How much to feed phytoplankton ?

[Mr.Monkey]

Hi guys,

I have a culture of phytoplankton (nannochloropsis) but unsure of how much to feed to the tank.
I'm aware of the variables in the density of the phytoplankton culture itself as well as the stock level in the tank.
But what is the best (safest) dosage rate to start with ?
And what is the maximum dosage rate ? -> how can you determine the maximum dosage ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mr.Monkey]

My tank is 430 liter or approx 113 gallon.

 

[mr.snoww]

Hi,
this came up as a unit in the aquaculture course i am studying, we didn't feed the algae, as they obviously photosynthesise, for us it was enriching the algae with trace metals, macro and micro nutrients. the biggest factors were to keep the water aerated and use standard fluorescent tubes because they have a good color spectrum, white and blue are the most important colors to use.
also try to keep nitrates high because the algae will love it.
im not quite sure whether the nutrients are available or not, but ill get back to you on that as soon as i find out.

so im not sure whether that is any help or not, but i think if someone is marketing a feed, i would be guessing that it would just be trace elements which increase the nutritional value of the algae.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

You should check out Florida aqua farms. The last time i checked, their prices were very reasonable. A little bottle of algae feed lasted forever and came with instructions. Cheap stuff. Good luck.

 

[mscarpena]

He is asking how much algae to feed the tank not how much fertilizer to feed the algae. I feed almost none to my tanks. There has to be a reason to feed it to your tanks IMO. Either you are lacking life, have non photosynthetic corals, or you have fan worms or something like that. I need to know what you have in your tank. Just stating the size means nothing to me.

 

[Mr.Monkey]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it.
Yes, my question is actually asking how much to dose this algae to my tank.
Whats in my tank is basically SPS and LPS corals. I do want to feed the phyto to feed the corals as well as promotes more copepods in the fuge. I thought stating the total volume in my tank can determine the dosage rate just like any other liquid supplement.

I want to feed them with phytoplankton as I can culture them myself rather than buying commercial products (ie: coral food, which I think contain similar ingredients). I do feed my corals with other variety of food.

Can anyone give me a guidelines on how much to feed to start with ? and how to determine the maximum dosage ?

Thanks.

 

[mscarpena]

I would onyl do 5 mililiters 2-3 times per week. Despite what a lot of people think most corals DO NOT eat phytoplankton. Especially LPS and SPS corals do not. You would be feeding it to your tank to grow pods to then feed your corals. Also make sure you let the phyto ripen to consume the fertilizer. Good luck and do not over feed it or you will get algae booms. Also you really do not need to feed it to your tank. I have stopped because I saw no benefits what so ever.

 

[Mr.Monkey]

Hi mscarpena, thanks for your replies. I really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.
I do have one more question for you tho, If you don't feed your coral with phyto, what do you feed them with ? And what kind of corals do you keep ? LPS ? SPS ?

Cheers mate.

 

[April_Sherwood]

Here's a dosing calculator that I found at DT's Plankton Farm. http://www.dtplankton.com/dosing_calc.html

Hope this helps!

 

[d0ughb0y]

I did this same research recently, partly due to misleading information to feed corals phyto. phyto is used to feed to zooplankton that fish and coral will consume. so unless you have live zooplankton in your tank, there is probably no benefit to adding phyto. most who culture phyto use it to feed rotifers. even if your tank say has a real need for phyto, feeding dead bottled phyto would suffice. the only selling point for live phyto is unconsumed phyto does not turn to nitrate, etc, so as long as you do not overdose the dead phyto, there should be no nitrates problem. my conclusion in my case (does not necessarily apply to others) is it is not worth the trouble culturing phyto (probably just a nice science project curiosity).

 

[mscarpena]

I feed my corals frozen foods. I have LPS mainly, but a few softies and a few SPS. I feed mysis shrimp, bloodworms, plankton, cyclopeeze, marine supreme, scallops, and shrimp. You may want to try prawn eggs or some sort of powdered food for your SPS.

 

[Mr.Monkey]

Thanks guys. I'll look more into it.

 

[Amphiprion]

The dosage varies, especially depending on the organisms you keep and the kind of export you have. I am using it to increase copepod and infaunal populations in my seagrass tank, as well as provide a small source of nutrients. I add about 2-3 tablespoons of DT's twice daily in a ~30 gallon system. So far, no nutrient issues have arisen.

 

[Amphiprionocellaris]

First let me say that I have no idea who the above poster is and I have no affiliation with him despite being a member of his genus (had to take the nerd joke).

On a more serious note, I am a huge advocate of establishing whole-ecosystem tanks, and including live phytoplankton is a huge part of that if done correctly (highlighted because that's a big disclaimer some aquarists sometimes don't adhere to, leading to nutrient problems). In a healthy system, you should have plenty of zooplankton that will consume your phyto and in turn boost the health of the higher life (eg corals). Any uneaten live phyto will also consume any excess nutrients as they grow, and tend to be removed by many filters (I've found huge concentrations of phyto in my skimmate, especially when I skim wet), making organic removal all the more effective.

Now to actually answer your question, open ocean water typically has a phyto concentration of 1e6 cells per mL (which is a lot if you think about it)...I would need to know the density of your crop to give you an exact number, but I would think about 5 mL's once a week would be a good starting dose (though this is a very light one...better to start light IMO). Of course watch the tank carefully, and if there is too much algal growth or increase in dissolved nutrients, then back off the dose. Otherwise, you can boost up the dose all the way to doing that per day (it will also be heavily dependent on the consumption rate in your tank, which is why you will have to experiment a little).

Cheers and good luck!

~A. ocellaris

 

[capecoral]

Here is some info that I've been posting which might help...

How to feed your corals...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1843241

 

[AquariumBiology]

mscarpena is totally correct.

mscarpena is totally correct.

An earlier post by mscarpena was totally correct. corals in general (almost without exception) are carnivores. Feeding Phyto is an indirect way of feeding corals at best. However, clams are obligate herbivores, from the reading i've done. (shimeck is the best invertebrate guy i've found) Feeding phyto could have beneficial influence on a tank, especially if you are going for a "weird invert" tank. Personally I don't feed phyto, but if i were to, i would start with 1mL/gal/week of cultured plankton. Much less for concentrated forms, eg reef nutrition.

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

phyto

phyto

I truly believe in feeding phyto big time! I wish I had a fridge in my fishroom for that purpose...I will soon have one there so I can keep my phyto near my reef.

I believe that phyto is like solidifying the building blocks of the reef.
Just makes it a stronger overall biological unit.
Your right...feed the pods.... Once I started using phyto I had stuff growing in my reef that I have never seen before....and I knowwww that it is all good.
I have a mandarin that is doing exceptionally well...First time I have been able to keep one alive for any decent length of time because my wrasses usually steal the bulk of the pod population etc...NOWWWW the pod population keeps up like a son of a gun I believe...>NOPE CANT PROVE IT...but I believe it...definitely

PHYTO = MAJOR KEY in my reef I believe.

I do not measure.... I use it once a week at the most and I use about
1/4 cup of DT's every week in a 300 gallon system.

I turn my skimmer off for over hour when I feed it.....usually for about 3 hours.....

The corals , if not eating it, love it as they all open mouths wide.....

I knowwww the stuff is helping my reef..some things you have to
"USE THE FORCE" and not look for specific examples so much..haha

Just my opinion....Opinions will vary. (Patrick Swayz-Roadhouse)

On a 113 gallon tank I would use 1 cup every week of phyto (not DT's - it is too concentrated)
If you are going to us DT's I would use 1 cap every few days.....maybe 2 caps.
I am not a pro...this is just my opinion.....good luck.


Tim


:beer:

 

[capecoral]

Yes I've read that phyto is a building block too.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Feeding phyto is controversial at best, but if you intend to have a healthy ecosystem it's not a bad thing to dose, in moderation. Personally, my belief is that phyto is better used to feed the organisms that need it directly, instead of just squirting it in a tank. Using it to feed pods or rotifers is one thing, but there aren't any corals that directly benefit, and probably no fish beyond a larval stage.

I have seen very convincing posts about phyto increasing the reproduction of zoos and palys. Nice idea, except that zoos and plays eat crustaceans and other meat, not phyto. Now the crustaceans that zoos eat do eat the phyto, which is why it works, but phyto isn't directly helping the corals. So my questions is: Why dose phyto when you could dose the pods and rotifers instead?

Jeff

 

[sunny d polyp]

feed phyto to roti's...

feed phyto to roti's...

I culture 6/gals of nano and tetreslemis every week which I feed to my roti's, I have the roti's in a 10/gal tank half full of culture water at 1.020 sg (they prefer 1.014) and dump 1/2 liter twice a day of phyto to the roti tank and remove 2/liters of water from the roti tank every morn, sieve them through a 53 micron strainer and feed to my fuge and tank, I have an incredible amount of copes which I'm sure make their way into my main tank and become food, I believe this is natures way of inverts consuming the phyto when they eat the roti's (just an assumption).
I'm not so sure dumping phyto directly into a reef tank is all that beneficial because the phyto starves pretty quick (so does the rots 8 hours or so without phyto)
FAF sells roti's pretty cheap (plicitilis) and you will have more than you can handle because they multiply very quickly and will eat you out of house and phyto pretty quick which is why I remove 1/2 gal everyday (cul the herd).
You have to keep the roti's out of your phyto cultures because they will crash the cultures quickly.
Culturing phyto and roti's has become a very enjoyable part of the hobby for me and I have fun with it.