Growing phytoplankton

[65madreefer]

Hey folks I have a 75 gallon display with 20 gallon sump, estimated total of 80 gallons of actual water volume. Heavily stocked with softies and lps. I have some carnation corals too. Under my stand I have the sump and a 10 gallon cube tank I WAS going to use for top off but I'm changing that up to adding a float valve to the sump for direct ro/di top off. My question is can I use the cube tank as a phyto growing/dosing tank? If so how would I set it up? Components and places to buy phyto and fertilizer to grow it would also be helpful. I've watched tons of YouTube videos but everything I've seen seems jank. Thanks for the help

 

[SantaMonica]

Could also toy around with an optional pods compartment, where the phyto overflows into it, then into the display.

 

[midnightbast]

Using the cube tank as a system for growing and dosing phyto is a fantastic idea! You'll require an air pump, some rigid tubing, a light source, and a starter phyto culture along with fertilizer, which you can find online.For high-quality supplies, take a look at aquarium stores or reliable pet care websites. Also, if you have pets, you might want to check out Revolution for Cats Without Vet Prescription for convenient flea and parasite prevention!

 

[Dustin07]

wondering if this project ever came to fruition. local girl I know is an aquaculturists I have bought phyto from and she says she only feeds her tanks live food, phyto and pods. that's it. she has amazing specimens too. but buying a lot of phyto sure gets expensive.

 

[C.Eymann]

You would be better off using a cylindrical container without hard edges and corners, for phyto culture the main thing is avoiding contamination. Taras has been able to keep up with the growing demand of our Reef Genetics phytoplankton utilizing a bunch of 5 gal glass carboys, if I was going to set up a phyto culture for a 75 gal aquarium, Id try to find one of the squatty/ 2.5 gallon glass carboys/ water dispenser jug.
You should also have a 1 liter flask separate, ideally in a different room with a light source/ air bubbler to act as your mother culture for back up.
I'd refrain from automatically dosing straight from your main culture though, cell density is going to vary depending on the cultures stage, it also can act as another door for contamination.