Our bioluminescent cultures contain living marine plankton (Pyrocystis fusiformis), microscopic organisms that produce blue light when gently disturbed in the dark. With proper care, cultures can thrive for months or even years!

Lighting: Bioluminescent plankton follow a natural day/night rhythm and need a consistent light cycle to stay healthy and glow properly. Provide around 12 hours light/12 hours dark each day. Ambient room lighting or a small desk lamp/grow light on a timer works well. It may take several days to a week for your culture to fully adjust to its new light schedule.

Seeing the Glow: Bioluminescent plankton only glow during their dark phase. They will not glow during their day cycle, even in the dark. To trigger the glow, view the culture in a dark room and gently swirl the bottle, twist it by the cap, or lightly tap the side.  Brightness often increases a few hours after the dark period begins. After repeated motion, the glow will temporarily weaken. Let the culture rest for about 30 minutes to recharge.

Temperature: Keep your culture at normal indoor temperatures, ideally around 65–75°F. Avoid direct sunlight, overheating, or freezing temperatures.

Feeding / Refresh: Bioluminescent plankton can survive long periods with light alone, but periodic feeding supports long-term health and growth. To maintain nutrients, use Refresh as directed: Add Refresh equal to 5% of the culture volume every 7–10 days and gently swirl to mix. Feed during the day cycle. Do not add large amounts at once. If glow weakens after refreshing, skip the next dose.

Need more Refresh? Order here!

Handling: Bioluminescent plankton are delicate living organisms. Avoid vigorous shaking or constant disturbance. Gentle swirling is enough to mix the culture or trigger the glow! 

Keep the lid slightly loose to allow air exchange, and gently swirl the culture every few days to keep cells evenly suspended. Do not overfill the container- leave some empty space at the top so the culture can breathe.

Expanding the Culture: Healthy cultures can be expanded by splitting into new, clean containers and gradually adding Refresh.

Water: Maintain stable marine salinity (1.024–1.026). Most macroalgae grow best in nutrient-rich aquarium water with moderate nitrate and phosphate levels.

Light: Provide 8–12 hours of moderate to strong lighting daily. In general, green macroalgae grows well under white or full-spectrum light, while red and blue species often develop deeper coloration under blue-heavy reef lighting.

Water Flow: Moderate water movement helps prevent detritus buildup and supports healthy growth.

Temperature: Maintain typical reef aquarium temperatures of 72–80°F

Placement: Some species attach to rock or substrate (such as Caulerpa and Octhodes), while others can be placed loosely or tucked into rockwork for display (such as Codium, Gracilaria, or Dragon’s Breath).

Water: Maintain stable marine parameters with salinity 1.024–1.026 and high water quality. Invertebrates are often sensitive to rapid changes in salinity, temperature, and other water parameters.

Light: Most marine invertebrates do not have specific lighting requirements and can thrive under typical aquarium lighting. However, anemones and other symbiotic species often require moderate to strong reef light.

Water Flow: Flow requirements vary by species. Many invertebrates, especially filter feeders, benefit from gentle to moderate water flow that delivers suspended food particles without directly blasting the animal.

Temperature: Maintain typical reef aquarium temperatures of 72–80°F with minimal fluctuations.

Feeding: Many invertebrates feed on plankton, suspended nutrients, or detritus in the water column or sand bed. Filter-feeding species such as feather dusters, cucumbers, and sponges may benefit from regular additions of phytoplankton or reef snow. Tube anemones and other predatory invertebrates appreciate target feeding of small meaty foods such as mysis shrimp or finely chopped seafood.

Water: Maintain stable reef parameters with salinity 1.024–1.026, low to moderate nutrients, and consistent water chemistry. Avoid sudden changes in salinity, temperature, or alkalinity.

Light: Coral lighting is best evaluated using PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation), which measures the amount of usable light reaching the coral. PAR can be measured with a PAR meter or estimated using manufacturer charts.

Typical ranges:

• 0 PAR for NPS (non-photosynthetic) corals
• 50–150 PAR for soft corals
• 75–200 PAR for LPS corals
• 200–350+ PAR for SPS corals

Water Flow: Flow requirements vary significantly by species. As a general guide, soft corals typically prefer gentle to moderate, indirect flow, while many LPS corals benefit from moderate flow that allows their polyps to move without being blasted directly.

Temperature: Maintain typical reef aquarium temperatures of 75–80°F with minimal fluctuation.

Feeding: Many corals rely primarily on photosynthesis but can benefit from occasional feeding of plankton or coral foods, especially LPS and NPS species.

Corals: Corals are sensitive to temperature and light changes but do not require drip acclimation.

1. Open shipment in a dimly lit room and turn off aquarium light.

2. Float sealed bags in aquarium for 15–20 minutes to equalize temperature.

3. If desired, perform a coral dip following the product’s directions. Rinse corals with clean saltwater from your tank before placement.

4. Place corals low in the tank and gradually move them to their preferred lighting and flow areas over several days to prevent stress or bleaching.

Invertebrates: Inverts are more sensitive to salinity and parameter swings than corals, so drip acclimation is recommended.

1-2. Same as above.

3. Open bag and drip acclimate using airline tubing (2–4 drops per second) for 30–60 minutes, or up to 90 minutes for delicate species.

4. Gently transfer inverts into your tank using a net or cup- do not add bag water. Keep light low for the first few hours to reduce stress.

Fish: Fish produce waste that lowers pH during shipping. Once the bag is opened, pH rises and ammonia becomes toxic, so do not drip acclimate shipped fish.

1-2. Same as above.

3. Open bag and immediately transfer fish into your tank using a net or cup- do not add bag water. Keep light low for the first few hours to reduce stress.

WHAT'S NORMAL FOR NEW ARRIVALS:

Corals: May stay closed or retracted for several days before fully extending. Patience is key!

Invertebrates: Many are nocturnal and may not move much right away. Activity often increases at night with most species.

Fish: May hide or refuse food for the first 1–3 days.

PLEASE NOTE:

-Macroalgae, gorgonians, and sponges should not be dipped.

-Gorgonians and sponges should never be exposed to air.

-We do not recommend the use of medication with invertebrates.

-We recommend and encourage that you practice quarantine with all new livestock, regardless of the source.