Mysis RS is 100% whole freshwater Mysis Relicta which is often confused with other Mysis products that are sold around the world. Mysis Relicta is harvested in British Columbia freshwater lakes and is now recognized as being one of the most nutritionally complete foods in the pond, aquarium and aquaculture industry.
Mysis Relicta has a wide distribution which includes all formerly glaciated areas in the northern hemisphere. It has also been introduced to several areas where it was not previously found. These areas include lakes in Sweden, Norway, British Columbia, Montana and California.
Deep, cold waters with high levels of dissolved oxygen are preferred by Mysis Relicta. The species tends to inhabit deep oligotrophic lakes that provide ample oxygen and suitable temperatures during the heat of summer when stratified eutrophic lakes experience oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion.
Mysis Relicta is a truly omnivorous filter feeder. Algae, detritus, and other zooplankton are all consumed. Diet may vary from lake to lake, season to season, and year to year depending on availability of food items and abiotic factors. This helps to explain some of the unexpected problems that have resulted from Mysis introductions in British Columbia and elsewhere. For example, in some instances cladocerans such as Bosmina and Daphnia are a major food source. In these instances, Mysis competes directly with planktivorous fish and larval fish for food resources. When cladocerans are not present (or they are not commonly encountered by Mysis) they will sometimes prey upon copepods instead (Lasenby and Furst 1981, Chess and Stanford 1998). In other instances, Mysis is primarily a phytoplankton grazer. |
