How to avoid Phytoplankton crashes
- Thread starter melev
- Start date
frazier
In Memoriam
so this will work??? going to use Ro instead of tap..
Starter culture from someone (even DT's would work, I've been told)
Tap water mixed to 1.019 sg
5 ml Miracle Grow Houseplant liquid food, per bottle, per batch
1 ml Kent's Essential Elements
Lighting 16 hours of light, 8 hours of darkness regulated with a timer
Steady bubbling of air via rigid tubing to the base of the bottle
Shaken slightly each day to stir up the solution from the bottom.
Starter culture from someone (even DT's would work, I've been told)
Tap water mixed to 1.019 sg
5 ml Miracle Grow Houseplant liquid food, per bottle, per batch
1 ml Kent's Essential Elements
Lighting 16 hours of light, 8 hours of darkness regulated with a timer
Steady bubbling of air via rigid tubing to the base of the bottle
Shaken slightly each day to stir up the solution from the bottom.
jpitts101
New member
i dont want to step on anyone's toes or by any means offend anyone so please dont take this like i am, i have followed melev's articles and website since i started reefing, and really look up to him and all his work.
yes that will work but........ why do you want to use miracle grow? its not made for phyto its made houseplants. you can go to fla aqua farms and buy some F2 which is made specifically for cultureing phytoplankton. I have heard people say its basically the same but its not! im sure miracle grow does not have a sterile factory for making the stuff. I started with miracle grow and had several crashes and since going to F2 have not had a single crash. I've also heard that you need the chemicals and metals in the water to help the plankton culture, this is not true thats what the fertilizer is for. I use RODI water with great sucess. I know this can be a big debate and im sure i will get my but chewed from you guys about it but i dont think its smart to use tap or miracle grow. thats like useing some floresent light strips from you shop to light your aquarium, its light right?? lights are made specifically for certain things and so is miracle grow. i was told earlier if my water was so bad than why am i drinking it? how many of us top our tanks off with tap water, or fill our tanks up with tap water? you just dont do it! i think that everything that goes into our aquariums should be specifically for our aquariums, its such an expensive hobby we cant afford things to go wrong.
I would do things the same as you with an exception of the miracle grow, i would use F2 and only 1 ml of it, and i use rodi instead of tap.
Again, i really look up to melev and alot of others on here so please dont rip me one to bad. Its just my thoughts and opinions.
yes that will work but........ why do you want to use miracle grow? its not made for phyto its made houseplants. you can go to fla aqua farms and buy some F2 which is made specifically for cultureing phytoplankton. I have heard people say its basically the same but its not! im sure miracle grow does not have a sterile factory for making the stuff. I started with miracle grow and had several crashes and since going to F2 have not had a single crash. I've also heard that you need the chemicals and metals in the water to help the plankton culture, this is not true thats what the fertilizer is for. I use RODI water with great sucess. I know this can be a big debate and im sure i will get my but chewed from you guys about it but i dont think its smart to use tap or miracle grow. thats like useing some floresent light strips from you shop to light your aquarium, its light right?? lights are made specifically for certain things and so is miracle grow. i was told earlier if my water was so bad than why am i drinking it? how many of us top our tanks off with tap water, or fill our tanks up with tap water? you just dont do it! i think that everything that goes into our aquariums should be specifically for our aquariums, its such an expensive hobby we cant afford things to go wrong.
I would do things the same as you with an exception of the miracle grow, i would use F2 and only 1 ml of it, and i use rodi instead of tap.
Again, i really look up to melev and alot of others on here so please dont rip me one to bad. Its just my thoughts and opinions.
I think what Marc is saying is a plant is a plant is a plant. Be it an Oak Tree, Christmas Cactus or an algae they all use Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium to grow and prosper. Those are the major components of any fertilizer and Miracle-Gro contains all three. Now it does add some other materials like iron and magnesium, usually in chelated form, but the major components are the above three. Food for a flowering house plant may change the ratio, usually it is higher in phosphorus, but all three biggies will be there. I think what Marc is saying is that you don't need to go to extreme measures to feed phytoplankton. It is just a plant.
Oh NO!!! WK just found out he made a post in the Advanced Topics Forum. That will get my newbie centered rear end in trouble.
Oh NO!!! WK just found out he made a post in the Advanced Topics Forum. That will get my newbie centered rear end in trouble.
melev
Well-known member
J.D. - no worries. What you described simply hasn't worked for me. I've used all the stuff from FAF, as is described on my site as Recipe 1. It crashed and crashed and crashed. Recipe 2 works for me.
You can choose to do whatever you like, and document how it works for you. I'm happy that Recipe 1 works like it should.
My latest batch is ready to split. Good enough for me.
You can choose to do whatever you like, and document how it works for you. I'm happy that Recipe 1 works like it should.
My latest batch is ready to split. Good enough for me.
jpitts101
New member
one of my cultures is from DT's, i dont know what strand it is. its a brown strain whatever it is.
DT's has nannochloropsis oculata, phaeodactylum tricornutum, and chlorella.
i know its not nannochlorpsis and i think chlorella is a green algea too so im thinking its phaeodactylum tricornutum. but im by far a pro and dont have the experience everyone else does. If anyone thinks it could be different let me know.
DT's has nannochloropsis oculata, phaeodactylum tricornutum, and chlorella.
i know its not nannochlorpsis and i think chlorella is a green algea too so im thinking its phaeodactylum tricornutum. but im by far a pro and dont have the experience everyone else does. If anyone thinks it could be different let me know.
Fishboy1230
New member
I have been using this exact "recipe" for a few weeks and it rocks! Not a single crash yet! The miricle grow worked , and still is, working like a charm. Thanks!
This was my solution -
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9445279#post9445279
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9445279#post9445279
