Phyto/Rotifers First Attempt.

Roy G. Biv

Roy G. Biv

Premium Member
Ok.. This is what I bought. Mainly because the price was right :)

culturepack591ml.jpg


LiveRotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) 20oz (591mL).
LivePhytoplankton (Nannochloropsis oculata) 20oz (591mL)
PhytoFertilizer 2oz (59mL)


So this is what I dod per instructions.
1) Clean out (2) 2 Liter bottles.
2) Split the Phyto into the (2) 2 Liters.
3) Add the entire bottle of Rots to only 1 2 Liter.
4) Fill the (Phyto Only) bottle almost to the top with 1.019 water
5) Add 5ml of fertilizer to the Phyto Only bottle.

Set the air bubbles, 16hrs of light on each.

What I noticed. The Rot bottle is becoming less green, The phyto bottle is becoming more green. 2 days so far. However. It doesnt look as if the Phyto bottle will be as green as it was initially when the Rots become close to clear. I have some Kent "dead" phyto. Will that hold over the rots until I get the Phyto to double?

I just need some suggestions to get me through this initial phase. Thanks.
 
If your rotifer culture outgrows your phyto, you can always just harvest extra rotifers to keep the population down. I took one nice green 2L bottle of my phyto and then split it evenly into 3 new 2L bottles with 5ml of fertilizer (I use Miracle grow for vegetables from Walmart) in each. I kept the rotifer density low and fed them some DT's until my phyto cultures were dense enough. Now, I use up to 2/3 of a 2L bottle and then just restart it with more culture water (1.017 fresh saltwater and 5ml of fert.) and move from bottle to bottle in a continuous supply.

Right now, with now larvae to feed, I keep my rotifer population in check by harvesting and feeding my display tank.
 
The Rots will hold over on their own. I wouldn't worry about it. They are pretty tough in my experience. You won't gain density but they'll survive on very little.. You need to get the phyto going real good to keep up to Rots growth / reproduction rate. Rots can double daily. Phyto takes a week.
 
Im having a hard time finding out if my rotifers are still alive/reproducing how can I check without a microscope?



--Ian
 
I bought one of those magnifying glasses that has an additional small built-into-the-handle high power lens. Then I take a few mls of rot culture, in a clear glass test tube (I use the ones from test kits), and hold it up to the light. Very easy to see them swimming around in there.
 
So today I upgraded the lighting. I was just using an old freswater strip. For maybe a total of 20 bux I bought a (4ft)2 X 40W light strip and 2-6500k bulbs. We'll see how that works out.

Next question. I am having a hard time keeping the phyto suspended in the water. I need to shake it 4-5 times a day. Do I need more bubbles in the water? I think they are getting stuck in the dimples on the bottom of the soda bottles. Maybe Ill get around to making some sort of holder to keep it inverted. Any ideas?
 
More bubbles for the phyto, don't be afraid to really crank the air ;) I find a nice rolling "boil" works well.
 
Phyto gets strong air flow.

Rot's get gentle air flow, just barely strong enough to make a gentle current.
 
The phyto is begining to green up nicely with the new light.
More questions.

1) I keep reading that the rots dont need light. However I read that you need the light to keep the phyto happy so it doesnt spoil the water. For now I have it in front of the light for the 16hrs like the phyto. Does the light slow the rot growth down somehow?

2) How do I know when the rots need to be split. Do I just keep adding phyto water to keep ot green and that would be enough? Do I need to by a magnifying glass and the doohickey you stick in the water to aproximate the density?

3) My fuge drains directly to my return pump to my tank. WHen I start getting excess phyto and rots shoud I dump them in there or should they go directly to the tank.
 
Right, rot's don't need light to grow and reproduce... that being said, I like to keep some light on their area, lets me see the density of the rots better, and in my mind, like you said let's the phyto grow in the rot cultures.

The precise way is to pull an amount of water out, I think 1ml and count the # of rot's... I've gotten lazy over time and have a light behind the rot cultures, by looking in I can get a rough estimate of how dense they are to how quickly the water is losing its green. With a little experience you will be a pro at when you need to add more phyto vs cull rotifers. basically, you can never have enough phyto, the rot's will take all you have and ask for more :)

I dump right into the tank and turn the return pump off for a bit.
 
It also says that phytoplankton will survive in the fridge for 5 months. Once I get enough, should I store some in the fridge for when I have a crash?
 
I mainly did this route because it was simple and had everything I wanted to get started. I looked at florida aquafarms but I felt overwhelmed by the choices. I still dont know what Im doing. When I get more comfortable in reproducing these Ill look at florida aquafarms again.
 
Not an elaborate setup yet but..
I have a few 2 liters and some 3/16" ridgid tubing. So what I did was drill 2 x 11/64" (one size down from 3/16") holes in the cap. I cut 2 sections of tubing. One goes to the bottom of the bottle and sticks 1 inch above. The other is about 2", 1" above and 1" below to let the air out. My air feeds the longer tubes of both, supplied from the gang valve.


I had to screw with the camera to make it dimmer because it is aimed at the light.
phyto.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Algae issue - and I feel like I've tried everything
2
Replies
21
Views
3K
JCOLE
JCOLE
badbones
F/S Phyto - Rotifer - baby brine setup
Replies
1
Views
530
badbones
badbones
U
Need help with culturing rots and phyto
Replies
3
Views
4K
fnicklaus
F
S
Looking to address previous issues with phyto and pod cultures.
Replies
4
Views
3K
makers marc
M
G
Aaargh, my phyto cultures keep crashing
Replies
6
Views
1K
Rybren
Rybren
Back
Top