Adult Artemia are an excellent live food not only for fish, but also for crayfish, shrimp, crabs and even snails. Leaf-footed crayfish of the genus Artemia originate from large inland waters with strongly alkaline salt water such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah / USA.

Artemia are specially bred as live food in facilities with saltwater, they are not taken from nature. The small crustaceans contain chitin, which is an important dietary fiber for fish for intestinal health and provides shrimp, crabs, shrimps and crustaceans in general with vital building materials for their own shell. In addition, artemia contain cholesterol and molting hormones, which is also very beneficial to crustaceans for their own molting. The ratio of fat, carbohydrates and protein that brine shrimp have is optimal for fish and freshwater invertebrates.

Since Artemia come from saltwater, they cannot be used to introduce parasites or nuisances that would survive in a freshwater aquarium. Thanks to the osmoregulation, Artemia do not contain a higher salt content inside the body than other live food from freshwater, which is why the brine shrimp should be rinsed briefly, but can then be fed to freshwater animals without any hesitation.

The Artemia themselves also survive only a short time in freshwater, so they can be used by shrimp and snails that would not actively hunt for live food. These invertebrates digest the dead brine shrimp. Crayfish and crabs, just like fish, actively go hunting for the little nutrient bombs.

Of course, you can also use these live Artemia to make a breeding stock.

Marine copepods are the perfect live food for fish and invertebrates due to their composition of protein, fat, omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber. In addition, they provide invertebrates with important building materials for molting with the chitin of their outer shell and their molting hormones.

Since these are copepods from marine water, it is also impossible to introduce parasites or similar into the freshwater aquarium. By the way, the salinity of copepods inside the body is not different from that of hopping copepods originating from freshwater, thanks to their good osmoregulation. Please rinse the copepods briefly under running water before feeding. In fresh water the small crustaceans die quickly and are then also well eaten by dwarf shrimps and snails.

If you want to feed the marine copepods quickly, you can simply store the bags in the refrigerator. For longer storage, put them in a larger container that you place loosely covered in the refrigerator. A breeding batch runs best at room temperature, but for this you should grow live marine algae cultures.

To breed marine copepods, you should set up a small glass aquarium with an air lifter for water circulation and saltwater. Approximately 20 l capacity is well suited. The water should have the same salinity as the water in the bag, a hydrometer helps to determine the density. Salting up is done with sea salt from the specialized trade. Table salt would contain trickling agent, which is harmful for the copepods.

The “L” strain of rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis)

These range in size from 100-360 microns,

Marine Rotifers L Strain are half the size of newly hatched brine shrimp, giving smaller organisms a chance to feed

Secondly, this is perfect for filter feeders, hard corals, soft corals, larval fish, and other reef carnivores that feed on small zooplankton.

Furthermore, Rotifers are critical to feeding fish and invertebrate hatcheries around the world. We can ship our live rotifers

Finally, now aquarists of all skill levels can now have a real chance at breeding their own favourite fish. Being able to provide essential live food that’s required for newborn and juvenile Aquaria.

Rock pool shrimp (Palaemon elegans) is very common in our rockpools and is often confused with other shrimp species like the common prawn (P. serratus). P. elegans has a transparent body with dark brown stripes along its carapace and six abdominal segments with yellow and blue banded legs. They can be differentiated from other shrimp species by their rostrum (a long appendage that looks like the shrimp’s nose and has several serrations). P. elegans has a much straighter rostrum than P. serratus with 8-9 serrations, 2-3 are behind their eyes. These shrimp can get to 63mm in length but are usually found much smaller than that; around 30mm.

Oceanic crayfish from the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea is the perfect food for large fish, crayfish and large crabs when fully grown. Its composition of protein, fats and fiber makes it an optimal food for fish and invertebrates. Of course, young Gammarus oceanicus can also be fed to smaller fish. Incidentally, thanks to the chitin in their shell and their moulting hormone content, these Gammarus provide your invertebrates with important building materials for their own moulting process.

Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight in order to live and grow. Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates the water. Phytoplankton also require inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and sulfur which they convert into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

The two main classes of phytoplankton are dinoflagellates and diatoms. Dinoflagellates use a whip-like tail, or flagella, to move through the water and their bodies are covered with complex shells. Diatoms also have shells, but they are made of a different substance and their structure is rigid and made of interlocking parts. Diatoms do not rely on flagella to move through the water and instead rely on ocean currents to travel through the water.

In a balanced ecosystem, phytoplankton provide food for a wide range of sea creatures including shrimp, snails, and jellyfish. When too many nutrients are available

 belong to the group of few crayfish. They grow to a length of 4-10 cm and are therefore suitable for medium to large fish and of course also for young crayfish, adult crayfish and dwarf crayfish from America, Europe and Australia, crabs and large-armed shrimps. Protein-hungry dwarf shrimp such as Amano shrimp or tiger shrimp also enjoy a shiner worm from time to time.

Shiner worms not only look like earthworms, they are closely related to them. They are also known as blackworms because of their relatively dark color, or Dennerle worm (that because single specimens can sometimes be found in pots of aquatic plants). Shiny worms are relatively rich in content, they do not contain a lot of fiber, but they do contain a relatively high amount of protein and fat. Glossy worms are part of a balanced diet, they are not useful as a sole food.

If you want to feed the shiny worms promptly, store them in the bag in the refrigerator. 

Moina macrocopa is pretty common and is widely distributed throughout the world; cultures have been collected in such geographical locations as North and South America, Africa, Europe & South East Asia. They are often found to inhabit temporary shallow pools with high nutrient levels.

Moina macrocopa are pretty small they are round in shape with adult males measuring around 0.5 – 0.9mm in length, females being slightly larger. They are an excellent food for fish with small mouths with juvenile monia being an excellent food supplement for small fry. 

This small water flea species has a relatively large head which is almost half the length of its body, there is also a large compound eye in this region. Its carapace possesses two large antennas on the rear of its head followed by a further flexible antenna just below the eye. Further down the frontal carapace are two larger grasp like appendages. The clearly visible brood chamber is aft.

These water fleas are very small, usually 2-5 mm long, with an overall shape similar to a kidney bean. The body is enclosed by a transparent shell-like structure, called a carapace, that is mostly made of chitin. Due to its transparent carapace, this species tends to be the color of what it is currently eating. The carapace extends into the head shields, an important diagnostic characteristic for this species. They have two sets of long, doubly branched antennae and six thoracic appendages that are held inside of the carapace and help to produce a current of water, carrying food and oxygen to their mouths and gills. They also have two large claws, used mainly for cleaning the carapace. They have one compound eye, which appears as an anterior dark spot, and one simple eye (ocellus). Males are smaller than females (typically only 2 mm long while females are 3-5 mm long) but have longer antennules and modified, hook-like first appendages used for clasping females during mating.

Fairy shrimp Branchinella Thailandensis Sanoamuang originally came from Thailand, from where they derived their name. There they live in a warm climate, under excellent living conditions. This Fairy shrimp species is not only one of the best-known species in the world, but also one of the most beautiful. If there is enough light, the Thailandensis can develop a wonderful blaze of color. Their head may develop into a bright blue, their body is white and the tail is fire-red. Because of their red tails, Thailandensis are also often referred to as Red Tail Fairy shrimp, although this is not the scientific name of this Fairy shrimp species.