One way is to purchase a plankton net, and perform plankton drags in the ocean. However, this is not an option for those without easy access to the sea - and it is not very convenient, either. Still, I have found occasion to grab a net full of plankton on trips to the beach, and the animals one finds are simply fascinating. Another way to provide food sources is to culture plankton. It is certainly possible to begin producing batch cultures of plankton and/or plankton substitutes. Culture materials are generally simple, and various algae, rotifers, Artemia nauplii, ciliates, mysids, Gammarus, etc. are readily available and easy to grow. These food sources are not only nutritious inputs for reef aquaria, but may be enriched with vitamins, minerals, trace elements, medications, antioxidants, etc., and used as biocarriers of such substances. Cultured food sources, I feel, are far more valuable in both time and expense than many of the other products and devices we operate and use.
