Copepod-Phyto-Rotifer cultures?

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12123159#post12123159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by puckbs
hmmmm, good beer? hey Bill, you know anyone who can set me up with some good beer???

With any luck I can hide some of the latest batch from my wife and bring it to the next meeting

 

[cb747]

Got my cultures today!

 

[keefsama2003]

GL chris now the fun begins.

 

[cb747]

yep phyto in empty 2 litter bottles and rots in a bucket LOL My copepod population is really exploding!

 

[keefsama2003]

you using VHO tubes for light ?
i have 3 3liter bottles from pathmark and a OLD vho tube with the rots and 3 2liter bottles with rots in them.

I put 2 bottles of the tigerpods in my refugium

so hopefully they will explode and now i just need some macro

 

[puckbs]

so chris, is the phyto ready yet

 

[cb747]

Im just using regular 40 watt bulbs (2 tubes)

Brad go buy some or go bug Keith LOL he had a couple of days head start LOL

 

[keefsama2003]

lol days? i been doing it for the last 3 months no one ever said they wanted.

I just been feeding to my tank and dumping if i had known i woulda saved but i just dumped 2 bottles to start over.

 

[cb747]

days--Months same difference LOL I guess you didnt see Brads post last week requesting the phyto........

 

[keefsama2003]

probably missed it been so busy setting things up and dealing with my daughter

has double ear infection and seems to be breaking out in a rash from the medication and shes teething.

 

[cb747]

I dont envy you! Been there done that! Hopefully she feels better soon

 

[keefsama2003]

same shes not herself not to mention she just turned 7 months old but she seems to be improving a little each day

 

[JB NY]

I had been doing phtyo and rotifers for a few years. I plan to start it back up in a few months. Copepods are a little more challanging than rotifers, I found they did good for a few weeks but always crashed on me after about 2 months.

Nice to see other people cultivating live food.

 

[cb747]

Ive always had problems with my phyto crashing. Im hoping to break the trend this time around. Rots always crashed after my phyto crashed due to not having enough food So far ive found the copepods to be doing well. Hopefully that continues for me

 

[JB NY]

How long into the phyto culture do they crash?

 

[cb747]

Ive varied from a week to several weeks. My current culture is on day 2

 

[JB NY]

I would try this if they crash again. Use different bottles for the culture, or clean the old ones with bleach and let them sit a day or so. Also clean the bottle you use for the culture medium with bleach and let it sit a day or so as well.

Almost always when my cultures crashed that quickly it was that something had got into the bottles and contaminated them. If you try to keep things as clean as possible you should easily be able to keep the phyto cultures going a good six months or so.

 

[cb747]

Thanks Joe that could be the missing link, the culture medium. I always cleaned the empty 2 liter bottles with bleach water and let them thouroughly dry but never the bucket i used to mix the salt! Thanks again!

 

[JB NY]

Your welcome, hopefully that will fix the problem.

 

[cb747]

I hope so!!!