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AK Culturi-M Pro

Flagship reactor

AK Culturi-M Pro

The all-in-one 2 L phytoplankton reactor: sealed glass vessel, tunable light and the air pump built in. Nothing to assemble, no bag kits to reorder, and the same vessel converts to a copepod reactor.

Culture volume
2 L
Feeds tanks to
2,850 L
Light
RGB + CCT
Air
Pump built in

A$349.00AUD

Ships with an AU plug, for standard 240 V homes only. In the US or Canada? The US model lives on our US store. Anywhere else, ask us for a foreign shipping quote and we will sort it out.

  • Free step-by-step Launchpad guide
  • Air pump built in
  • Fully serviceable, every part replaceable
  • Pod Core ready

Launchpad

New to culturing, or giving it another go?

Plenty of people write culturing off after one bad run with a jar and a bit of luck. Almost none of them were ever shown the part that actually matters, so we wrote it down. The Launchpad is our free, step-by-step guide, and the Culturi-M Pro has its walkthrough inside it.

You tick off one step at a time, it remembers where you got to, and you pick whether you are running phyto or pods. No jargon, no guesswork, and nothing you need to buy to read it.

  • 40 min Setup
  • 5 to 7 days Cycle
  • 2 L Working volume
  1. Set up onceUnbox, fit the rigid tubing, sterilise, prepare your saltwater.4 steps
  2. The phytoplankton cycleFill, fertilise, add your starter, open the airflow, watch it darken, harvest, reset.7 steps
  3. The copepod cultureThe slower path, for when you want pods instead of phyto.Own path

Reviewed

Top Shelf Aquatics reviews the range

Six minutes with the Culturi Pro range, the Culturi-M Pro included, set up and run on camera by Top Shelf Aquatics.

One light, three jobs

Tune the light to what you are growing

The Culturi-M Pro carries a smart RGB and CCT LED, tunable from 3000 to 6500 K and dimmable, so the spectrum is yours to set. Each culture wants something different, and the unit does all three without a single extra part.

Phytoplankton thrives under bright white light. Full output, run long and steady, and the culture greens up fast.

Harvest up to 2 L every 5 to 7 days, enough to dose a reef aquarium up to 2,850 L at 10 mL per 100 L daily.

Set it once and leave it

Schedule the light from your phone, or just ask. The light pairs with Alexa and Google Home, so a culture cycle keeps itself honest whether or not you remember it.

Running

One vessel, whatever you are culturing

Total volume

2 Litres

Every 5 to 7 days

2,850 L tank

Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis for pods and filter feeders. Isochrysis when larval fish and bivalves need the DHA. The starter culture and the light settings change; the hardware does not.

A full 2 L batch every 5 to 7 days doses a reef aquarium up to 2,850 L at 10 mL per 100 L daily. Harvest what you need, top the vessel back up, and the culture keeps going from the same starter.

The lid

Sealed against contamination, still open to you

A culture crashes when something gets into it. Feeding, harvesting, aerating and venting all happen through this lid, so the vessel never has to be opened.

The Culturi-M Pro lid from above, showing the baster port, the tubing gland, the pressure-release valve and the AK badge
  1. Turkey baster portNew on the M. Harvest phyto, target feed, or move pods without breaking the seal or pulling the lid.
  2. Glass rigid tubing glandThe air line runs through glass, not soft tube, so it cleans properly and never goes cloudy.
  3. Pressure-release valveAir goes in constantly, so it has to go somewhere. The valve lets pressure out without letting anything back in.
  4. One-piece AK lidSeals, tubing cap and valve all land in a single moulded lid. Fewer joints, fewer places for a culture to crash.
A Culturi-M Pro vessel with the Pod Core insert seated inside itA copepod

Second job

Turn it into a copepod reactor

With the Pod Core

4x

Surface area

Same 2 L vessel

Drop the Pod Core into the same 2 L vessel and the reactor changes trade. The insert multiplies the surface pods can graze and breed on, so a culture holds far more of them in the same footprint.

Nothing else changes: same lid, same light, same bench space. Run phyto this month and pods the next.

The Culturi-M Pro seen from the side, vessel seated on the light unit
Culturi-M Pro, side elevation

In the box

  • 1x 2 L reusable glass vessel
  • 1x AK Culturi lid, with seals, tubing cap connector and pressure-release valve
  • 1x Glass rigid tubing
  • 1x AK Culturi light unit, smart RGB+CCT LED with the air pump built in, AU plug
  • 1x 8 mm to 4 mm airline connector
  • 1.5 m 4 mm flexible airline tubing
  • 1x Gate valve and check valve
  • 1x Rigid tubing cleaner
  • 1x Microfibre cleaning cloth
  • 1x Pipette or syringe

Specifications

Culture volume
2 L
Harvest
Full 2 L every 5 to 7 days
Suits reef tanks to
2,850 L
Dose rate
10 mL per 100 L daily
Light
Smart RGB+CCT, 3000 to 6500 K, dimmable
Control
App, Alexa and Google Home
Power
AU plug, 240 V
Air
Pump built in
Cultures
Phyto, macro-algae, copepods
Upgrade
Pod Core ready
Shipping weight
1.52 kg
Built
Texas, USA
Full product description

The AK Culturi-M Pro is the all-in-one version of our 2 L Culturi-M: the same sealed glass vessel and smart lighting, with the air pump built in and every part of the unit serviceable. Add the AK Pod Core and the same vessel runs as a copepod reactor. One device, two cultures, no second reactor on the bench.

What makes it the Pro

  • Air pump built in. The standard Culturi-M runs from your own air supply; the Pro carries its pump on board.
  • Fully serviceable. Every part of the Pro can be opened, cleaned and replaced, the pump included. The standard unit is not built to be serviced this way.

Shared with the Culturi range

  • Reusable glass vessel. Clean and refill. No bag kits to buy month after month.
  • Smart RGB+CCT LED. Tunable 3000-6500K white plus full RGB, dimmable, app-controlled, Alexa and Google Home ready.
  • Modular pod upgrade. Add the AK Pod Core to convert it into a copepod reactor. Same vessel, same light, same airline.
  • 2 L capacity. Yields enough phyto for a reef aquarium up to 2,850 L at 10 mL per 100 L daily, on a 5 to 7 day harvest cycle.
  • Full Launchpad guide included. Most live-food vendors guard their methods. We publish every step at the Launchpad: water volume, dosing, lighting schedule, harvest timing, the lot.

For reefers who want a phytoplankton reactor that fits a modern reef setup: controllable, reusable, modular, transparent, and built like a piece of equipment instead of a science fair project.

Fully serviceable

Every part of the unit is serviceable and replaceable, the pump included. Nothing is sealed shut or thrown away when one component gives out.

1 year warranty

Hassle free, fast replacement for any light, pump or seal issue. Send a quick video and we sort it out.

This product is 3D printed, manufactured on top-end printers. It is tried, tested and endorsed by many reefers for its convenience, including improved sterility over typical DIY setups, its appeal, and the included guidance that significantly contributes to everyone's success.