Green Water Phytoplankton – Live Freshwater Culture | Cultured by Aquatic Arts
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
For the safety of our culture, we now ship live cultures exclusively via UPS 2nd Day Air or UPS Next Day Air. If your order contains fish or other select livestock, you will only see UPS Next Day Air as a shipping option during checkout.
Available Sizes: 8 oz | 16 oz
This product is shipped live and will arrive packaged in a fish bag for transit safety.
Description
Green Water is a live freshwater phytoplankton culture grown exclusively in Aquatic Arts holding systems used to breed Neocaridina shrimp. This culture contains naturally established, free-floating algae (phytoplankton) that develops under stable, shrimp-safe aquarium conditions.
It is commonly used to feed live food organisms such as Daphnia and Moina, support fry and breeder systems, and enhance biologically active aquariums where a natural micro-ecosystem is desired.
Because this culture is aquarium-grown and not strain-isolated, it reflects a stable, functional phytoplankton community rather than a single identified species.
What We Love About This Product
• Shrimp-System Grown: Originates only from Neocaridina breeding aquariums
• Essential Live Food: A primary food source for Daphnia, Moina, and other zooplankton
• Aquarium-Adapted: Developed under typical aquarium lighting and water conditions
• Versatile Use: Ideal for live food cultures, fry systems, and ecosystem-style aquariums
Primary Uses
Live Food Cultures
Green water is widely used to feed and sustain Daphnia, Moina, and similar micro-fauna commonly raised as live food for aquarium fish.
Fry and Breeder Systems
While most fish fry do not consume phytoplankton directly, green water supports the microorganisms that early-stage fry rely on, helping establish a richer food web.
Planted and Biological Aquariums
In controlled amounts, phytoplankton contributes dissolved nutrients and organic compounds that support plants and beneficial microorganisms, enhancing overall biological activity.
Packaging & Handling (Important)
This product does not come in a reusable container.
Green water is shipped in a fish bag and must be transferred upon arrival.
Upon Arrival:
• Open the bag promptly
• Transfer contents to a clean container, culture vessel, or directly into the aquarium as intended
• Do not reseal or store long-term in the shipping bag
Failure to transfer the culture may result in reduced viability.
How to Use
• Live food cultures: Add enough to lightly tint the water green
• Fry or ecosystem tanks: Use sparingly to avoid excessive water coloration
• Planted aquariums: Best suited for biological or experimental setups
This product is intended for functional use, not as a water clarity product.
Who This Is Best For
• Daphnia and Moina breeders
• Hobbyists culturing live foods
• Fish breeders and fry grow-out systems
• Aquarists maintaining biologically active aquariums
Important Notes
This is a live, naturally established phytoplankton culture. Color intensity and species composition may vary slightly between batches without affecting performance or intended use.
Excessive use in display aquariums may reduce water clarity.
Live Arrival Guarantee
All Aquatic Arts live cultures are backed by our 100% live arrival guarantee when proper handling instructions are followed.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
