Phytoplankton Donation

[ezgoin2212]

Hello,

I am looking to culture my own Phytoplankton and I need a donation to get me started. Is there anyone in the Buffalo area that could get me started?

I will gladly take any extra light fixtures or bubblers if you have them, as those are the next items on my shopping list...

I have one (unused) 16oz bottle of Kent Chromaplex I can give to the person who helps me out.

Tips on culturing phyto plankton are also welcomed. I will be looking to follow these instructions: <http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html>

Thanks!

 

[NirvanaFan]

If you ever come to Rochester, I can give you some nannochloropsis.

It doesn't take much to grow phyto. A simple air pump bubbling into rinsed out 2 liter soda bottles work well. Light with a 2 bulb t12 shop light, add fertilizer, and wait. If you ever make it out this way, I can give you a crash course and show you how I do it.

What are you trying to accomplish by raising phyto?

 

[ezgoin2212]

Thank you for the reply. I'm looking to accomplish a couple things:

1. Mainly increase my Pod populations,
2. Out-compete some small pockets of nuisance algaes.

I also expect my small fish (dartfish, sm. clowns) to possibly eat some of it. Am I assuming correctly?

I will definitely let you know if I am ever out the Rochester way. Please let me know if you're ever out my way!

The offer still stands for the bottle of Chromaplex.

 

[NirvanaFan]

1. It will help increase your pod population.

2. It will actually do the opposite to the nuisance algaes. You are adding more nutrients to your system, as some of the phyto will die off. You will also probably have some fertilizer in your phyto. I'm guessing you will see more nuisance algae.

3. Your clowns and dartfish will not eat this algae.

If you are looking for algae to outcompete nuissance algae, then you should be trying to use chaetomorpha or caulerpa. Fish generally won't eat it, but you culture it and toss/trade/sell it when it grows.

 

[magdelan]

1. It will help increase your pod population.

2. It will actually do the opposite to the nuisance algaes. You are adding more nutrients to your system, as some of the phyto will die off. You will also probably have some fertilizer in your phyto. I'm guessing you will see more nuisance algae.

3. Your clowns and dartfish will not eat this algae.

If you are looking for algae to outcompete nuissance algae, then you should be trying to use chaetomorpha or caulerpa. Fish generally won't eat it, but you culture it and toss/trade/sell it when it grows.

re: 3. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that he was suggesting that he wants his clowns and dartfish to eat the phyto, not the algae.

And I agree that phyto will only add to the bio-load of the tank. A lit refugium with Chaeto will definately be a better solution. Again, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't Caulerpa the algae that can turn sexual and begin reproducing in your tank as well?

 

[NirvanaFan]

re: 3. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that he was suggesting that he wants his clowns and dartfish to eat the phyto, not the algae.

And I agree that phyto will only add to the bio-load of the tank. A lit refugium with Chaeto will definately be a better solution. Again, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't Caulerpa the algae that can turn sexual and begin reproducing in your tank as well?

3. nannochloropsis is the algae I was referring to. Sorry for the confusion.

caulerpa can go sexual, but from what I have read if you keep it trimmed and lit 24 hours a day, it shouldn't go sexual. I use chaeto in both my broodstock and reef tanks, but many people use caulerpa effectively.

 

[ezgoin2212]

Thank you for the responses and advice!

I agree with the points you made and I will let you know how it turns out! My tank currently has too many nutrients in it, from me accidentally using (what i thought was filtered) tap water in a few water changes. Do you think the nutrient rich tank would be enough to sustain a small population of phytoplankton, once cultured?

If someone in the buffalo area is interested, I would still like to try my hand at it on a small scale.

 

[GMaquarium]

Word phytoplankton means drifting plant. Pretty large group that contains many types.

When it comes to culturing phytoplankton at home I personally have a clear separation of intent of use. To feed baby fish and inverts in a grow out tank, or to feed a reef tank as food source.

The reason I make that divide is because of the nutrients. So when feeding some baby clowns in a separate tank, nitrate and phosphate may not be important yet they need to be limited in a reef. It take nutrients to grow this stuff. So if not careful and precise you would be dosing plant fertilizer in your tank.

When I cultured phyto to be used in reef tanks I would set up my cultures identically, with a "protocol" I came up with after lots of trial and error. This ensured that I could replicate and make identical cultures/culture water in all regards. I filtered out some water using lab filters and tested it. Using a hanna photometer I could actually graph the rate of po4 decrease in the culture bottle. Checking cultured under a microscope to check for density and contamination daily. This was a lot of work and sometimes I ended up just filtering the phyto and adding it to the tank without water.

I experimented using nanochloropsis to lower nutrients in a test tank. This was a fun project. I would prep cultures to the point that I could see no nitrate and low phos (.05-.09) and dosed the tank that was high in both. Over a course of few months it worked. However to get to that point I had to maintain the tank with slightly greenish water. Making the reef itself a "culture tank". This project transformed that test tank and actually pushed me to work with some of the nonphotosynthetic corals.

Overall I would not suggest using home cultured phytoplankton in reef tanks unless you are very careful. Culture contaminations are a huge challenge that can only be controlled with scientific discipline and identification. Its a fun hobby but you would need to get very involved.

 

[ezgoin2212]

Very interesting! This is exactly what I was looking to experiment with:

"I experimented using nanochloropsis to lower nutrients in a test tank. This was a fun project. I would prep cultures to the point that I could see no nitrate and low phos (.05-.09) and dosed the tank that was high in both. Over a course of few months it worked. However to get to that point I had to maintain the tank with slightly greenish water. Making the reef itself a "culture tank". This project transformed that test tank and actually pushed me to work with some of the nonphotosynthetic corals."

Do you still have the calculations/research/results for your experiment (this paragraph and the one before it)?

What do you mean by the last sentence about the research transforming the test tank?

 

[GMaquarium]

Do you still have the calculations/research/results for your experiment (this paragraph and the one before it)?

What do you mean by the last sentence about the research transforming the test tank?

I have notes.

What I meant by it is dosing phytoplankton and reducing nutrients changed that tank. It turned it into a High Nutrition yet Low nutrient environment. This lead to huge populations of pods and filter feeders that pushed me to try corals that require those conditions.

 

[GROSSR]

Use Miracle Gro Liquid plant food as the fertilizer. Get your water to a salinity point of 1.019. Add 5ml of Miracle Gro, add the starter culture and water. Put airline to the bottom of the 2liter bottle, get air to a rolling boil not blasting the bottom of the 2liter. 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness. Wait until the culture turns, hopefully a dark green.

You can get various varieties of phyto as well.