Rotifer Pricing and policies

We produce L type rotifers for both fresh water and marine hatcheries. The production is usually at a salinity of about 15 ppt which means that the customers must acclimate the animals to their salinity. All non-local shipments are cooled and the receiving water must match the salinity, temperature and pH of the shipping water. Upon receiving live rotifers after a 24 hr. shipment, the pH is usually down in the 6.2 to 6.7 range (caused by the CO2 buildup in the bags).

We have several different classes of customers and different pricing structures.

• Commercial: Large commercial hatcheries which purchase all their rotifers from Scientific Hatcheries. This type of customer buys 100+ million at a time for overnight shipment or air freight (minimum of 400 million order). The price for this type of customer is $2.50 per million.

• Local:: Local universities, aquariums, research institutes and other customers that don't require processing for airfreight (cooling, etc.), the price is also $2.50 per million with a minimum of 10 million.

• Insurance: We also provide rotifer insurance which hatcheries can use to guarantee that they will have rotifers when their fish spawn. These customers usually have rotifer production systems of their own, but are subject to the "First Law of Larval rearing" (the day you fish spawn is the day your rotifer system crashed). For a fee of 25¢ per million per week (over the expected spawning season), we will guarantee a supply of the covered amount at a price of $2.50 per million.

• Spot customers: This class is for customers who often have their own production systems and only buy when they have a system failure and require shipping. These customers do not have the insurance noted above and will be charged $5.00 per million with a 20 million minimum order.

• Researchers with small needs: For research customers who only need 10 million per week and require processing for shipping, the price is $7.00 per million.

• Starter Cultures: Price $25/ sample (usually a few million).

Box charges and shipping charges apply to the above.