Unpack Instructions
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to seek out live foods grown in an environmentally sustainable larviculture facility.
Please select the type of zooplankton you have received for the instructions and information on the unpacking, acclimation and addition to there new home.
When you first receive your copepods open the bag carefully and slowly allow light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many stop still and may look dead for a time. We see this when checking livestock under the microscope. Once in the light open the lid to allow air into the container and pour them into another container for the acclimation process.
When you first receive your copepods open the bag carefully and slowly allow light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many stop still and may look dead for a time. We see this when checking livestock under the microscope. Once in the light open the lid to allow air into the container and pour them into another container for the acclimation process.
Acclimation Drip Method: (link to acclimation kits and article)
Acclimating is a slow, steady process
Equipment the will be needed;
- A one litre jug,
- 2 meters of airline
- U shape tube (Glass or Acrylic)
- Flow control valve
- Sieve 37um – 50um
Drip Method: (best for zooplankton)
- Ensure the bucket or container is thoroughly washed and rinsed
- Place the bucket next to the aquarium
- Open the bottle and carefully empty the contents into the bucket
- Make a note of the water height and find a level at double that height
- Use a clothes peg to secure the airline hose to the rim of your aquarium or
- Tie a loose knot into the airline then suck on the hose end nearest the bucket to start the flow of water from the aquarium – Stop sucking before the water gets to your mouth!
- The tightness of the knot will set the drip rate. Aim for 2-4 drips per second – Looser the knot = Faster drip rate
- Allow the water height in the bucket to double.
- Test the water in the bucket for temperature, pH and Salinity. Once it matches your aquarium you can proceed to next step.
- Slowly pour the contents of the bucket through a 37 – 50um sieve, then rinse with aquarium water and add contents of the sieve to your aquarium or culture bucket.
- Rinse the bucket and sieve, dry and store for future use
We recommend that any new purchase should ALWAYS
be quarantined to protect your aquarium!
When you first receive your amphipods open the bag carefully and slowly allow light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many stop still and may look dead for a time. We see this when checking livestock under the microscope. Once in the light open the lid to allow air into the container and pour them into another container for the acclimation process.
Acclimation Drip Method: (link to acclimation kits and article)
Acclimating is a slow, steady process
Equipment the will be needed;
- A one litre jug,
- 2 meters of airline
- U shape tube (Glass or Acrylic)
- Flow control valve
- Sieve 37um – 50um
Drip Method: (best for zooplankton)
- Ensure the bucket or container is thoroughly washed and rinsed
- Place the bucket next to the aquarium
- Open the bottle and carefully empty the contents into the bucket
- Make a note of the water height and find a level at double that height
- Use a clothes peg to secure the airline hose to the rim of your aquarium or
- Tie a loose knot into the airline then suck on the hose end nearest the bucket to start the flow of water from the aquarium – Stop sucking before the water gets to your mouth!
- The tightness of the knot will set the drip rate. Aim for 2-4 drips per second – Looser the knot = Faster drip rate
- Allow the water height in the bucket to double.
- Test the water in the bucket for temperature, pH and Salinity. Once it matches your aquarium you can proceed to next step.
- Slowly pour the contents of the bucket through a 37 – 50um sieve, then rinse with aquarium water and add contents of the sieve to your aquarium or culture bucket.
- Rinse the bucket and sieve, dry and store for future use
We recommend that any new purchase should ALWAYS
be quarantined to protect your aquarium!
When you first receive your rotifers open the bag carefully and slowly allow light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many stop still and may look dead for a time. We see this when checking livestock under the microscope. Once in the light open the lid to allow air into the container and pour them into another container for the acclimation process.
Acclimation Drip Method: (link to acclimation kits and article)
Acclimating is a slow, steady process
Equipment the will be needed;
- A one litre jug,
- 2 meters of airline
- U shape tube (Glass or Acrylic)
- Flow control valve
- Sieve 37um – 50um
Drip Method: (best for zooplankton)
- Ensure the bucket or container is thoroughly washed and rinsed
- Place the bucket next to the aquarium
- Open the bottle and carefully empty the contents into the bucket
- Make a note of the water height and find a level at double that height
- Use a clothes peg to secure the airline hose to the rim of your aquarium or
- Tie a loose knot into the airline then suck on the hose end nearest the bucket to start the flow of water from the aquarium – Stop sucking before the water gets to your mouth!
- The tightness of the knot will set the drip rate. Aim for 2-4 drips per second – Looser the knot = Faster drip rate
- Allow the water height in the bucket to double.
- Test the water in the bucket for temperature, pH and Salinity. Once it matches your aquarium you can proceed to next step.
- Slowly pour the contents of the bucket through a 37 – 50um sieve, then rinse with aquarium water and add contents of the sieve to your aquarium or culture bucket.
- Rinse the bucket and sieve, dry and store for future use
We recommend that any new purchase should ALWAYS
be quarantined to protect your aquarium!
When you first receive your daphnia open the bag carefully and slowly allow light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many stop still and may look dead for a time. We see this when checking livestock under the microscope. Once in the light open the lid to allow air into the container and pour them into another container for the acclimation process.
Acclimation Drip Method: (link to acclimation kits and article)
Acclimating is a slow, steady process
Equipment the will be needed;
- A one litre jug,
- 2 meters of airline
- U shape tube (Glass or Acrylic)
- Flow control valve
- Sieve 37um – 50um
Drip Method: (best for zooplankton)
- Ensure the bucket or container is thoroughly washed and rinsed
- Place the bucket next to the aquarium
- Open the bottle and carefully empty the contents into the bucket
- Make a note of the water height and find a level at double that height
- Use a clothes peg to secure the airline hose to the rim of your aquarium or
- Tie a loose knot into the airline then suck on the hose end nearest the bucket to start the flow of water from the aquarium – Stop sucking before the water gets to your mouth!
- The tightness of the knot will set the drip rate. Aim for 2-4 drips per second – Looser the knot = Faster drip rate
- Allow the water height in the bucket to double.
- Test the water in the bucket for temperature, pH and Salinity. Once it matches your aquarium you can proceed to next step.
- Slowly pour the contents of the bucket through a 37 – 50um sieve, then rinse with aquarium water and add contents of the sieve to your aquarium or culture bucket.
- Rinse the bucket and sieve, dry and store for future use
We recommend that any new purchase should ALWAYS
be quarantined to protect your aquarium!
When you first receive your bag of Shrimp open the bag carefully and slowly allow filtered light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many will stop still and may look dead for a time. Once you have exposed the bags to filtered light it is time to open the bag to allow air in, Now it is time for the acclimation process. This will take about 20-30 minutes shrimp can be sensitive to change of water parameters more so than fish.
Acclimation using the drip method:
- Place the bag or bags in buckets next to the aquarium.
- Aim for 4-7 drips per second
- Allow the bag(s) to double in volume.
- Once the volume has double check the parameters in the bag(s) the closer they are to where they will be moved in the better.
- Once you are ready to move the mysid, pour the water through a sieve or net in a bucket so you are not pressing the shrimp against the net with the outflow of water.
- Lift the net and put the shrimp into a quarantine hospital tank or into a culture tank.
- Most people will just put them directly into a tank with the critter’s that will eat them.
When you first receive your bag of Mysid Shrimp open the bag carefully and slowly allow filtered light onto the container. A sudden flash of bright light will certainly send them scurrying, many will stop still and may look dead for a time. Once you have exposed the bags to filtered light it is time to open the bag to allow air in, now it is time for the acclimation process. This will take about an hour dur to the mysid being sensitive to change more so than fish.
Acclimation using the drip method:
- Place the bag or bags in buckets next to the aquarium
- Aim for 2-4 drips per second
- Allow the bag/s to double in volume.
- Once the volume has doubled check the parameters in the bag/s the closer they are to where they will be moved in the better.
- Once you are ready to move the mysid pour the water through a sieve or net that’s in a bucket so you are not pressing the shrimp against the net with the outflow of water.
- Lift the net and put the shrimp into a quarantine/hospital tank or into a culture tank with only these mysid in it.
- Most people will just put then directly into a tank with the critter that will eat them, seahorses, pipefish, or every other fish that can catch them.
All of us at Aquatic Live Food really hope your fish enjoy our live goods.
- For information on how to process and care for your live zooplankton and acclimate to your tank, sump, refugium or culture system scan the QR code or type into your browser www.aquaticlivefood.com.au/unpack
- Missing items please email sales@ aquaticlivefood.com.au and let us know we will do our best to resolve straight away.
- Goods that arrive possibly dead, many people have email us saying their order of copepods, wild plankton or rotifers are dead. 95% of the time this is the first time they have received live zooplankton and they are expecting to see things swimming around and looking very busy. However, due to there size of many species of zooplankton and there transparency they can be very difficult to see. We have a video showing how to check your goods insert you tube link
- DOA* if after checking and the goods have passed away, just take a short (10sec) close up and in focus video with a torch light shining up from the bottom through the container and email to us and we will provide a replacement or a refund.
DOA* If the email of the dead goods is not sent within 2 hours of delivery we reserve the right to not resend or refund. Our live zooplankton cannot make changes to the living conditions unlike a dog or cat that can move to a cooler position. So if you or someone is not there to receive the live goods and they sit in the outdoors etc. we may refuse to replace or refund.