies ever proposed in the field of coral restoration. Over the next year and beyond, NOAA will support this effort and work with outside partners to secure additional public and private funds."   More details can be found at the link above. (see photo 4 in slideshow)
 
This has been the first edition of the newsletter.  please let us know what you think; what we should ad, what we should drop and who to contact for interviews.
 
Please share this letter if you think it has value!
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​AlgaGen has been working with microalgae and live feeds since 2002.  We were the first to offer a wide assemblage of copepods to the market. We culture Tisbe, Pseudodiaptomus, Parvoclanus, Euterpina, Apocyclops, and Acartia.  Our production initially went to many of the public aquariums such as New England Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium,  Monterey Bay Aquarium, Dallas World Aquarium, Tennessee Aquarium, Steinhart, Long Beach, Columbus Zoo, Aquarium La Rochelle (France), New Caladonia  (Aquarium des Lagons),  Aquarium du Quebec and Aquarium Smithsonian, countless Universities, marine stations and oceanic institutes such as Woods Hole, Harbor Branch Oceanic Institute, Stanford Marine station. We even sold cultures to Exxon.
 
Our Live Feeds have been used to feed a whale shark, jellyfish, pompano, pygmie seahorse, leafy pipe fish, leafy sea dragons, blue fin tuna, ballyhoo, cobia, grouper, conspiculatus angels, dragonettes, Redii seahorses, lookdowns, cod, sea bass, snook, purple tangs, yellow tangs, anthias, shrimp larvae, clams, oysters, Geoduck, scallops, sun ray clams, mussels, tridacnid clams, sponges, corals, copepods, amphipods, crabs, etc
 
We found that there is an industrial need for Live feeds but also one for the home hobbyist and because of this we created AlgaGen Direct.  At AlgaGen Direct we are offering the same hi-quality that these groups trust but grouped slightly differently to address the needs of the home aquarist.

In the years past, scientists believed there were 100,000 different types (species) of phytoplankton in the oceans. Today they believe there are over 1 million.  Phytoplankton are single celled aquatic plants (over simplified) that exist in different salinities, pH, temperatures, depths and altitudes or pressures.

Phytoplankton ranges from being incredibly useful to animals and man to being extremely toxic, similar to land plants. In general, phytoplankton utilize nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow and in doing so produce nutrition and compounds that are extremely beneficial to animals and humans; proteins, anti-biotics, anti-inflammatories, fatty acids, immune stimulating, anti-tumoral compounds etc. The most common uses of phytoplankton are in aquaculture, and as human/animal supplements. 

At AlgaGen we provide microalgae/phytoplankton for all these purposes.  We have 9 species in production, 24/7, dedicated to the needs of aquaculture and the marine ornamental hobby. The species we have identified have properties known to be incredibly important to raising marine organisms.  We package these phytoplankton/microalgae in our PhycoPure line as Greenwater, CopePOD Blend, Reef Blend and PhycoPure Zooxanthellae. 

The benefits of Phytoplankton to the reef tank are plenty

• delivers nutrition to countless feeding organisms.
• feeds the POD life in a tank
• Live Phyto/microalgae will utilize excess nutrients
• Live Phyto/microalgae will consume carbon dioxide and help to buffer water pH
• Live Phytoplankton will bind toxic heavy metals that may have gotten into a reef system

How to feed Phytoplankton
As with any new addition to a reef tank start off slowly.  Such as one (1) capful,  1-2x per week.  Do this for 1-2 weeks.  Increase the phytoplankton/microalgae addition during the third week to 2 cap fulls, 2-3 times per week.  Consistency is the key.  If you add phytoplankton consistently you will see positive results. The sporadic addition of Phyto could cause a system to swing out of balance, similar to sporadically paying attention to  water chemistry.  Many organisms like an environment that is dependable.
The limits of how much to feed a reef tank is unknown and a hot topic.  We work with groups of people who feed HEAVY and have incredible tanks.  In the future we will highlight their approach to learn from.

Types of Phytoplankton and Usefulness
Isochrysis galbana (T); a brown microaglae that comes from Tahiti originally (T. Iso).  It is high in a fatty acid called DHA which is critical to larval fish development the marine food chain. It is also important for human brain health.  It is 4-6um and is used to feed clams, oysters, copepods, corals; used as an enrichment for rotifers and brine.  It likes warm conditions 25-28C, is brown and full of beneficial accessory pigments that boost the immune system and eye health.  There is a strain that comes from the Bahamas called C. Iso which slightly more temperature tolerant.  This is a swimming microalgae and is used in mesocosm type larval approaches.

Thalassiosira weissflogii; is a brown diatom. The strain we use came from Hawaii and is tolerant of Hi-temperatures.  This diatom is rich in fatty acids that are important to larval shrimp production.  It is a larger diatom 7-10um and requires silica in addition to nitrate and phosphate to be cultured.  This diatom is a floater and not a swimmer

Chaetoceros gracilis; is a brown diatom 2-4um in size, It is a fast grower and has been used to feed many organisms such as copepods, clams, oysters, larval shrimp and is a good enrichment for brine and rotifers.  It has a critical fatty acid called ARA which is important to the marine food chain.  Our strain came from the middle of the Atlantic and has been used extensively in aquaculture for decades prior to finding its way into our collection.  It is a floating organism.  It is a square cell with "spines" and is used in mesocosm type larval approaches.

Nannochloropsis oculata; 1-2um to 4-5 um green cell.  Our strain is a 4-5um cell that came from a prolific clownfish breeder back in the early 2000's.  Nannochloropsis is loaded with EPA a critical fatty acid for larval development as well as brain health in humans. It is a green single cell that floats and has been used forever in "greenwater" applications.  It handles high-light, agitation and is considered a weed.  Used primarily to raise rotifers and feed brine.

Tetraelmis suecica; is a 4-6um green motile cell.  This strain originated from Sweden and is favorite of fish breeders, shrimp hatcheries and certain bivalves.  It is rich in fatty acids but considered by many to have antibiotic properties.  It like higher light and agitation after the 2 day of culture. It does much better at colder temperatures and has been reported to thrive under sheets of ice during the winters in the Northeast US.  Under the microscope one can see remnants

Pavlova (Monochrysis lutherii) 3-5um brown cell.  Pavlova is a cooler water phytoplankton that moves lazily through the water column.  Under the microscope one can see the fatty acid deposits within the cell.  This is a great phytoplankton for growing many organisms.  it can absolutely produce copepods, enrich rotifers, brine, be used in cooler water mesocosm, feed clams and oysters.  It is not used expansively because it is NOT that easy to culture but has great impact when used.

Rhodomonas lens; is a red -4-7 um sized cell that is motile.  It is similar in impact to Pavlova in that it has been accredited with being able to feed sensitive larvae such as diadema larvae (sea urchin).  It is powerful when used to grow copepods and enrich rotifers and brine.  It does not like a lot of light and warmer temperatures. It is not an easy one to culture.

​Zooxanthellae: brown 2-4 um cell that switches in between being motile and stationary. There are many types called clades (family equivalent).  The real name is symbodinium and is considered a dinoflagellate.  It is used to enhance coral health as well as health of the ornamental clams.  We notice a strong fatty acid smell and have seen copepods growing well on this organism.  It is NOT easy to grow, especially at higher cell numbers.

Here is a video all about our new packaging. This packaging can be used various ways. You can use it to spot feed without any water coming back into the package, which could cause dilution. You can also use it to simply open and pour in. For those of you who are interested in feeding a more natural, continuous way, you can set up the bag to hang over your aquarium and slowly drip in! Any way you choose, your aquarium will appreciate the nutrition!

Here is a video about using the bags!

We are very excited to announce our new line of products! As many of you may know, AlgaGen thus far has been a distributor-only company, supplying stores, hatcheries, educational facilities, and research centers for years. We have finally decided to start offering products directly to the consumer (you!). These products are a little different than what you are used to seeing at your LFS. We want to keep everyone happy and not compete with them, we love our stores! We are offering some unique feeding systems and products that you can only find right here at AlgaGen Direct! If you are looking for our original products, check with your LFS to purchase!

​We hope that this will help anyone who may be in an area without a LFS, or for anyone looking to feed a more natural way! We are offering 20% off your first order with coupon code WELCOME20 and free shipping on orders over $50!! ​

As many of you may know, AlgaGen thus far has been a distributor only company, supplying stores, hatcheries, educational facilities, and research centers for years. We have finally decided to start offering products directly to the consumer (you!).
​
These products are a little different than what you are used to seeing at your Live Feed System (LFS). We want to keep everyone happy and not compete with them, we love our stores!
​
We are offering some unique feeding systems and products that you can only find right here at AlgaGen Direct! I have created an album here if you want to browse through. If you are looking for our original products, check with your LFS to purchase! We hope that this will help anyone who may be in an area without a LFS, or for anyone looking to feed a more natural way!

For over a decade AlgaGen has been leading the way with novel, high quality live feeds that have been used  by professionals and home hobbyists with great success.  We have once again come up with a new idea related to feeding which we believe will result in even more success for the end user. We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™.

Easy Feed Packaging™ can be used to manually spot feed or  it can be configured to obtain a drip rate set on a continuous feed.  It can be dripped in the dawn or dusk hours of your tanks cycle to simulate natural feeding activity.  For those of you interested in doing so, an aquarium pump can be fit to the bag via the short port so that a small amount of air keeps the contents of the bag alive and growing.  We are actively working on developing new concepts using this approach and will offer advances as they become available on our website.  We also sell the Easy Feed Packaging™ by themselves for you to refill, we hope with our products, but other products can be used with these bags as well!

Hatcheries and individuals sometimes create unique solutions to this problem by creating automatic plankton dosing apparatuses.  Some of these  will grow plankton and feed it to the tank, others will just feed it.  They can be expensive and not simple to set up.

AlgaGen’s new line of LIVE feeds are produced with the highest level of standards and packaged in a way that is simple to use, and mimics food availability the way it is found in nature;  at constant and consistent amounts.  We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™ because it is easy to use, not expensive and yields superior results.

We offer the highest quality cultures with no fillers, thickeners, dyes, or gels. All orders are packed FRESH the day of shipment to ensure the best results in your aquarium! All of our products are produced in a sterile, fish and coral free system, meaning no chance of diseases or parasites!

ZooPLASM™ PODS
is a mixture of 3 species of copePODS.  The copePODS selected are tropical and will co-habitat in our Easy Feed  Packaging™, as well as thrive in a tank without eating each other.  There are many copepod products on the market that will place incompatible copepod species together in a bottle resulting in one type or the other being eaten.  The copepods selected for this mix will feed many finicky fish, including  wrasses, dragonets, seahorses, mandarins, gobys, corals, sps, some lps, soft corals, amphipods, crabs, and various other invertebrates.  The PODS will also feed upon detritus and fish waste in your tank, keeping your tank clean as they provide a sustainable source of prey.  The Easy Feed  Packaging™ allows for either drip or spot feeding and can be stored on the shelf for up to 2 weeks.  An air pump can be configured  to the bag to increase life span,  and/or to turn the bag into a small copePODS culture vessel.  Since these copePODS species are tropical, they CANNOT BE REFRIGERATED.
 
ZooPLASM™ Rotifers
is a mixture of Rotifers and green phytoplankton.  The Rotifers and phytoplankton will feed seahorses, small fish, corals,  sps, some lps, soft corals, amphipods, gorgonians, crabs, and various other invertebrates.  It  can also be used for larval feeding and greenwater mesocosms.  The Easy Feed  Packaging™ allows for either drip or spot feeding and can be stored on the shelf for up to 2 weeks.  An air pump can be configured  to  the bag to increase life span,  and/or to turn the bag into a small rotifer culture vessel.  Since these rotifers are a tropical species, they CANNOT BE REFRIGERATED.

For over a decade AlgaGen has been leading the way with novel, high quality live feeds that have been used  by professionals and home hobbyists with great success.  We have once again come up with a new idea related to feeding which we believe will result in even more success for the end user. We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™.

Easy Feed  Packaging™ can be used to manually spot feed or  it can be configured to obtain a drip rate set on a continuous feed.  It can be dripped in the dawn or dusk hours of your tanks cycle to simulate natural feeding activity.  For those of you interested in doing so, an aquarium pump can be fit to the bag via the short port so that a small amount of air keeps the contents of the bag alive and growing.  We are actively working on developing new concepts using this approach and will offer advances as they become available on our website.  We also sell the Easy Feed  Packaging™ by themselves for you to refill, we hope with our products, but other products can be used with these bags as well!

We know that  in nature, plankton, both phyto- and zooplankton are available at fairly constant and consistent numbers for organisms to feed on.  In captive husbandry there are not many options to create a constant source of food.

Hatcheries and individuals sometimes create unique solutions to this problem by creating automatic plankton dosing apparatuses.  Some of these  will grow plankton and feed it to the tank, others will just feed it.  They can be expensive and not simple to set up.

AlgaGen’s new line of LIVE feeds are produced with the highest level of standards and packaged in a way that is simple to use, and mimics food availability the way it is found in nature;  at constant and consistent amounts.  We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™ because it is easy to use, not expensive and yields superior results.

We offer the highest quality cultures with no fillers, thickeners, dyes, or gels. All orders are packed FRESH the day of shipment to ensure the best results in your aquarium! All of our products are produced in a sterile, fish and coral free system, meaning no chance of diseases or parasites!
 
PhytoPLASMtm Green is a mixture of 2 green species of microalgae both known for their nutritional goodness as well as attributes that include natural antibiotics and antivirals that are similar to garlic.  The green species we selected vary in size to feed different organisms. We recommend using  PhytoPLASM™  Green  to feed rotifers, brine,  harpacticoid copePODS, amphiPODS, planktivorous corals, featherdusters, zoanthids, and can be used to create “greenwater” for larval care and production.   PhytoPLASM™  Green comes in the Easy Feed  Packaging™ that allows you to drip feed your system for days at a time, or  it can also be stored in the refrigerator and used “manually” to spot feed when desired.  Life span in the refrigerator is upwards of 5 months. Product should be agitated periodically to prevent settling and maintain its shelf life.
 
PhytoPLASM™  Brown
Brown is a mixture of 4 brown species of microalgae, all known for their nutritional goodness as well as  attributes that include antivirals and antioxidants.  The brown species used vary in size to feed different organisms.  We recommend using  PhytoPLASM™  Brown to feed calanoid (free swimming) copePODS, amphiPODS, planktivorous corals,  clams, scallops, featherdusters, zoanthids, and much more. PhytoPLASM™  Brown comes in the Easy Feed  Packaging™  that allows you to drip feed your system for days at a time, or  it can also be stored in the refrigerator and used “manually” to spot feed when desired.  Life span in the refrigerator is upwards of 3 months. Product should be agitated periodically to prevent settling and maintain its shelf life.
 
 
PhytoPLASM™  Zooxanthellae
Zooxanthellae is a mixture of 2 species of symbiotic microalgae, both known for their nutritional goodness as well as having attributes that include their relationship with corals and clams  positively impacting on their health.  Zooxanthellae generally live inside the tissue of many marine corals and clams.  The essence of the interaction is that the zooxanthellae consume the waste of its  host, and release “sugar” as a byproduct of photosynthesis,  which then feeds its host. We recommend using  PhytoPLASM™  Zooxanthellae to add to a reef tank periodically in order to maintain coral health and vibrancy.

PhytoPLASM™  Zooxanthellae comes in the Easy Feed  Packaging™ that allows you to drip feed your system for days at a time, or it can also be stored in the refrigerator and used “manually” to spot feed when desired.  Life span in the refrigerator is upwards of  1 month. Product should be agitated periodically to prevent settling and maintain its shelf life.
 
 

For over a decade, AlgaGen has been leading the way with novel, high quality live feeds that have been used  by professionals and home hobbyists with great success.  We have once again come up with a new idea related to feeding which we believe will result in even more success for the end user. We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™.

Easy Feed  Packaging™ can be used to manually spot feed or  it can be configured to obtain a drip rate set on a continuous feed.  It can be dripped in the dawn or dusk hours of your tanks cycle to simulate natural feeding activity.  For those of you interested in doing so, an aquarium pump can be fit to the bag via the short port so that a small amount of air keeps the contents of the bag alive and growing.  We are actively working on developing new concepts using this approach and will offer advances as they become available on our website.  We also sell the Easy Feed  Packaging™ by themselves for you to refill, we hope with our products, but other products can be used with these bags as well!

We know that  in nature, plankton, both phyto- and zooplankton are available at fairly constant and consistent numbers for organisms to feed on.  In captive husbandry there are not many options to create a constant source of food.  Typically you will see bottles of these live products on the shelf.  We have noticed some competitors products are not as dense or stable as they claim. These products recommend feeding a  cap full a day to get good results, and while they do an ok job, it doesn't offer the same benefits of a natural feeding. In nature, food items will drift by with the current, in order for a coral or filter feeder to eat, they have to close in on themselves and open back up to catch more food. In the aquarium with other fish, corals, filter feeders, etc, by the time the organism opens again to catch food, it may have already all been consumed by another organism that is faster, meaning it's not getting as much nutrition as it could. You want your reef to THRIVE, not just survive, displaying the best colors, the best growth, and an overall healthier ecosystem in your own home!

Hatcheries and individuals sometimes create unique solutions to this problem by creating automatic plankton dosing apparatuses.  Some of these  will grow plankton and feed it to the tank, others will just feed it.  They can be expensive and not simple to set up.

AlgaGen’s new line of LIVE feeds are produced with the highest level of standards and packaged in a way that is simple to use, and mimics food availability the way it is found in nature;  at constant and consistent amounts.  We call it Easy Feed  Packaging™ because it is easy to use, not expensive and yields superior results.

Easy Feed  Packaging™ can be a tremendous asset to people who recognize that  feeding a reef can create tremendous results.  On our  website, www.algagendirect.com, not only do we offer the highest quality cultures  with no fillers, thickeners, dyes, or gels, but we are providing a new and simple way to feed your tank and mimic natural feeding responses with minimal effort. 

We all know that when a tank is put on a cycle of consistency it thrives.  This is the reason a timer is used for light cycles and temperature probes are used to maintain consistent temperatures.  We also test the water to make our water quality is consistent…the addition of food should be handled the same way; it needs to be present in small quantities, consistently, to achieve the best results and not pulsed in, in large quantities whenever it is convenient to do so.

Shop Easy Feed  Packaging™!