Another great vendor I was able to spend some time with at IMAC West was Piscine Energetics makers of a great product PE Mysis. Since the show, I’ve also heard a few great chats on the great product on Blue Zoo Radio with host Frank Reece and PE’s Nuri Fisher and the story behind this great food for your reef critters is just a fantastic as the product. I ended up leaving the show with four packs of PE Mysis and so far, they are a hit.

PE Mysis are high in fatty acids and Omega-3’s making it a very nutritious food for your tank’s inhabitants. At harvest, they are naturally feeding on phytoplankton so they arrive “gut loaded” and are processed on-site so just get the Mysis, no binders, water or salt!

Unlike some of the other Mysis on the market, PE Mysis is a freshwater species (Mysis relicta) harvested from glacial-fed lakes in British Columbia, Canada. This species is not native to the lake but during the 1960s, the government introduced the Mysis to the lake  to help bring back the number of Kokanee Salmon (a land-locked or inland Sockeye Salmon) that was over fished.

The added Mysis were thought to help provide a quality food source to help the population grow but the side effect was that the Mysis were feeding on the phytoplankton needed by the juvenile and larval salmon to grow. Piscine is in a unique position, working with the government to reduce the numbers of Mysis in the lakes while providing a natural and beneficial food source for aquarists in both the marine and freshwater sides of the hobby.

The lake they are harvested from is over 400 feet deep. During the day, the Mysis are found at the coldest areas of the lake near the bottom. At night, they make the 400-foot journey towards the top to feed on the abundant phytoplankton and this is when they are harvested. The harvesting vessels also tow a processing barge where they are packed and flash frozen alive right on site! If you open a pack, there is hardly any water at all and you get the fresh smell of the Mysis.

PE Mysis are a great choice for your fish, corals and invertebrates. I usually feed these to my tank once a week and target feed my LPS with these too. They are a really good size Mysis and some of my smaller fish gobble up the smaller ones and tend to leave some of the larger specimens. I tend to feed 3-4 at a time to make sure they eat them all and usually try and give the largest ones to my frogspawn coral (Euphyllia divisia). These are definitely a great treat for omnivores!

Here are some facts from PE’s webite:

THE CURATOR’S CHOICE
Used by over 90% of public aquarium in North America.

FRESHWATER MYSIS (Mysis relicta)
This eliminates the possibility of parasite or disease transfer to marine fish.

SODIUM FREE
As fish don’t need to eliminate excess salt, it’s easier on their systems. Most other brands offer a coastal, or marine cousin of Mysis relicta.

ALIVE ON HARVEST and immediately flash frozen in premium condition. That’s why PE MYSIS is clean and intact.

HIGH FATTY ACID PROFILES (EPA and DHA) are related to the food chain found in deep cold waters, where PE MYSIS is harvested.

OMEGA 3′S. Greater values of Omega 3 can be found in PE MYSIS than krill and enriched brine shrimp.

NO BINDING AGENTS, fillers or water added to packaging.

NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE
PE MYSIS does not require the addition of vitamin or color enhancement products.