Has anyone tried macro algae?

[kizanne]

I have looked but haven't seen a thread...

I was wondering has anyone tried a shallow container with a fast growing macro algae like prolifera with some micro algae and then copepods and rotifers.

I would try this with light on most of the time so that the macro algae provides filtration, you can add more phyto, copepods, rotifers as needed.

 

[GreshamH]

nutrient limited. One of the alga, micro or macro, will nutrient limit the other in a closed system.

 

[kizanne]

but that's exactly what I'm shooting for.

You can easily add micro alga as needed but I want the alga to limit the nutrients that would effect the larva.

The micro doesn't necessarily seem to do that all on it's own from my reading thus lots of water changes. I'm looking to limit water changes and maintain a highly nutritious rotifer/copepod.

From what I've read you want 2-5 rotifers / ml.

you could stock 50 rotifers per ml with mico/macro algae. The rotifer would be feeding on the micro thus ensuring high quality rotifer and whatever nutrients the micro didn't take up the macro would. You could then just add micro as needed to keep the water tinted. This should last you the first 3-5 days then you could replenish you rotifer (do a small water change if needed ) or I'd at that point add more water (dilution).

50 rotifers / ml is on the low side of density and would also keep some reproduction going ensuring small rotifers available.

Just a thought. I work full time and want to try to raise some babies so I'm trying to get it down to twice a day maximum maintainence. I know clown babies can be fairly hardy but I also want to do mandarins and bangaai. Maybe gobies. I read advanced aquarist mandarin article didn't have enough info in it. Bought wittenrich's book but didn't have mandarin in it. My understanding is they are a little more difficult than clowns. I know it probably won't happen but I'd like to get a method for raising mandarin so easy that they are as common as clowns. I love our hobby but would love more thing aquacultured and less out of the ocean.

And hey, if you want change in the world, start with you. It could start with me I was very disappointed that I couldn't get aquacultured blue mandarins when I was looking. ORA used to do the blue but they haven't had any in a while.

 

[GreshamH]

But you kinda missed the point... to ensure your micro is stable, as well as nutritious, it needs to have a select set of nutrients present. The macro will utilize most of those quicker. Micro will pull others quicker. Sounds like a perfect plan for non success. Let me explain why, and with a caveat that I work for the worlds largest producer of marine microalgae concentrates and live marine zooplankton.

Micro needs to be fairly bio-secure to ensure contaminants don't get in, and that you have a strain of micro that actually supports larval growth... FWIW nanno is the most prevalent alga in a situation like this, and it most likely will contaminate any other culture you try to start in this manor. Nanno is great for growing bulk rotifers, but it lends to a poor enrichment of the rotifers which produces less larva, and produces greater deformities.

Thinking out of the box is a good thing, but when you have knowns like this, I'd stick to more methods that are proven successful.

For microalgae, your sig is completely backwards. Sterile is best.

 

[kizanne]

Thanks for you very knowledgeable input. I am aware that you are working in the field. I am not sure what the proven success is for mandarins. I'm having trouble finding any detailed info on success.

This is the best info I've found by Wittenwich but lacks certain details. Do you know where there is more detailed info?

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwater-reef/feature-articles/breeding-mandarins-full-article.htm

 

[billsreef]

The success for Mandarins is rather limited, hence the lack of information Also Gresh is spot on about the problems of trying to do micro, macro, rots, and pods altogether in one tank with the larvae.

It's quite possible to be raising clowns with only twice a day, with work in between. Dose the larval tank with rots and splash of micro, and feed your rot culture in the morning. In the evening, after work, do your water changes on the larval tank, dose more rots and micro, add micro to your rot culture, and do your micro culture work.

 

[GreshamH]

Thanks for you very knowledgeable input. I am aware that you are working in the field. I am not sure what the proven success is for mandarins. I'm having trouble finding any detailed info on success.

This is the best info I've found by Wittenwich but lacks certain details. Do you know where there is more detailed info?

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwater-reef/feature-articles/breeding-mandarins-full-article.htm

You'll find spatterings of details on MOFIB and MBI... but no one will be spoon feeding that one I'm afraid. Its something you have to connect dots (combined all posts together) yourself on, so to speak.

There is yet another option for this... use a peristaltic pump to dose phyto to a rot or pod culture, and have them spill into the larval tank... though then you'll need to up WC's on the larval system as the live feed culture water won't be all that clean. Using live phyto will reduce that need, but then you'll need to be culturing live phyto, and not just nanno.

I don't mind culturing zooplankton, but I hate culturing phyto. Too fickle and time consuming for me.

 

[kizanne]

I'm currently culturing iso, nanno, and tetra but I think my iso and tetra got contaminated as they don't seem to be 'growing'. I am still trying to work the kinks out of the supply hoping that I'll need it in the future

 

[GreshamH]

did you start from a plate? If so, from where? I like the starter cultures from Seahorse Source.

 

[kizanne]

I started with a algal disk from florida aquaculture farms for the nanno. I got my iso from livebrineshrimp.com and I forget where I got the tetra from. I had a hard time finding them all in the same place for a decent price. I just checked them out and they do have a good selection but I paid alot less. I'm fairly sure that the algae not growing is my fault.

 

[billsreef]

Iso is a bit finicky, Tet a bit less so. What's your culture routine and set up like? Unlike Gresh, I actually like growing phyto

 

[kizanne]

Well when I first got them I wasn't quite setup with my lights. THey had bright light in the room but not 'on them' I think this inhibited them alot.

I put them with F/2 in a liter bottle with a small bubble of air. I waited a week (was going to split) but the concentration got lighter not darker.

I had used some for a amphipod setup and had some there, so I pulled some from there filtered and put in a jar.

 

[billsreef]

Yeah, room light isn't going to do the trick. Also best to have the air at a rolling boil for Iso and Tet.

 

[kizanne]

thanks for the input. They now have more light. If I restart them or can revive them I'll try more air.


What strains are you culturing

 

[GreshamH]

Iso is a bit finicky, Tet a bit less so. What's your culture routine and set up like? Unlike Gresh, I actually like growing phyto

Yah but I catch you typing nano all the time :lol: that's got to be an after effect of growing phyto

I'd probably like it more if I didn't have ready access to paste, or a need for live. I am truly spoiled when it comes to aquatic feeds.

 

[billsreef]

What strains are you culturing

Right now I don't have any cultures going. Moved to Miami for a job a couple of years ago, and I'm still in a small apartment that doesn't really have space for setting up cultures and rearing tanks. Though my clowns still lay every two weeks. They took about 6 months off after the move. Work wise, no need for cultures at the moment, though every so often one of our labs needs to do some culturing and I give them advise....the ones that listen to me to well, the ones that don't, not so much

Yah but I catch you typing nano all the time :lol: that's got to be an after effect of growing phyto

I'd probably like it more if I didn't have ready access to paste, or a need for live. I am truly spoiled when it comes to aquatic feeds.

Yeah, I seem to have a thing for nano :lol: Probably a result of having a mind like a steel trap....and you know what decades of constant daily salt water exposure does to steel :lol:

Always like having some paste handy as back up to my cultures, in case of crash. Especially when I had to rely on students taken care of cultures on weekends and covering my vacations :eek1: Right now I'm working on setting up some display tanks for the Marine Science Building....all south Florida habitats. Planning on doing some sponges, bivalves and such. Probably going to end up using paste for feeding, as I'm relying on undergrad volunteer labor. Be good to teach them phyto culturing, but I'm too busy to pick up the slack if they don't show when I need them.

 

[GreshamH]

:lol: Oh I like that one (steel trap), I'm gonna use it