FishWife November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 How do you folks supply phytoplankton to your tanks? 1. Do you dose? How? How often? 2. Do you grow your own in a phytoplankton reactor? 3. When do we need to get rolling with phytoplankton, if at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 i use a phytoplankton mix that you can get online or at a fish store. the directions vary depending on what you have in your tank that eats phytoplankton. you pour the prepared mixture whether you grow it or buy it in to the tank. also if you have a sump you should turn it off for an hour so they will have a chance to eat. i dont grow phyto in a reactor. again it depends on how many phyto feeding animals you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 I've read that phytoplankton is good for feeding a reef tank but don't know if many people do it. I feed my tank a mix of rotifers and greenwater(Nannochloropsis, I believe) that I've been culturing for my baby clownfish a couple of times a week. I think my T. Gigas clam likes it. Wreck How do you folks supply phytoplankton to your tanks? 1. Do you dose? How? How often? 2. Do you grow your own in a phytoplankton reactor? 3. When do we need to get rolling with phytoplankton, if at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiCurtis November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 I use Dt's and love it. but its expensive. I would love to find a way of making it myself. I'm not sure how many people use it in this club? Curtis http://www.dtplankton.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonkadawg November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 Its actually really easy to culture phyto - I had 3 going to feed rotifers I was also culturing. From melevsreef (http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html): Four weeks ago, I took a half bottle (1 liter) of his phyto as a starter culture. (You can also follow the guidelines above to start from scratch.) I added tap water mixed with salt to 1.019 specific gravity, until it was filled about 2" from the top of the bottle. I filled a second 2-liter bottle the same way. 5 ml of Miracle Grow All Purpose Plant Food (fertilizer) was added to the bottle. This comes in a bottle in liquid form. If you do several bottles, use 5 ml per bottle. While it is culturing for the next few weeks, there is no reason to add any more. You only dose 5ml to each new bottle you are about to culture. This mixture is placed in front of a 20w 2' 6500K Normal Output Fluorescent bulb for 16 hours a day and 8 hours of darkness. Rigid airtubing is inserted through the cap of the bottle, and an air pump gently bubbles around the clock. I did something similar, using DTs as a culture. Add the Miracle Grow and turn every day. Then split the culture at the end of 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 What specific type of phytoplankton is DT? I looked on their site but I didn't see them state it. I don't really get the clean phyto idea, maybe they are comparing it to other commercially produced phytoplankton which contain a lot of contaminants. When I culture greenwater, I just put some greenwater in sterilized saltwater in a bottle, put in an airline, and put it in front of a light, no contaminants but I guess some use some kind of fertilizer to accelerate growth especially commercially. Wreck I use Dt's and love it. but its expensive. I would love to find a way of making it myself. I'm not sure how many people use it in this club? Curtis http://www.dtplankton.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mling November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 I use the yellow power form which I got on line. The direction I got says to use just a tiny scoop ( it came with a scoop ). Problem is that I clown often eats the entire clump before anything else gets to it, or before it has a chance to dissove. Does anyone know if you can over dose ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer November 16, 2007 Share November 16, 2007 (edited) I use the yellow power form which I got on line. The direction I got says to use just a tiny scoop ( it came with a scoop ). Problem is that I clown often eats the entire clump before anything else gets to it, or before it has a chance to dissove. Does anyone know if you can over dose ? Why not mix it in some tank water first? That will prevent the clown from eating all of it. Also, you can suck it up in a turkey baster this way, and target feed the inverts that you are trying to get the food to. tracy Edited November 16, 2007 by zotzer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 14, 2009 Share August 14, 2009 I know this is old. I just offically started my Phyto Cultures today. I got the starter culture from Florida Aquatic Farms also got enough f2 to last a lifetime well that is what my friend told me when he saw the bottle. I will be keeping a detailed log as to keep track of the progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 22, 2009 Share August 22, 2009 I go to the sea with a fine net, scoop up a bunch of stuff and dump it in my tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mling August 23, 2009 Share August 23, 2009 I go to the sea with a fine net, scoop up a bunch of stuff and dump it in my tank Are you serious ? I sure would like to do that too since I go to the beach alot since I have a place there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 23, 2009 Share August 23, 2009 (edited) Are you serious ? I sure would like to do that too since I go to the beach alot since I have a place there. Of course I am serious, I have a boat in the Long Island Sound and I am going out collecting again today as I have been doing since the Nixon years. My reef will be 40 years old in March and I have had no problems so far. I also collect NSW, bacteria and pods. I wrote this article in Reefs Magazine this month Paul http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/cu...0-year-old-reef Edited August 23, 2009 by paul b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 23, 2009 Share August 23, 2009 Straight from the heart. That was a good read. I plan on moving to Florida in the next few years. My mother is getting one of my old tank setups and she plans to do what you described collect water straight from the source and I plan on doing the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 23, 2009 Share August 23, 2009 Of course I am serious, I have a boat in the Long Island Sound and I am going out collecting again today as I have been doing since the Nixon years.My reef will be 40 years old in March and I have had no problems so far. I also collect NSW, bacteria and pods. I wrote this article in Reefs Magazine this month Paul http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/cu...0-year-old-reef Can we see some pics of your 40 year old tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 23, 2009 Share August 23, 2009 Yes you can, they are in that article that you linked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 24, 2009 Share August 24, 2009 Paul, That is some good work. I picked up a pair of watchmen gobies today and trew them in my main tank. Not looking for babies just a happy tank. Chris M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almon August 24, 2009 Share August 24, 2009 I just offically started my Phyto Cultures today. I got the starter culture from Florida Aquatic Farms also got enough f2 to last a lifetime well that is what my friend told me when he saw the bottle. I will be keeping a detailed log as to keep track of the progress. I'd like to start growing phytoplankton. Can I get a half a bottle from you to start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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