• PodDrop Nannochloropsis oculata Phytoplankton Culture, live microalgae culture, product photo 2.
  • PodDrop Nannochloropsis oculata Phytoplankton Culture, live microalgae culture, product photo 1.
1 2

Product appearance can vary naturally. Confirm the exact item and size in the product details.

2 views

CULTURED IN ARIZONA • LICENSE AQ91

Nannochloropsis oculata Phytoplankton Culture

Nannochloropsis oculata Phytoplankton Culture

$20.00
$20.00
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
LIVE CULTURELIVE MICROALGAE CULTURE READYCULTURED BY PODDROP
Best for
Copepod culturesRotifer culturesFilter feedersLive-feed programs
Size
Auto-Ship & Save (Cancel Anytime)

Auto-renews, skip or cancel anytime.

Auto-Ship & Save (Cancel Anytime)

Auto-renews, skip or cancel anytime.

To add to cart, go to the product page and select a purchase option

Product overview

Product Overview

Nannochloropsis oculata is a live microalgal culture intended for compatible live-feed cultures and supplemental aquarium feeding. It is a nonmotile marine eustigmatophyte used in live-feed culture programs. Suitability depends on the consumer’s feeding behavior, the culture identity, particle size, and system conditions.

Cell density and biochemical composition vary with strain, growth phase, medium, temperature, light, harvest timing, and storage. PodDrop does not guarantee fixed protein, lipid, fatty-acid, pigment, vitamin, growth, color, health, or water-quality outcomes unless supported by current product-specific analysis.

Follow the product label, dose conservatively, and monitor water quality. This culture is not a treatment for disease, coral stress, nuisance algae, or dinoflagellates.

Shipping & Live Arrival Policy
View full details

WHY THIS CULTURE

Why Nannochloropsis is a culture-room staple.

Nannochloropsis is a small, non-motile green microalgae commonly used in live-feed culture workflows. Its role is strongest when the target organism and protocol are compatible with its cell profile.

Small-cell profile

A small non-motile microalgae profile suited to many compatible live-feed and supplemental feeding routines.

Copepod & rotifer support

Frequently used as part of feeding programs for compatible copepod and rotifer cultures; target-species requirements should guide use.

Green culture reference

Provides a distinct green microalgae option when a protocol calls for Nannochloropsis rather than a flagellate or diatom.

No silicate requirement

Unlike diatoms, Nannochloropsis does not require silicate as part of a diatom frustule-building pathway.

BEST FIT WHEN

This profile matches the job.

You need a small green Nannochloropsis culture for a compatible copepod, rotifer, reef-feeding, or live-feed workflow.

CONSIDER ANOTHER CULTURE WHEN

You need a different biological profile.

Your protocol requires a motile flagellate, a diatom, a larger cell profile, or a specifically verified alternative strain.

Compare phytoplankton Use the culture finder

CULTURE PROFILE

Technical at a glance.

Use this profile as a fast biological check before moving into detailed handling, comparison, and research notes.

01 • SCIENTIFIC NAMENannochloropsis oculata
02 • CULTURE TYPEGreen marine microalgae
03 • PIGMENT PROFILEGreen
04 • MOTILITYNon-motile
05 • RELATIVE CELL SIZESmall cell profile
06 • PRIMARY USELive-feed culture support
07 • SILICATE REQUIREDNo

FROM BOTTLE TO SYSTEM

Know what you are receiving—and what to do next.

Live cultures are biological products. The most useful receiving and use guidance is specific to the organism and the role you expect it to perform.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE BOTTLE?

What is inside a live phytoplankton bottle.

The bottle contains living microalgae in culture medium. Color and visual density vary by strain, concentration, lighting, growth phase, and handling; color alone is not a universal measure of cell count or quality.

  • Cell size and motility differ substantially among phytoplankton strains.
  • Diatoms, flagellates, and green microalgae have different culture requirements.
  • Use the strain-specific guide for storage, feeding, and culture instructions.

WHERE IT FITS

Nannochloropsis is a suspended microalgae culture

Its role is determined by cell profile and compatibility with the target feeding or culture program—not by where it settles in a reef.

Conceptual habitat guide — not a literal distribution guarantee.
01

Receive promptly

Bring the shipment inside after delivery and inspect the package and culture condition.

02

Confirm the target organism

Match the strain’s cell profile and culture characteristics to the copepod, rotifer, larva, filter feeder, or aquarium program you intend to support.

03

Dose or feed intentionally

Use the product-specific directions and the requirements of the target organism or culture rather than relying on color or bottle size alone.

04

Maintain the culture correctly

Follow product-specific temperature, light, aeration, sanitation, salinity, and nutrient guidance when propagating live microalgae.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Microscopy & visibility

Phytoplankton cells are microscopic. Bottle color is useful context, but it is not a universal substitute for cell counts, microscopy, or strain-specific culture assessment.

01

Bottle color

Pigment and apparent density vary by species, concentration, growth phase, light path, and container.

02

Microscope view

Reveals cell morphology, relative cell size, motility where applicable, and culture condition at the sample level.

03

Culture data

Use the strain profile and culture protocol together with visual observations when evaluating a live microalgae culture.

Open the Nannochloropsis guide
VISIBILITY REFERENCE Microscopic life looks different at each scale.

Use movement, life-stage expectations, and the species profile together. A live culture should not be judged only by what is obvious in the unopened bottle.

COMPARE THE PROFILE

How this phytoplankton compares.

Cell profile, motility, culture requirements, and target organisms matter more than bottle color alone. Use the matrix to select a strain by function.

ProfileNannochloropsisIso / T-ISOTetraselmis
Relative cell profileSmallSmallLarger
MotilityNon-motileMotile flagellateMotile flagellate
SilicateNot requiredNot requiredNot required
Strong use caseLive-feed culture supportHatchery / enrichmentLive-feed / larger-cell diversity
Compare phytoplankton Not sure? Use Find Your Culture →

Know what you are adding

Culture details, care & handling

Product-specific metafields appear here when available, with practical fallback guidance for every item.

Key benefits & applications
Live Nannochloropsis oculata culture for supplemental aquarium feeding
Nonmotile marine eustigmatophyte used in live-feed culture programs
Can be used with compatible live-feed cultures
Species highlights
<em>Nannochloropsis oculata</em> is a nonmotile marine eustigmatophyte used in live-feed culture programs. Product identity should be tied to PodDrop’s culture record. General species literature does not establish the density, purity, or biochemical composition of a retail bottle.
Nutritional profile
Microalgal composition varies with the verified strain, growth phase, culture medium, light, temperature, harvest timing, and storage. General research about a species does not establish the composition of a particular retail bottle.

PodDrop does not guarantee fixed percentages of protein, lipid, EPA, DHA, pigments, vitamins, or antioxidants unless supported by a current lot- or product-specific analysis. Use as supplemental live feed or culture material; no coral color, growth, immunity, recovery, or water-quality outcome is guaranteed.
How to add or use
1. Confirm the culture identity and read the label before use.
2. Gently mix the container as directed; do not shake violently.
3. Dose conservatively into a suitable flow area or use the culture to feed a separate live-food culture. Consumer suitability depends on particle size and feeding behavior.
4. Monitor nutrients, oxygen, and water clarity. This product is supplemental feed or culture material, not a treatment for disease, coral stress, nuisance algae, or dinoflagellates.
Storage & care
Store exactly as stated on the current product label. Unless the label specifies otherwise, protect the culture from heat, freezing, and direct sunlight, mix gently at the recommended interval, and use clean dedicated tools.

Use by the stated date. Do not rely on color alone to judge identity, purity, or nutritional value. Discard material showing an unexpected odor, damaged packaging, or other signs inconsistent with the labeled culture.
Live Arrival Policy

PodDrop’s Live Arrival Policy covers the condition of eligible live products at the carrier’s first delivery attempt. If a culture appears nonviable, materially leaking, missing, or incorrect because of a PodDrop packing or fulfillment error, contact PodDrop within 2 hours of the carrier’s recorded delivery time.

Keep the culture and all original packaging. Before adding, transferring, feeding, or discarding the product, provide your order number, delivery timestamp, a concise description, and clear photographs or video showing the culture in its original container, the shipping box and insulation, any damage or unusual condition, and the shipping label.

PodDrop reviews each report using the order record, carrier tracking, delivery conditions, packaging, documentation, and reported handling after delivery. If a claim is approved, PodDrop may provide a replacement of the affected item or store credit, depending on the circumstances and current product availability.

Coverage does not guarantee establishment, reproduction, continued survival, feeding response, aquarium performance, or compatibility after receipt. Read the complete Live Arrival Policy for eligibility requirements, exclusions, and submission instructions.

Shipping schedule
Orders containing live products ship on PodDrop’s published live-product schedule using the carrier service stated at checkout. PodDrop may delay dispatch when weather or carrier conditions create an avoidable live-shipping risk.

Because live products are perishable, they are not returnable after shipment. Qualifying delivery-condition reports are governed by the current Live Arrival Policy and its 2-hour documentation requirement. Request order changes before fulfillment begins.
Responsible handling
Cultured and packed at PodDrop’s Arizona aquaculture facility (AQ License #91). This facility statement is not a claim that a culture is axenic, sterile, pathogen-free, parasite-free, or free of every incidental organism unless a current lot-specific test states otherwise.

Wash hands after handling, use dedicated culture tools when possible, prevent cross-contamination among cultures, and never release aquarium organisms or culture water into natural waterways. Follow all applicable local rules.

RECEIVING & TECHNICAL NOTES

Living products deserve clear handling.

Keep the purchasing experience simple at the top of the page, then make the deeper handling and technical information easy to find when a customer needs it.

RECEIVING

Open and inspect promptly.

Inspect the culture on arrival before adding, feeding, or discarding it. If there is an arrival concern, document the condition promptly under the published Live Arrival Policy.

Live Arrival Policy →
STORAGE & CARE

Follow the culture—not a generic rule.

Store exactly as stated on the current product label. Unless the label specifies otherwise, protect the culture from heat, freezing, and direct sunlight, mix gently at the recommended interval, and use clean dedicated tools.

Use by the stated date. Do not rely on color alone to judge identity, purity, or nutritional value. Discard material showing an unexpected odor, damaged packaging, or other signs inconsistent with the labeled culture.
Receiving FAQ →
TECHNICAL / RESEARCH

Go deeper when the protocol demands it.

Phytoplankton selection should account for strain identity, relative cell size, motility, target organism, salinity, nutrient regime, light, sanitation, and whether silicate is required.

Research & professional use →

Put the strain to work

Choose the copepod it is meant to support.

Match the phytoplankton’s relative cell profile and culture characteristics to the copepod, reef, or professional program you are planning.

Shop single-species copepods →

VERIFIED CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

What customers say about PodDrop