Live Marine Rotifers
Live first food for fry, reef inverts, and finicky feeders
Microscopic zooplankton, shipped alive in their own growing water at 500–1,000 per mL. Feed straight away, or grow your own ongoing supply.
Size
Sold by volumeFulfillment
Or call to schedule. We confirm live availability before charging.
What they are, what they do
Rotifers are microscopic zooplankton and one of the most important live first foods in the marine aquarium and aquaculture world. Their tiny size and slow, drifting swim make them the go-to starter food for larval and fry fish whose mouths are too small for anything else — clownfish and other marine larvae especially.
They're also readily taken by corals, filter-feeding invertebrates, seahorses, pipefish, and mandarins.
Our rotifers ship as a live, actively reproducing culture in their own growing water at a density of 500–1,000 per mL — not a dewatered concentrate. That means you can feed them straight away, or pour the culture into a bucket and grow your own ongoing supply.
A rotifer is only as nutritious as what it has eaten, so ours are raised on a live microalgae / phytoplankton blend right up to harvest, so they arrive gut-loaded and ready to pass that nutrition on to your tank.
Who eats them
Animals that benefit most from live rotifer feedings.
Full pricing
Shipping is baked into the price. Pickup is free. Flat fee per shipment, not per gallon.
| Size | Local Pickup | Overnight (incl. $50) | 2-Day (incl. $30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 Gallon | $75 | $125 | $105 |
| 1 Gallon | $125 | $175 | $155 |
| 2 Gallon | $200 | $250 | $230 |
Each additional gallon is $100/gallon, plus the flat shipping fee once per shipment ($50 overnight / $30 2-day). Example: 3 gallons shipped overnight = $300 + $50 = $350. Email for recurring weekly delivery rates.
Approximate rotifer counts are derived from the 500–1,000/mL density and are a guide only. Product is sold by volume, not by guaranteed count.
Care & use
On arrival
Open the container and let it reach room or tank temperature before use. If the culture looks cloudy or the water is tinted, that's normal — it's the algae the rotifers feed on.
To feed your tank
Pour or pipette directly into the tank, or strain through a fine (~53-micron) sieve and rinse into your target tank with a turkey baster or pipette. Turn off skimmers and strong return flow for 15–60 minutes so animals can graze.
To start your own culture
Add the culture to a clean container of prepared saltwater with gentle aeration (a light rolling bubble) and low light, and feed live phytoplankton or a rotifer feed. Harvest ~25% daily to keep the population young and productive.
Storage
Rotifers are hardy. Kept cool with the lid cracked for air exchange, an unused culture will hold for several days; many keepers refrigerate short-term. Don't seal the container airtight — they need oxygen.
Shipping & pickup
Pick the option that matches your timeline. Domestic US only.
Fort Lauderdale, FL. Email or call to schedule a pickup time. No shipping cost — exactly the price you see for the pickup column.
Recommended. Tightest live-arrival window. Ships Mon–Wed. Live arrival guaranteed.
Budget option. Rotifers tolerate transit better than copepods or fish, but carries more risk than overnight. Live arrival is reduced or waived on 2-day.
Frequently asked
Is this sold by count or by volume?+
Is there a separate shipping charge?+
What kind of rotifers are these?+
How long will they last before I use them?+
What do I feed them?+
Can I start my own culture from this?+
Do you ship year-round?+
Is there a live arrival guarantee?+
Ready to feed?
We confirm live availability before charging and ship Mon–Wed for best transit. Local pickup available year-round in Fort Lauderdale.
Email shoreaquatic@gmail.com →*Live arrival guarantee on overnight orders only. Reduced or waived on 2-day shipments.