phyto "?"

R

reefnetworth

Premium Member
phyto question. ive been using DT's over a year now, and the shipping cost more than the 15 oz. bottle itself. i dont see the economics weighing out in my favor and my LFS refuses to carry it due to one dozen containers purchase, refridgerating and short shelf life.
I did the Marine Snow purchase last Sat. and there is a warning of possibility of poisoning the tank if accidental O.D. which is to risky in my opinion. (Im not Russian, and dont own a revolver :lol: mine is a semi-auto) E.S.V spray is an option im lookin into, along with Kent Marine phyto. which contains nannochropsis, Tetraselmis, and Isochrysis sp. along with Omega-3, DHA and EPA. i saw one about 3 weeks ago which comes in a small bottle and is applied with an eyedropper, but i dont recall the name or the site where i saw it. any and all input would be appreciated. thanx for your time and help.

John M. :confused: :cool:
 
I don't presently dose any phytoplankton, and do not have a lot of experiences with the products that you mention, but I also do not quite understand the question. I've used the ESV product, but I'm not sure it did anything useful.
 
lots of feather dusters and lots poly's, and zoa's, 8-9"open brain, gorgonians, and what ever can be used by BTA and lots of shrooms. not sure if they use it or not. 17 years of exp. doesnt mean i know alot other than ive kept reefs for thart period of time. ive learned more from Dr. Randy and the 800+ pages ive downloaded in the past year. :lol:

John M. :cool:
 
thank you for your time and all the info you have provided to all of us. you are sometimes confusing in your explanations till i read it a couple of times and back-track other articles that relate together with the others. if that makes any sence. :lol: please dont ever leave us and take your vast knowledge away. may God bles you and yours for all you do and all you have done.

John M.
 
its not the same brand name, but it appears to be what im loolkin for. thanx for the info. ill check it out a little more in a few, gotta go get beer for my wife. (friend/discount) yeehaw! Thanx, mesocosm. have a great night and wonderful weekend. ;)

John M. :cool:
 
There's a study on this issue. I've been meaning to buy access to the Wiley web site to read it, but I think DT's did well with small clams, better than the cryopastes. I think it was the Wiley web site. I have the link somewhere.
 
This one?


Comparative growth and survival of juvenile hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, fed commercially available diets.
Emmanuelle Pales Espinosa, Bassem Allam
Zoo Biol 0:1-13, 2006.


Abstract

Hobbyist and researchers often use commercially available phytoplankton concentrates to maintain filter feeding organisms held in their ornamental or experimental tanks. This study investigated the nutritional value of 10 products available commercially for juvenile hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria. Growth and mortality rates in clams fed these products were compared with those found in clams fed fresh cultures of the microalgae Isochrysis galbana, which is considered an industry standard for supporting growth of juvenile bivalves. Our results show a clear difference in feed nutritional value between non-living and living commercial diets, and among commercial diets advertised as containing live algae. Overall, results showed that juvenile hard clams fed fresh cultures of I. galbana displayed the best growth and lowest mortality rates, followed by those fed the commercial diet DT's Live Marine Phytoplankton. Growth and mortality rates in unfed controls were similar to those found in clams fed commercial non-living algae mixes or diets advertised as containing live algae (Phyto-Feast Live product). Results also showed that the nutritional value of fresh algae (I. galbana) cultures is lost rapidly when cultures are maintained at 4°C, suggesting that algae present in some commercial diets may lose their nutritional value during processing or refrigerated storage. The commercial blend, DT's Live Marine Phytoplankton, seems to represent a good substitute to lab grown algae for clams held in ornamental or experimental aquariums.

Source
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/113493585/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Click to expand...


HTH
:thumbsup:
 
Why not just grow your own nannochloropsis? It's the easiest of the phyto's to grow and, it grows fast.
 
It's a lot of work, and getting days off is a bit of a bother. Nannochloropsis also isn't the best microalgae to use, depending on the target organism. Finally, I don't know how to clean the culture water from the phytoplankton the way DT's is cleaned.
 
ive researched www.melevsreef.com on the phyto section. and i agree as Jon B. says: "its alot of work"... for me, it would be easier to buy it and dose it. :) y'all have a great weekend!

John M. :smokin: :D
 
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For those of us who are unable to grow our own phyto, is there a viable alternative aside from DT's? I have only limited experience with the ESV spray dried phyto, and no experience with the pastes. Can someone relate their experiences with either? I am anticipating creating a mixed reef so I do not know which algae will suit me the best. Right now I am re-establishing my refugium and trying to boost my copepod population in the hopes of buying a pair of mandarins and a pseudochromis or two. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!
 
The pastes seem to work well for the clown breeders, who use them for rotifer cultures. There's more comments in the breeders forum.
 
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