Algae

Some of the most beautiful things in our reef tanks are not corals at all, but the photosynthetic life that forms the foundation of every marine food web in the form of macroalgae and phytoplankton.

Marine macroalgae comes in a wide assortment of shapes and colors. Here you will find various types of macroalgae that Tidal Gardens has been cultivating. These algae can be planted in the main display tank if there are no herbivores such as foxfaces or tangs, as well as in a refugium. In addition to providing aesthetics, decorative algae absorbs nitrate, phosphate, and heavy metals which are detrimental to the health of the reef.

We also offer live phytoplankton, cultured right here at Tidal Gardens. Where macroalgae exports nutrients, phytoplankton feeds the system from the bottom up. Our cultures of T-Isochrysis, Rhodomonas, and Chaetoceros provide a direct food source for filter-feeding corals and invertebrates, and drive the broader food web by nourishing copepods, rotifers, and the bacterioplankton that a healthy reef depends on. Every order is harvested the same day it ships and sent overnight, so it arrives as fresh and dense as live phyto can be.