TheDeepSandBed
New member
I was just wondering how everyone on the forum felt abotu the benfits/detriments of using your own phytoplankton cultures, and more importantly how they setup their colonies and maintained them.
Thanks
Thanks
Culturing your own Phytoplankton
- Thread starter TheDeepSandBed
- Start date
Anthony Calfo
New member
While I think live cultures are the best assuming you culture them properly, know your species and if they are useful to your filter-feeders, specifically, etc....
I must admit that this aspect of the hobby (phyto culture) is way too tedious to me.
I prefer to use fresh, refrigerated, bottled commercial products. Its not mystery that I use, recommend, admire the quality products from DTs. The man (Dennis Tagrin) knows his business and science very well(!). To chat with him at any of the hobby conferences is impressive, if such science and industry interest you.
And so... with a talented culturist, and a blend of species in a bottle that I do not have the time or money (necessary culture equipment), the purchase saves me a lot of time and serves my purposes very well (enough).
That all said, live phyto culture is popular with many aquarists. Rather simple, albeit tedious for at least a couple strains of phyto commonly available. Of course... there is the issue too of finessing the cultures to manufacture maximum nutritional value in the final product (this aspect of phyto culture is VERY interesting. not all bottles of the same/given species are the same nutritional quality).
Do a search of the archives my friend... there are tons of threads on the topic you seek here.
Afterwards... do followup with specific questions if you still have them.
best of luck/life,
Anthony
PS - to be clear here too... I am not paid to endorse this or any product! And I am sure that I have taken less free samples than most aquarists do at industry hobby/trade shows through the years. I simply speak my mind frankly about brands/products. FWIW. Just my opinion
I must admit that this aspect of the hobby (phyto culture) is way too tedious to me.
I prefer to use fresh, refrigerated, bottled commercial products. Its not mystery that I use, recommend, admire the quality products from DTs. The man (Dennis Tagrin) knows his business and science very well(!). To chat with him at any of the hobby conferences is impressive, if such science and industry interest you.
And so... with a talented culturist, and a blend of species in a bottle that I do not have the time or money (necessary culture equipment), the purchase saves me a lot of time and serves my purposes very well (enough).
That all said, live phyto culture is popular with many aquarists. Rather simple, albeit tedious for at least a couple strains of phyto commonly available. Of course... there is the issue too of finessing the cultures to manufacture maximum nutritional value in the final product (this aspect of phyto culture is VERY interesting. not all bottles of the same/given species are the same nutritional quality).
Do a search of the archives my friend... there are tons of threads on the topic you seek here.
Afterwards... do followup with specific questions if you still have them.
best of luck/life,
Anthony
PS - to be clear here too... I am not paid to endorse this or any product! And I am sure that I have taken less free samples than most aquarists do at industry hobby/trade shows through the years. I simply speak my mind frankly about brands/products. FWIW. Just my opinion
Here are some links to get you going on culturing. Too much effort for me.
http://www.sjwilson.net/reef/phytosteps.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html
http://www.sjwilson.net/reef/phytosteps.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html
Anthony Calfo
New member
yep... as Hobster says: too much work for me
To do it right, that is.
Yes... contamination is an issue. Its the old adage, "you are what you eat"...
and using bulk, low grade lawn fertilizer to grow algae that you will feed your $20K reef tank... is a horrible idea IMO
Dennis is a wealth of information and very objective. He is a savvy businessman and knows that his best consumer is an educated consumer. And educated consumers realize very quickly that growing the best/safest phyto is more than a bottle of greenwater and a light bulb
To do it right, that is.
Yes... contamination is an issue. Its the old adage, "you are what you eat"...
and using bulk, low grade lawn fertilizer to grow algae that you will feed your $20K reef tank... is a horrible idea IMO
Dennis is a wealth of information and very objective. He is a savvy businessman and knows that his best consumer is an educated consumer. And educated consumers realize very quickly that growing the best/safest phyto is more than a bottle of greenwater and a light bulb
TheDeepSandBed
New member
hmmm the idea of using my pee to feed the phytoplankton would finally put to bed my roommates desire to pee in my fishtank :rollface:
Anthony Calfo
New member
hard for me to say, although the answer is likely no.
What kind of fertilizer?
What kind of fertilizer?
TheDeepSandBed
New member
So far the setup has been easy (and cheap <$100). Tomorrow the cultures go into their bottles and start the cycle. A few here have expressed concerns over how much work it takes and it seems to me (thus far) that getting the station setup is the hardest part.
Anthony also commented that it takes more than a green bottle and light to grow a "good food" for yoru tank and I have to disagree. With the fertilizer from FAF and the cultures from FAF hwo would it be that much different from thier bottled product, relative to how much you are saving. If there is one thing this hobby has taught me is that strong science wins in the end, and the science here seems straight forward. Phytoplankton need two things for the most part: 1) light 2) supplemental nutrients via the medium. Seeing as the station is setup in a climate controlled area (my closet) temperature wont be an issue. And I have to belive that the bottom of the water food pryamid has to be at least moderately easy to grow with a little know-how. Afterall I do have a green thumb on land.
I have also learned that many thigns in this hobby are overpriced for what they are and I dont see phytoplankton being any different (DIY for the win!). Either way I will let you all know of my success/failure and what i have learned in the process over the next couple of months. Wish me luck!
:rollface:
Anthony also commented that it takes more than a green bottle and light to grow a "good food" for yoru tank and I have to disagree. With the fertilizer from FAF and the cultures from FAF hwo would it be that much different from thier bottled product, relative to how much you are saving. If there is one thing this hobby has taught me is that strong science wins in the end, and the science here seems straight forward. Phytoplankton need two things for the most part: 1) light 2) supplemental nutrients via the medium. Seeing as the station is setup in a climate controlled area (my closet) temperature wont be an issue. And I have to belive that the bottom of the water food pryamid has to be at least moderately easy to grow with a little know-how. Afterall I do have a green thumb on land.
I have also learned that many thigns in this hobby are overpriced for what they are and I dont see phytoplankton being any different (DIY for the win!). Either way I will let you all know of my success/failure and what i have learned in the process over the next couple of months. Wish me luck!
:rollface:
I've been growing phyto for a year or two now and it's not difficult but it is time consuming. I have a predominately sps tank so I only use it to grow rotifers. There are some metals used in the fertilizer that I don't really want to add to my tank. DT's and Reed's phytofeast are centrifudged to dilute the metals in their product. Not saying you can't add it just don't add to much and skimm heavily. JMO.
TheDeepSandBed
New member
I was also hoping that the feeding of the live phyto on a regular basis might help to grow some rotifers in the tank to help feed the corals. Now culturing rotifers seems kinda like a pain in the ***, but we will see where I am at in a couple of months.
Puffer Queen
New member
Rotifers do require a lot of work. They are demanding & do require daily feedings & careful monitoring of water quality & culture densities.
Greenwater is not as demanding as the rotifers but does require feedings & frequent splitting to avoid crashes. Contamination is a real issue. Also keeping the rotifer cultures away from the greenwater to avoid accidental splashing or introduction of them into the greenwater cultures is essential.
It can be done but does require hard work & daily attention.....in other words time could be your limiting factor.
Hope this helps.
Kelly
Greenwater is not as demanding as the rotifers but does require feedings & frequent splitting to avoid crashes. Contamination is a real issue. Also keeping the rotifer cultures away from the greenwater to avoid accidental splashing or introduction of them into the greenwater cultures is essential.
It can be done but does require hard work & daily attention.....in other words time could be your limiting factor.
Hope this helps.
Kelly
Puffer Queen
New member
If you want more information or want to check availability of greenwater, rotifers, etc - Florida Aqua Farms is great -https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi.
I would also recommend the Plankton Culture Manual & another book called Conditioning, Spawning and Rearing of Fish With Emphasis on Marine Clownfish. Both of these books are available through Florida Aqua Farms.
Best of Luck,
Kelly
I would also recommend the Plankton Culture Manual & another book called Conditioning, Spawning and Rearing of Fish With Emphasis on Marine Clownfish. Both of these books are available through Florida Aqua Farms.
Best of Luck,
Kelly
I do rotifers a little differently. I have a 5 gallon bucket that I started a rotifer culture in. I feed the bucket daily. Every couple of days I take out 1/2 gallon, sieve it through a 53 micron filter, and add it to my tank. I then put in fresh salt water at 1.2 gravity. I don't get real high density cultures but enough to feed my tank.
Shark Bait100
New member
I culture my own Phyto for the last 6 months, and I recently tested the water for Phosphates since a couple of my sps acropora were browning out. The phosphate were high, ~.3 ppm. I tested everything for phosphate, then tried the phyto cutures. They were loaded with phosphates. I run a 29 gal fuge with chaeto and recently added Phosban to lower the phosphates. Has anyone else seen high levels of phosphate in their cultures, whether they use plant food or not???
TheDeepSandBed
New member
So am I wrong to think that adding phtyo to my tank will help to develop the rotifer population for feeding within the tank? Or is it necessary to culture them outside of the tank?
Similar threads
