I purchased a (small )bottle of phytoplankton from my LFS for $21.00 . They kept it in the fridge and when I got it home to put some in my tank I noticed an exporation date of less than 2 weeks from now. What is the shelf life of phytoplankton? 21.00 every 2 weeks would be an expensive food for my tank.
Phytoplankton question (shelf life)
- Thread starter dpsa98
- Start date
dreaminmel
New member
Probably DT's Phytoplankton. That's the only kind I or my LFS have ever kept in the fridge.
starsbravo
New member
I get the phyto by Liquid Life. I think it expires a year from now when stored in the freezer. And if you were wondering, it doesnt freeze, it comes out as a concentrated gel and mixes with some of your tank water. I did DTs a few years back, and didnt like it too much because it expired before I could use all of it.
dreaminmel
New member
According to the verbage on my bottle: "This product has a distinct odor that is intensified in the air trapped in the container. Dead phytoplankton has an extremely strong odor that is overpowering even after the trapped air is pushed out of the bottle."
Doh... just noticed my expiration is 8/1/06. Took a whiff, gagged, let it air out a bit, took another whiff, gagged again.
When it was new it smelled a little but had more of a sweet hint to it than this rotten sulfer egg, etc, etc nauseating smell. I would say if you can hold your nose to it for longer than 30 seconds you should be good to go.
Doh... just noticed my expiration is 8/1/06. Took a whiff, gagged, let it air out a bit, took another whiff, gagged again.
When it was new it smelled a little but had more of a sweet hint to it than this rotten sulfer egg, etc, etc nauseating smell. I would say if you can hold your nose to it for longer than 30 seconds you should be good to go.
dreaminmel
New member
So when DT's prints this right on the bottle are they then admitting that since it has a smell it's no good? Seems to work good for me up until the smell takes the turn for the worse...
I wrote to DT's and here's the email string:
"Today i bought a bottle of your phytoplankton at New World Aquarium in Manhattan NY. When I opened it about 2 hours ago it smelled completely rotten. Is this normal? or is the phytoplankton dead? If it is dead, should I return it to the store I bought it from (New World Aquarium) or directly to you guys for a refund.
I should also mention that I had purchased a bottle of the phytoplankton about 1 year ago and it didn't have that smell at all. More of a sweetish smell... nothing rotten at all.
Thanks,
Nate
Reply from DT's:
Hi Nate,
If it is bad then you should return it to the store.
Phytoplankton does not have a pleasant odor, in fact it smells like a fart but if the smell is overpowering to the point that you do not feel comfortable using it, you should return it. If the store will not take it back, please let me know and I will talk to them.
The odor of phytoplankton can be very strong without a significant amount being dead. Odor is most often a combination of the density of the phytoplankton multiplied by how warm the refrigerator is in the store, multiplied by the time it's been in storage. Also, the air in the bottle is going to smell real strong because the odor is concentrated. You should push out all of the air until the fluid is to the top of the bottle and then smell it. If the phytoplankton dies, there will be a bloom of microbial growth of both bacteria and fungi. This will result in a staining the bottle to the level of the phytoplankton. This stain will not come off when you shake the product. I stand behind my product and have never refused to credit a distributor or store for returned product, whether it's bad or not.
Thank you for contacting me.
It is denser then it was a year ago. The fact is I increased the density about 7 months ago. I found that the density has caused an increase in complaints about odor and backed it down some starting with "best if used by December 1,2006".
It's one of those things that is impossible to explain to the stores and public. So you just do it and ride it out.
"Today i bought a bottle of your phytoplankton at New World Aquarium in Manhattan NY. When I opened it about 2 hours ago it smelled completely rotten. Is this normal? or is the phytoplankton dead? If it is dead, should I return it to the store I bought it from (New World Aquarium) or directly to you guys for a refund.
I should also mention that I had purchased a bottle of the phytoplankton about 1 year ago and it didn't have that smell at all. More of a sweetish smell... nothing rotten at all.
Thanks,
Nate
Reply from DT's:
Hi Nate,
If it is bad then you should return it to the store.
Phytoplankton does not have a pleasant odor, in fact it smells like a fart but if the smell is overpowering to the point that you do not feel comfortable using it, you should return it. If the store will not take it back, please let me know and I will talk to them.
The odor of phytoplankton can be very strong without a significant amount being dead. Odor is most often a combination of the density of the phytoplankton multiplied by how warm the refrigerator is in the store, multiplied by the time it's been in storage. Also, the air in the bottle is going to smell real strong because the odor is concentrated. You should push out all of the air until the fluid is to the top of the bottle and then smell it. If the phytoplankton dies, there will be a bloom of microbial growth of both bacteria and fungi. This will result in a staining the bottle to the level of the phytoplankton. This stain will not come off when you shake the product. I stand behind my product and have never refused to credit a distributor or store for returned product, whether it's bad or not.
Thank you for contacting me.
It is denser then it was a year ago. The fact is I increased the density about 7 months ago. I found that the density has caused an increase in complaints about odor and backed it down some starting with "best if used by December 1,2006".
It's one of those things that is impossible to explain to the stores and public. So you just do it and ride it out.
ericwebster
Premium Member
is "fart" a technical term?
Snarkys
.Registered Member
To be honest the whole idea of trying to bottle phyto and somehow not only keep it alive but also keep them nutritious for months inside that same bottle seems kinda far fetched to me.
I agree if it smells like farts then the bottle is either filled with poop or dead and decaying phyto. Trying to tell someone that it is supposed to smell like that isn't right.
I agree if it smells like farts then the bottle is either filled with poop or dead and decaying phyto. Trying to tell someone that it is supposed to smell like that isn't right.
