Phyto Shot, Nannochloropsis Phytoplankton: Boost Your Aquarium Naturally
You know phytoplankton matters. You have a bottle in the fridge, or you had one, and somewhere between meaning to dose it daily and actually doing it, the routine never quite stuck. The bottle is nearly empty, or it ran out a week ago, or you are going away and there is no one to measure and dose while you are gone. The intention is there. The consistency is the part that keeps slipping.
The problem with bottled phytoplankton for many keepers is not the product. It is the friction. Finding the bottle, measuring the dose, remembering to turn the skimmer off, remembering to turn it back on. For a busy keeper or a smaller system that does not need large daily volumes, that routine is easy to deprioritise. And once the habit breaks, the copepod population quietly declines, the filter feeders pull back, and the tank settles into a nutritionally poorer state that is hard to attribute to any single missed dose.
Phyto Shot is live Nannochloropsis phytoplankton in a single-use ready-to-dose pouch, available in 50ml and 100ml, cultured fresh at the Reefphyto facility in Wales at approximately 2 billion cells per millilitre. Snip the corner, add it to a high-flow area of your tank or sump with the skimmer off for 30 to 60 minutes, and the dose is done. No measuring, no bottle to manage, no routine to maintain. It fits through a standard letterbox, which means it arrives whether you are home or not, and it is ready to use the moment it does.
The tank gets what it needs. Copepods in the refugium have their food source maintained. Filter feeders stay active. The biological input that so often gets skipped is delivered without the friction that causes it to be skipped. For keepers who travel, for nano systems that need small precise doses, or simply for anyone who wants live phytoplankton available on demand without committing to a bottle and a routine, Phyto Shot removes every barrier that stands between the intention and the action.
Reefphyto has been culturing Nannochloropsis in Wales since 2008. Every Phyto Shot pouch is produced fresh and dispatched at peak cell density. If you want guidance on how Phyto Shot fits alongside a regular phytoplankton programme or a live culture setup, contact us directly. Darren responds personally.
When the bottle runs out or the routine breaks, Phyto Shot is there.
What Phyto Shot Contains and How It Works
Each Phyto Shot pouch contains live Nannochloropsis phytoplankton cultured fresh at the Reefphyto facility in Wales at approximately 2 billion cells per millilitre. Nannochloropsis cells measure 1 to 5 microns, placing them within the feeding range of fine filter feeders, sponges, tunicates, clams, and the smallest coral polyps. Their high EPA content makes them one of the most nutritionally significant phytoplankton inputs available at this cell size, and their ability to absorb dissolved nitrate and phosphate from the water column provides a measurable water quality benefit alongside their direct feeding role.
The pouch format is not a compromise on quality. The cell density is the same as the bottled Nannochloropsis gaditana product. The culture stock is the same. The dispatch standard is the same. The difference is purely in the delivery format, which is optimised for convenience, immediate use, and letterbox compatibility rather than for large-volume or ongoing programme dosing.
Who Phyto Shot Is For
Phyto Shot suits several distinct keeper situations, each of which involves the same underlying need: live phytoplankton available on demand without the commitment of managing a regular dosing routine.
Keepers who travel regularly or have unpredictable schedules find Phyto Shot particularly useful because it can be ordered for delivery on a specific date, arrives through the letterbox without requiring someone to be home, and is ready to dose immediately without any preparation. A pouch ordered to arrive on the day you return from a trip means the tank gets a live phytoplankton addition the moment you are back, regardless of whether the bottle in the fridge has run out.
Nano reef keepers whose small tank volume means they only need 50 to 100ml of phytoplankton per dose find the pouch format more practical than managing a large bottle with daily small draws. A single 50ml pouch doses a 50-litre tank with enough phytoplankton for a meaningful biological input without the waste or storage management of a larger product.
Keepers who are new to phytoplankton and want to try a single dose before committing to a full bottle find Phyto Shot a low-commitment entry point. One pouch, one dose, immediate observation of how the tank's filter feeders and copepod population respond.
Keepers who run a regular bottled phytoplankton programme and want a convenient top-up option for when the bottle runs out between orders use Phyto Shot to bridge the gap without interrupting their dosing consistency.
Phyto Shot Versus Bottled Nannochloropsis - Choosing the Right Format
Phyto Shot and the bottled Nannochloropsis gaditana product contain the same live culture at the same cell density. The choice between them is purely about how you want to dose and how much you need.
Phyto Shot is the right format when convenience and immediacy are the priority. Single doses, on-demand use, travel-friendly delivery, no routine required. It is not designed for large daily volumes or for keepers whose system requires more than 100ml per dose.
The bottled Nannochloropsis gaditana in 250ml, 500ml, or 1000ml is the right format when you are dosing daily at volume, running a copepod or rotifer culture that requires regular phytoplankton input, or managing a larger system where the cost per millilitre of a larger bottle is more economical over time.
Many keepers use both. The bottle for the daily programme, Phyto Shot for the days when the routine slips, the bottle is empty, or a quick supplemental dose is needed without opening and measuring from the main stock.
How to Use Phyto Shot
Remove the pouch from the fridge. Turn off your protein skimmer, UV steriliser, and any ozone equipment. Snip the corner of the pouch. Add the contents directly to a high-flow area of your sump or display tank. Replace the skimmer and UV after 30 to 60 minutes.
That is the entire process. The pouch is single-use and does not require rinsing, measuring, or any additional preparation. Store refrigerated until use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Phyto Shot pouch stay fresh?
Store refrigerated from delivery and use within the freshness period indicated on the pouch. As with all live phytoplankton products, cell viability is highest at dispatch and declines gradually over time. Using the pouch promptly after delivery gives the best results.
Can I use half a pouch and save the rest?
The pouch is designed as a single-use format. If you want to use it in two doses, reseal the opened pouch tightly and refrigerate immediately, using the second half within 24 hours. For ongoing partial-dose applications a small bottled product is a more practical format.
Is this the same quality as the bottled phytoplankton products?
Yes. The cell density, culture stock, and freshness standards are identical to the bottled Nannochloropsis gaditana. The pouch format is a delivery and convenience choice, not a quality compromise.
Will this fit through my letterbox?
Yes. The pouch format is designed to be letterbox-compatible, meaning it can be delivered without requiring a signature or someone to be home. This is particularly useful for keepers who want to schedule delivery for a specific date or who are away when the order arrives.
Can I use this to feed a copepod or rotifer culture?
Yes. Nannochloropsis is the primary food source for rotifers and a key feed for copepod cultures. A Phyto Shot pouch added to a culture vessel provides an immediate phytoplankton input to sustain the culture between regular bottled product deliveries or when the main culture feed has run low.
Reefphyto - Live Phytoplankton Cultured in Wales Since 2008
Reefphyto has been producing and supplying live Nannochloropsis to reef keepers, marine fish breeders, and public aquariums across the UK since 2008. Every Phyto Shot pouch is cultured fresh at our Wales facility and dispatched at peak cell density. If you have questions about how Phyto Shot fits into your existing phytoplankton programme or want advice on the right format for your system, contact us directly. Darren responds personally to every enquiry.
