Phyto/Rotifers First Attempt.

[BlueCoast]

This is mine, 4 separate 2L'ers surrounding a little 12W PC shop light.

For the bubbler it is just rigid airline tubing with no airstone. I prefer the metal 4-way gang valve's, the cheapo plastic ones are harder to adjust.

The rotifers are on the shelf below it. Don't have a pic of that.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

The rots are on the left and the phyto on the right. I added two cupfulls of phyto to the rots to green it up right after this photo. I added 1.019 water to the phyto to make up the difference.

 

[fishkid6692]

i'm really new to this so how do you harvest the rotifers from the bottle? and i was going to do my rotifer culture in a 2.5 gallon tank. is this ok? i am ordering 2 of the kits you got tomorrow. and how often do you add the fertilizer? and what do you do once you run out?

 

[HoopsGuru]

To harvest the rotifers out of a bottle you could simply pour them through a plankton collector (I just got mine from www.florida-aqua-farms.com and love it, was using a permanent plastic coffee filter before) and then simply replace saltwater into the rotifer bottle. I use a 2.5g tank for my rotifers, siphoning out the water into a bucket through my collector every day or two and being fed to the display tank until I collect larvae again.

I have my phyto setup like pmolans with a strip light and two liter bottles in front of it. But, I must say, arranged around the PC worklight like BlueCoast is a great idea using less energy.

 

[fishkid6692]

so i just take out about 1 cup from the rotifer bottle and pour it through the collector? what should the salinity be in the rotifer and phyto bottle? and once my phyto bottle turns really green can i split the culture again? and when can i split the rotifer culture?

 

[Hendersonracing]

what should the salinity be in the rotifer and phyto bottle?

The rotifers should be close to the main tank(they prefer aged water) you can use fresh SW for the phyto 1.018-1.020

 

[Hendersonracing]

and once my phyto bottle turns really green can i split the culture again? and when can i split the rotifer culture?

you can get a culture stick for the phyto..I have one but don't use it I usually split mine is 7-10 days when it turns dark green!


and for the rotifers I think its recommended to split it every 7 days depending on the density!

 

[fishkid6692]

ok thanks! i ordered 2 of the kits so i'll try it and see what happens.

 

[HoopsGuru]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12219432#post12219432 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishkid6692
so i just take out about 1 cup from the rotifer bottle and pour it through the collector? what should the salinity be in the rotifer and phyto bottle? and once my phyto bottle turns really green can i split the culture again? and when can i split the rotifer culture?

For the rotifers it depends on what density you want, whether you are batch or continuous culturing etc. I couldn't really tell you what my density is, I have more of a visual understanding of what I used for my first larval rearing.

Mine are around 1.017-1.019...my larval tank is at about 1.021-1.022. You can split the bottle when it is really green. I split my first 2L bottle into thirds and in about 5 days had three strong cultures. I now run 4 2L bottles and I can easily sustain my 2.5g rotifer tank and feed some to my display.

As far as I know, you can split the rotifer culture as soon as you can verify they are reproducing. The population should double by about 3 days (less or more).

 

[Lifes A Beach]

I bought the same rotifers on eBay and never had any luck with their stuff. I then bought rotifers from SeahorseSource.com and I have 4 cultures going strong. I'm using Instant Algae rather than live phyto and it's much easier.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Tomorrow is 7 days. It has gotten very green but not a forest green like the other pics. Although I needed to feed the rots twice and added clean water to make up. This time it took only 2 days for the rots to become clear. I think tomorrow I will split the phyto into 3 bottles and see how it goes from there.

 

[Hendersonracing]

hey whats the best way to get a great density on the rots?? A few of my culture density has gone down..should I do a big wc and not add phyto?

 

[fishkid6692]

where did you get your rigid airline? i can't find any.

 

[billsreef]

Joe,

It's probably time to restart a culture in a clean tank

fishkid,

Generally rigid airline tubing can be found at a LFS, it's 3/16" tube that is typically used for undergravel filters.

 

[Hendersonracing]

Thanks Bill should I put all new clean water in it? and start over? and syphon the rots from the tank they been in?

 

[msman825]

my rotifers multiplies after i change water every 2 -3 days . I got were i siphon some of them out with a turkey baster and put them in my frag tank when i see a great big bunch on the sides. too thin them down a little. already have a couple bottles in frig for back up. I need some firtilize for my phyto. I tried miracle grow but i lost that batch, turned yellow and started to bubble bad. mighta added too much though . you can get rigid air line at walmart around here

 

[Lifes A Beach]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12232879#post12232879 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishkid6692
where did you get your rigid airline? i can't find any.

Pet Supermarket carries it in some of their stores.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I just got home and split everything up. 3 phytos and 2 rots. Now with the mentioning of the frag tank above it brings me to a question. Can I setup a 10g tank on my system, set up a drip, and an overflow and keep the rots in that with an air stone? The water will be constantly changed. It may be silly but worth asking.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I see how this can get crazy with phyto doubling all the time. Does anyone sell the excess to local clubs or lfs?

 

[fishkid6692]

i can't find rigid airline any where! and my stuff is coming tomorrow.