Rotifers

[Reefworks]

Rotifers have been used in aquaculture for decades but reef hobbiests have been strangely slow to utilise them for feeding their corals.
Rotifers are live marine zooplankton that are about 1/4 the size of a newly hatched brine shrimp. They are very highly nutritious and extremely easy to culture.
These zooplankton are far more beneficial to your corals than phytoplankton and other foodstuffs as most species of sps and soft coral will feed on them, whereas very few corals feed on phytoplankton and as they are live they will elicit the best feeding response from your corals.
Rotifers are very easy to culture, all you need is a small tank, bottle or container and an airline. They can be cultured at room temperature in normal strength sea water. Rotifers do not even need to be kept particularly clean and a partial water change every few weeks is all that is needed.
Rotifers need to be fed phytoplankton, any type will do although Nanochloropsis is best and you can use dead phytoplankton rather than live if you wish. Reed Mariculture produce a great, cheap Rotifer diet (obtainable through Coral Culture), a small bottle of which should last a couple of months.
Reefworks supplies starter cultures of rotifers for only £9.00. Simply add them to your container, add a little phytoplankton each day and then harvest them regularly with a fine sieve every couple of days and feed them to your reef tank. There really is no better or simpler way to feed your corals.

Rotifer link (http://www.reefworks.co.uk/default.asp?section=37&subpage=102)

[maestro]

Do you have to have a heater in the container or is room temp enough?

[Reefworks]

Room temperature is fine maestro

[Mike4271]

Just to confirm what Clayton said, I used to culture them when I lived in Florida and they where so easy I had to give some away on a regular basis, the only thing I would add, is if you are also culturing Phyto, be sure to keep everything separate, as once they cross contaminate, rotifers will take over the world and your phyto will vanish :D

Didn't know you guys where doing them, let me get my son to drink a couple of 2ltr cokes and I will order some, Mike

[Shultz]

Clayton.... What ppt water do you send your cultures in please? Also is there any reason why they can't be fed using this: http://www.coralculture.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_121&products_id=866

Since it is what the rot diet is made from (as far as I can tell) & this product can be frozen/has a 2yr shelf life when frozen?

Cheers Shelton.

[Reefworks]

Normal strength sea water (although they can be cultured lower). Yes nannochloropsis is fine for them.
Many thanks

[Gavin Smith]

You should sell a Rotifer culture kit with the necessary food and a custom made Reefworks propogation vessel.

Gavin

[Reefworks]

Thanks for the advice Gavin but there are plenty of places already selling phyto and as you know Reefworks only sells products that it produces itself. Phyto is simply not cost effective to produce and sell in comparison to the excellent products on the market such as Reed Maricultures.
However I might look into the culture vesels. ;-)