Miami Aqua-culture, Inc.

Live microalgae .is a crucial food source for many aquatic animals.  Some feed on the algae only in their early larval stages, such as some shrimp crabs and conch.  Others, such as clams and oysters, are filter feeders which rely on microalgae for their entire lives.

​

Microalgae are found in a surprising variety of color, shapes and sizes.  Most drift in the water depending on water current.  Some tend to sink to the bottom unless they are constantly stirred and mixed.  Still others can actually swim and move through the water on their own.  The algae also vary in nutritional qualities.  So it is important to match the right algae to the nutritional needs of the animal you are trying to raise.  

​

Growing microalgae as a food source is somewhat complicated.  An aquatic farmer often needs massive amounts of algae on a continual basis.  The culture of the algae must often be done with the correct mix of nutrients, lighting and water uncontaminated with chemicals, micro animals or even other species of microalgae.  Even with all this, the algae cultures will often grow, "bloom" at maximum densities and then "crash" when they run out of some key element.  When a crash happens, a farmer's entire operation for growing the thing he really cares about -- the shrimp or crab or oyster --can also come to a complete halt.