The Benefits of Adding Rhodomonas salina to Your Aquarium
As saltwater enthusiasts, we are always seeking ways to enhance the health and vibrancy of aquarium ecosystems. Among the many innovations in reef keeping is the use of live microalgae cultures with Rhodomonas salina making waves as a keystone species in aquaculture. This red microalgae powerhouse is a living, biological, and fet-soluble battery, offering many benefits that can transform both the visual and biological health of saltwater reef aquariums.
What is Rhodomonas salina?
Rhodomonas salina is a species of red microalgae that serves as one of the ocean’s most vital primary producers. In wild marine ecosystems, these microscopic algae convert sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nutrients into lipids, essential proteins, and pigments that support the entire marine food web.
Because of their small size (9-20 micrometers) and lack of hard structures or indigestible cell walls, they are the perfect marine food for filter-feeding marine life such as corals.
What eats Rhodomonas salina?
Rhodomonas salina is a perfect food source for a variety of marine life, such as:
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Sun corals
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Gorgonian corals
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Marine sponges
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Copepods
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Sabellid worms
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Tridacnid clams
Rhodomonas salina is a nutritional powerhouse
Similar to their beneficial microalgae cousins like Tisochrysis lutea and Tetraselmis chui, Rhodomonas salina produces polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), commonly referred to as ‘golden fats’ in the aquarium hobby. These compounds act as metabolic superfuels for algae and other marine organisms that choose to consume them. The amazing nutritional profile of Rhodomonas salina has therefore made it a staple supplement in commercial aquaculture for boosting the nutritional value of copepods, rotifers, brine shrimp, and shellfish species.
What truly sets Rhodomonas salina apart from their microalgae relatives are their impressive charismatic red pigments - in particular phycoerythrin. This red phycobiliprotein complex allows algae to capture light outside the usual spectrum of chlorophyll a. Phycoerythrin is also essentially a battery - it acts as a strong antioxidizing agent by absorbing UV radiation, contributing to the health and stability of algae cells and organisms that consume them.
Phycoerythrin also plays a key role in oxygen (O2) transport and oxygen redistribution which is vital in marine ecosystems.
Rhodomonas salina & natural nutrient control
Rhodomonas salina cells can actively photosynthesize, consuming phosphates and nitrates in the process. This natural filtration is music to reef hobbyists’ ears as it helps maintain water quality and reduce the need for changing the chemical filtration media and less frequent water changes. However, we should note that you should not solely rely on Rhodomonas salina to do all the hard work - don’t forget to frequently measure the water parameters in your saltwater aquarium making changes when needed.
Rhodomonas salina can enhance coral health and coloration
As Rhodomonas salina produces an array of pigments including alloxanthin, crocoxanthin, and phycoerythrin, it can intensify the color of fish and corals inside your aquarium.
Rhodomonas salina is a living microbiome
Feeding live cultures like Rhodomonas salina over dead and concentrated algae lies in the nutritional delivery. Rhodomonas salina is a living algae microbiome that provides marine life with probiotics, prebiotics, proenzymes, and other nutrition that is needed to support your aquarium in the long-term.
For example, a 2022 study by the University of Florida looked at the application of Rhodomonas salina in feeding long spined sea urchin larvae. In the past, long spined sea urchin larvae had a very long life cycle in captivity (20-40 days) and they were extremely fussy with what algae they wanted to feed on. The scientists decided to see what they could do, and they found that solely feeding Rhodomonas salina improved the growth and survival rates of the larvae.
Rhodomonas salina is an appetite stimulant
The addition of Rhodomonas salina cells in aquariums can act as a feeding stimulant, with many corals seen extending their polyps and releasing their feeding appendages to grab a meal. So, if you have a specific food that your coral needs but doesn’t necessarily get excited about, mix some Rhodomonas salina culture and watch your corals have an underwater feeding frenzy!
Adding rhodomonas salina to aquariums
Regular dosing of Rhodomonas salina can provide essential nutrients to corals, particularly if you have corals that are completely photosynthetic such as torch corals, mushroom corals, toadstool corals, and plate corals. This microalgae is also perfect if you have finicky feeders in your saltwater aquarium.
If you have an aquarium refugium, you can add rhodomonas salina to increase the copepod population. By feeding copepods rhodomonas salina you are also filling each copepod with phycoerythrin and golden fats, creating a nutritional feast for your fish and corals.
Dosing Guidelines
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Shake the bottle before use.
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Shut off any return pumps, protein skimmers, and UV sterilizers 20 minutes before dosing your aquarium.
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You can either broadcast or target feed Rhodomonas salina, or you can combine it with frozen or powdered aquarium foods. When Rhodomonas salina is mixed with powdered feeds it can help stimulate feeding behavior, improving the effectiveness of other saltwater aquarium foods.
Dosage Guide
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2-5mls per gallon of water
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Dose 5-7 times a week depending on your bioload
Maintenance Tips
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Swirl the bottle 2-3 times a week
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When storing a concentrated biomass of Rhodomonas salina, you must keep the bottle refrigerated as it is known to spoil at room temperatures
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Rhodomonas salina needs some alumination when stored as it has some big and heavy cells - you can switch your automatic fridge light on permanently or even better a blue lighting fixture inside of the fridge as a way to lengthen the shelf life
Conclusion
Rhodomonas salina has everyone talking! Not only can this nutritional powerhouse provide amazing nutrition through golden fats and phycoerythrin, but it can help reduce nasty phosphates and nitrates in saltwater aquariums. As we understand the dynamics in reef systems, we can utilize the microbiology to become even better saltwater aquarists.
If you would like to learn more about Rhodomonas salina, how we culture it in-store, or would like to get your hands on some today, do not hesitate to contact the Reefco Aquariums team today!
