Live Greenwater, Freshwater Phytoplankton for Daphnia, Moina, Copepods, and Fish Fry
Hydralife cultivates multiple freshwater phytoplankton species separately, then blends them at harvest. Here is what sets Hydralife's product apart from anything else on the market.
Hydralife's Greenwater - Freshwater Phytoplankton
Ultra-Dense Concentration
Cultivated in professional photobioreactors at densities far beyond anything achievable at home. Every bag is packed with billions of live phytoplankton cells, ready to use immediately.
Multiple Species Available
Different zooplankton thrive on different phytoplankton. Hydralife cultivates multiple freshwater species in monospecific closed systems so you can match the right food to your specific cultures.
Nutritionally Rich
Grown under optimized conditions for peak nutritional content. Essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that powdered or freeze-dried alternatives simply cannot match.
Live greenwater, choose your size
Cultivated for each order and shipped live in breather bags so customers receive healthy and nutritious phytoplankton. Feed on the day it arrives. Subscribe and save 10 percent on every size.
Concentrated Greenwater Phytoplankton
Single 32 oz bag, $29.99
Two 32 oz bags, $49.99
Three 32 oz bags, $69.99
Five 32 oz bags, $99.99 *Best value at $20.00 per bag.
Commercial and bulk volumes are available and quoted per order.
Call 303.219.0623 or email service@hydralifesolutions.com
Delivered direct to the lower 48 states. Ships Monday through Thursday. Live arrival guaranteed.
What is Greenwater?
Greenwater is water carrying a dense suspension of live freshwater phytoplankton, the microscopic algae at the base of the aquatic food chain. It is the first food that daphnia, moina, copepods, rotifers, some newly hatched fish fry and minnows evolved to eat. Hydralife ships our greenwater alive and direct to our customers so it is healthy and full of nutrition.
Greenwater is not a fish food in the strict sense. It is a feed organism, consumed alive and in quantity by invertebrates, zooplankton and fry. These are the animals that will feed your fish and promote a healthy ecosystem.
Why is greenwater so hard to culture at home?
Phytoplankton can be a challenge to cultivate anywhere. Phytoplankton needs precise control of light, nutrients, sterility, and timing. Even experienced aquarists watch their cultures crash. To compound the challenge, every species of phytoplankton is unique in its own right. Four variables collapse home cultures.
Light
Phytoplankton needs a specific light intensity, spectrum and photoperiod. Too little and growth stalls. Too much and you overheat the culture or trigger a die-off. Most home setups run the wrong spectrum entirely.
Nutrients
Phytoplankton needs precise ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus and minerals. Dose too much and the medium can turn toxic to the microalgae. Dose too little and the culture starves. The middle ground is hard to hold, because a culture grows at different rates as it matures.
Contamination
Bacteria, fungi, rotifers and competing algae can take down a culture in days. Sterile technique is difficult to hold in any environment.
Time
Every phytoplankton culture crashes eventually. Rebuilding one costs two to three weeks of downtime, and during those weeks your zooplankton starve and your fry go unfed. Buying live greenwater removes the failure mode entirely.
Why a multi-species blend is important
Hydralife cultivates multiple freshwater phytoplankton species, each in its own monospecific closed photobioreactor, then blends them at harvest. Different zooplankton and different fry take different cell sizes and zooplankton and fry have different stages in life. Each species of phytoplankton was selected for its nutritional value for zooplankton, fish fry and minnows. The variety of phytoplankton provides a better diet to those organisms that feed on microalgae.
A variety of cell size is important for zooplankton and fish fry. As zooplankton and/or fish fry pass through life stages the variety of phytoplankton, cell sizes and nutritional profile will ensure their health when developing.
The phytoplankton cells are protein-rich and carry the polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that daphnia, moina, copepods and fry cannot make themselves, along with B-complex vitamins, carotenoids and trace minerals. Thin cell walls keep the whole package digestible, so those nutrients are assimilated instead of passing through.
Who uses Hydralife greenwater
Daphnia and moina culturists
Whether you are breeding fish, culturing live zooplankton, or inoculating a small pond, greenwater is the foundation the rest of the system feeds on.
Fish breeders and fry growers
Fish breeders and fry growers. Greenwater is one of the best first foods for newly hatched fry, particularly the small-fry species: bettas, gouramis, killifish, rainbowfish, and egg-scatterers. The cells stay suspended in the water column where fry feed, and they do not break down and foul a rearing vessel the way prepared foods do. Use it in culture vessels and fry-rearing tanks. It is not intended for indoor display aquariums, where phytoplankton can bloom and tint the water depending on your lighting and nutrient load.
Greenwater is the food daphnia and moina evolved to eat. If you are running cultures on yeast, spirulina powder, or a home phytoplankton culture that keeps crashing, this is the fix. Dense living cells across a range of sizes keep a colony reproducing steadily instead of boom and bust, and there is nothing to mix, dose or maintain. Your daphnia are the reason the rest of the system works, so feeding them well is the highest-leverage thing you can do.
Copepod and rotifer culturists
Copepod and rotifer cultures. Copepods and rotifers feed on live phytoplankton. A consistent, dense supply keeps those cultures producing without running a separate algae reactor and without the risk of a crash taking the whole colony with it.
Pond and lake inoculation
Pond and lake inoculation. Greenwater is the same beneficial phytoplankton used in our large-scale bioremediation product. Added to an outdoor pond it establishes the base of the food chain, absorbs excess nitrogen and phosphate, produces oxygen through photosynthesis, and feeds zooplankton and fingerlings.
Hydralife greenwater compared with a home culture
Most aquarists try to culture greenwater themselves first. Here is the honest comparison.
Ready when it arrives. Hydralife ships ready to pour. Home cultures are honestly very challenging especially as time goes on.
Density. Photobioreactor-cultivated and consistent, batch to batch. Home cultures vary widely and often run thin.
Crash risk. Our cultures are maintained in a controlled facility where we grow excellent phytoplankton. Home cultures crash for a variety of reasons including temperature swings, light, contamination and time.
Nutritional quality. Grown under optimized conditions for peak nutritional content. Cells grown in uncontrolled conditions are nutrient-depleted by comparison.
Species purity. Monospecific closed systems, blended at harvest. Home cultures pick up whatever organisms find them.
Cell size range. Multiple species and multiple cell sizes for different zooplankton. A home culture gives you whatever survives your conditions.
Knowledge required. None. Pour and feed. Culturing at home asks for working knowledge of phycology, nutrient chemistry, and sterile technique.
Equipment required. None. Culturing at home takes containers, grow lights, fertilizer, air pumps, and test kits.
Long-term reliability. Subscribe and it arrives on a schedule. Home cultures degrade and crash over weeks and months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is greenwater?
Greenwater is water carrying a dense suspension of live freshwater phytoplankton, the microscopic algae at the base of the aquatic food chain. The green color is chlorophyll from the concentration of living cells. It is the natural food source for daphnia, moina, copepods, rotifers, and fish fry.
Why is greenwater so hard to culture at home?
Growing phytoplankton is not like growing aquarium plants. It needs precise control of light intensity and spectrum, water temperature, nutrient dosing ratios, carbon dioxide, and sterile techniques. Even experienced aquarists watch their cultures crash. Hydralife is here to provide you with a high quality source of greenwater and freshwater phytoplankton.
What species of phytoplankton does Hydralife grow?
Hydralife cultivates multiple freshwater phytoplankton species, each in its own monospecific closed system, then blends them at harvest. Zooplankton thrive on different types of phytoplankton and cell sizes, so the blend covers rotifers and the smallest fry through adult daphnia and copepods.
How do I use greenwater for daphnia and moina?
Pour the greenwater directly into your daphnia or moina culture vessel. For maintenance feeding, add enough to keep the culture water visibly green. For a new culture, use greenwater as the base water before adding your starter colony.
Can I use greenwater for fish fry?
Yes. Greenwater is one of the best first foods for newly hatched fry, particularly small-fry species such as bettas, gouramis, killifish, rainbowfish, sunfish, bluegills and egg-scatterers. The cells stay suspended in the water column where fry feed, and they do not break down and foul a rearing vessel the way dry foods do.
Can I use Hydralife greenwater in my outdoor pond?
Yes. In ponds, lakes, and other water bodies the phytoplankton absorbs excess nitrogen and phosphate, consumes carbon dioxide, produces oxygen, and feeds the zooplankton, minnows, and fingerlings above it in the food chain. For large volumes, Hydralife also sells bulk live phytoplankton.
Where does Hydralife ship greenwater?
Hydralife delivers greenwater direct to the lower 48 states. Orders go out Monday through Thursday in breather bags so the culture arrives alive and active, with a live arrival guarantee.
How should I store greenwater after it arrives?
Feed it the day it arrives for the densest, most active cells. If you cannot use it all at once, refridgerate it, move the remainder to a container with light aeration and a strong light source to keep the cells active, or water your houseplants with it. Give it a gentle shake before each use.
Can I subscribe for regular greenwater deliveries?
Biweekly and monthly subscriptions both save 10 percent on every order, so your cultures always have fresh greenwater on hand. Cancel anytime.
How much greenwater do I need?
It depends on what you are feeding and how often. Here is a starting point, and if you tell us your setup we will size it with you rather than have you guess.
A daphnia or moina culture
Feed enough to tint the culture water visibly green, then feed again when it clears.
Fish fry and breeding tanks
Fry tanks use less volume but need it more often, because greenwater is a first food and the window is short.
A pond or water feature
Ponds take more, and the dose depends on volume and on what already lives in the water. For anything sizeable, contact us and we will size it. For lake and irrigation-pond scale, contact us about our concentrated phytoplankton sizes rather than greenwater.
What arrives at your door
Your greenwater is cultivated for your order and shipped live in breather bags, which let the culture exchange gas in transit so the cells arrive active rather than suffocated. It ships Monday through Thursday, so nothing sits in a warehouse over a weekend, and it goes direct to the lower 48 states.