Is Plankton really needed?

[ocgirlygrl]

I was at my lfs and the guy told me that in order for corals to grow, i need to feed them frozen plankton. So, I ended up buying the stuff for $22. Is this really true? Or did I get taken...again?

 

[spike_501]

well it depends, filter feeders such as tube worms may need the stuff but im not sure, soft corals defenately dont "need" it, however many species will look much better with the supplement added. so overall i spose its worth getting if you want a good display, i add zooplankton to my reef and i often add phytoplankton as it feeds off nitrates! wicked stuff. i believe phtoplankton is a type of algae as "phyto" is greek for plant.