who has this going for them. can i get some info about it. i am thinking about getting a hang on fuge for my 24g after reading this forum of advance topics. will phto/brine shrimp be able to survive in a fuge that small? where can i get live phyto and brine shrimp from? im located in highland, ca 92346. i like this natural approach i think its very cool. what are the benefits of the live foods and can i have a tank that just feeds on these as the main food with a once ina while desert of other man made food for color enhancements? is my tank too small for something liek this?
phyto/brine shrimp in a hang on fuge
- Thread starter thefuture
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rustybucket145
New member
I don't think that will work.
rustybucket145
New member
well there are a few problems with your setup.
1. The Brine shrimp will eat the phyto
2. Any copepods/amiphods that may make their way into the HOB will eat the Phyto.
3. The brine shrimp eggs float so they will be overflowed into your tank
That is just from what I gathered.
Anyways, here are my sources of phyto and Brine Shrimp eggs:
You can get a phyto culture from Florida Aqua Farms.com
I also get my brine shrimp eggs from BrineShrimpDirect.com But they are available from several places.
I would suggest that you go to these sites and read a little on what exactly it takes to grow both phyto and brine. It is a little more complicated than mixing them together. Not much more complicated but there are certain 'guidelines' that you have to follow to have a successful culture or hatching.
I personally use 2liter clear coke bottles and an air pump, but there are several other effective methods available to the DIY'r
Good Luck.
1. The Brine shrimp will eat the phyto
2. Any copepods/amiphods that may make their way into the HOB will eat the Phyto.
3. The brine shrimp eggs float so they will be overflowed into your tank
That is just from what I gathered.
Anyways, here are my sources of phyto and Brine Shrimp eggs:
You can get a phyto culture from Florida Aqua Farms.com
I also get my brine shrimp eggs from BrineShrimpDirect.com But they are available from several places.
I would suggest that you go to these sites and read a little on what exactly it takes to grow both phyto and brine. It is a little more complicated than mixing them together. Not much more complicated but there are certain 'guidelines' that you have to follow to have a successful culture or hatching.
I personally use 2liter clear coke bottles and an air pump, but there are several other effective methods available to the DIY'r
Good Luck.
rustybucket145
New member
I might be wrong but I still think that it will not work. Unless Phyto has a 'Sterile' environment so that the culture is not contaminated, and it requires fertilizer (that you don't want in your tank).
Here is the link to the kit that I purchased and have been very pleased with. You don't really need the entire kit to culture phyto but it does come in handy b/c it has many extra parts and valves that can be used.
https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi?cart_id=74358.15154*iJ5Xs2&product=CULTURE_KITS
That is a crazy looking link so I'm not sure it will work so here is their homepage, sorry I mistyped it in the original post.
http://www.florida-aqua-farms.com
Here is the link to the kit that I purchased and have been very pleased with. You don't really need the entire kit to culture phyto but it does come in handy b/c it has many extra parts and valves that can be used.
https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi?cart_id=74358.15154*iJ5Xs2&product=CULTURE_KITS
That is a crazy looking link so I'm not sure it will work so here is their homepage, sorry I mistyped it in the original post.
http://www.florida-aqua-farms.com
castorpollux
New member
i don't think this is going to go anywhere for you except maybe having food to feed your corals & pods.
i really don't think using it as a way to get nutrients out of your system will work because of the contamination factor, people have a hard enough time not having thier phyto cultures crash on them due to unsanitary conditions let alone using it as a filtration device where it will be pulling water from your tank.
also brine shrimp don't live in the ocean, they live in salt lakes they prefer a varied salinity different from the ocean, they will get eaten or get caught in things in your refugium and just die and mess up the water quality even more, they feed on phytoplankton specifically. look at salt lake in utah next time your there, the whole thing is lime green.
if anything get a phytoplankton reactor and use it to feed your tank
i really don't think using it as a way to get nutrients out of your system will work because of the contamination factor, people have a hard enough time not having thier phyto cultures crash on them due to unsanitary conditions let alone using it as a filtration device where it will be pulling water from your tank.
also brine shrimp don't live in the ocean, they live in salt lakes they prefer a varied salinity different from the ocean, they will get eaten or get caught in things in your refugium and just die and mess up the water quality even more, they feed on phytoplankton specifically. look at salt lake in utah next time your there, the whole thing is lime green.
if anything get a phytoplankton reactor and use it to feed your tank
rustybucket145
New member
I couldn't agree more, castro. The whole point of having a 'fuge' is for copepods/amiphods and chaeto (or other nutrient export) to live/grow/prosper. It is not for brine shrimp or phyto production. The main reason most people grow phyto is to feed amiphods and copepods (as well as some corals). So in turn when you dose phyto you are actually 'feeding' your refugium.
Thefuture. What is it exactly that you are trying to do with your refugium? THe answer to this will determine the best way to proceed and what critters to keep in your refugium.
I assume you are trying to feed something in your tank. SPS corals, soft corals, gorgonians, filterfeeders, microcrustations, worms,... what? You get the idea.
There are a lot of different things in your tank that can be fed and they may eat very different things.
Rereading your post, it is likely not possible to feed your tank only from a refugium unless you have either a very, very large refugium, or almost nothing in your tank.
Fred
I assume you are trying to feed something in your tank. SPS corals, soft corals, gorgonians, filterfeeders, microcrustations, worms,... what? You get the idea.
There are a lot of different things in your tank that can be fed and they may eat very different things.
Rereading your post, it is likely not possible to feed your tank only from a refugium unless you have either a very, very large refugium, or almost nothing in your tank.
Fred
OK, so what corals do you have or are you planning to keep? Different corals feed on different things and sometimes we have no clue what a coral feeds on.
Some corals consume phytoplankton directly, for example some gorgonians. Some corals are zooplanktovours and some corals are detritovours.
In general, it is recommended to feed your tank multiple foods to try to take care of your corals. Part of this is because different corals eat different things and part of it is because many coral diets are very poorly understood so you feed with multiple things so that your corals are all getting something they can digest.
A hang on refugium that you dose phytoplankton would be beneficial to your corals in that the inhabitants would consume phyto and produce larvae that some corals would consume. Some corals could also consume larger prey like copepods and even amphipods.
Some other foods like golden pearls and oyster eggs are also recommended as very good foods for corals.
If you look through past issues of RK mag. there are some good articles on feeding corals.
I believe that my reef creations builds some sort of phyto reactor you could buy, but for a tank your size it might be a lot easier to just dose one of the commercially available phytos daily.
Fred
Some corals consume phytoplankton directly, for example some gorgonians. Some corals are zooplanktovours and some corals are detritovours.
In general, it is recommended to feed your tank multiple foods to try to take care of your corals. Part of this is because different corals eat different things and part of it is because many coral diets are very poorly understood so you feed with multiple things so that your corals are all getting something they can digest.
A hang on refugium that you dose phytoplankton would be beneficial to your corals in that the inhabitants would consume phyto and produce larvae that some corals would consume. Some corals could also consume larger prey like copepods and even amphipods.
Some other foods like golden pearls and oyster eggs are also recommended as very good foods for corals.
If you look through past issues of RK mag. there are some good articles on feeding corals.
I believe that my reef creations builds some sort of phyto reactor you could buy, but for a tank your size it might be a lot easier to just dose one of the commercially available phytos daily.
Fred
rustybucket145
New member
Do some research on DT's solution. It is much easier than home culture. It offers several types of phyto in the same bottle. You might want to start with that and see how it goes then maybee get into the home culture. Phyto reactors can get very expensive very quickly. It is much cheaper to just grow your own in a 2liter bottle then refrigerate it for dosing.
castorpollux
New member
some one delete this thread already
Thefuture, you need to read this thread on foods and feeding of corals.
Very little is known about what various 'sps' type hard corals feed on so a mix of foods is best.
I know you are looking for a natural approach, but our systems just aren't big enough to do that. The best we can do is approximate.
Fred
Very little is known about what various 'sps' type hard corals feed on so a mix of foods is best.
I know you are looking for a natural approach, but our systems just aren't big enough to do that. The best we can do is approximate.
Fred
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