At Hikari®, we love plankton. These tiny creatures help create the circle of life in the ocean. Plankton includes small plants and animals that float throughout the ebb and flow of the tides. Besides being a terrific natural food source, a majority of fish rely on plankton during their life cycle, they also contribute to the carbon cycle in marine aquariums. There are two main categories you should know:
Phytoplankton
This category is comprised of small floating plants that produce their own food and energy through photosynthesis. They are often found floating near the surface in order to absorb the higher levels of the sun’s rays. These one celled plants release oxygen as a byproduct. In fact, an estimated 80 percent of the Earth’s oxygen is produced by phytoplankton.
Diatoms are the most well-known of the phytoplanktons. These yellowish algae forms come in a variety of shapes including disk, needle, or linked assembling larger chains. Dinoflagellates are another type that can move through the water using two grooved flagellates.
Zooplankton
This category of plankton is made up of small animal plankton. Within this group are; 1) nanoplankton (the smallest unicellular phytoplankton) 2) invertebrates – like the egg and larvae categories of microplankton, 3) macroplankton – a wide range of copepods like amphipods and arrow worms, 4) zooplankton and last but not least, 5) megaplanktons – which includes large jellyfish and the Portuguese man-o-war.
At Hikari®, we know how important the nutritional richness of plankton can be as a required, natural and meaty protein source that all aquariums require in some form or another to remain healthy. Offered as a treat that most marine animals eagerly attack, our unique selection of planktons contain essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA and deliver a combination of Bio-Encapsulated vitamins in an easily digestible format that will help your aquarium inhabitants live a long and health-filled life while helping to keep your tank in top form.