Question for Melev or others that culture phytoplankton

jpa0741

New member
On Melev's websight it states that you grow it for 2-3 weeks. Others I had heard from say this is too long and it is already dying by then. Have you ever had any problems from using miracle grow instead of micro algea grow (algae outbreak in main tank)? I am on my 5 day of my first culture stating with dt's and all looks good sofar. Anybody else have any input would also be great.

Thanks, Jeff
 
It depends, personally most of mine average about 7 or 8 days before i get my desired cell count. I have multiple cultures set up of different species and teh times are all different. I never used miracle grow, i use Micro algea grow. I have experiment with liquid skimmate as a food source. Thats just my small experiments, it seems to work great but idk about any wastes that are in the finished product yet...
 
I'll chime in. I was actually trying to locate this thread when your email arrived. :)

This recipe using the particular Miracle Grow I use doesn't crash, ever. I've had a batch bubble away for two months straight, and it stayed forest green. I do have a picture that was just submitted to me today that show what it looks like when it does crash, and I'll be adding that to the page later tonight.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8125184#post8125184 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I'll chime in. I was actually trying to locate this thread when your email arrived. :)

This recipe using the particular Miracle Grow I use doesn't crash, ever. I've had a batch bubble away for two months straight, and it stayed forest green. I do have a picture that was just submitted to me today that show what it looks like when it does crash, and I'll be adding that to the page later tonight.
[/QUOTE

Great I will let go for at least 2 weeks and see how it goes. That was the other thing I was wondering. (how I would know if it did crash) I am using your recipe to a tee. Thanks for getting back with me, makes feel better about current setup. Don't want to feed my tank something that could harm it. Thanks for all your great info out there.

Jeff
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8125709#post8125709 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
(how I would know if it did crash)

Jeff

You'd know it has crashed or is crashing if it is discolored... Turns brownish or clearish. Also, sometimes turns chunky.

(Yes, I have experienced all of these in the past)

Melev's site is "THE BOMB- DIGGITY" :D
 
Here's the new image. :)

crashed_phyto.jpg


On the Phytoplankton page, wherever you find the word "crash" it is linked to the image. That should make it easier to find in the future. :)

Thanks Tom, that's very kind of you.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8126018#post8126018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev


Thanks Tom, that's very kind of you.

OK, it was kind of cheesey but I mean it! Your site has been very helpful! Thank you for the time you put into sharing your experience/expertise!
 
Thanks Marc. I also agree your webpages are SOOOO helpful and very clear on instructions. One of the best. :D :D :D

Thanks, Jeff
 
Hey Marc,
I have been using the Miracle Gro also for my phyto cultures, and I agree, it is almost impossible to have a crash using this stuff...but will crash if left for extended periods. I experimented, because I was so surprised my cultures just kept going and going and going with this stuff. Well I left one bottle just to see it crash, and it lasted almost 3 months before it finally crashed.
One thing I do notice though, using the Miracle Grow as a food source for the culture, is that the cultures have an extreme high concentration of Po4. I am afraid to add any unnecessary Po4 to my tank. This is how I now know when to harvest my cultures. I test the cultures for Po4 from week to week with a quick/easy SeaChem test kit..as soon as the Po4 level gets below 0.5, I know my food source is getting low and my cultures are ready to harvest and dose. Have you ever tested your cultures for Po4?
 
Acroholic - no. I tried once using a Salifert test kit, but with the culture being green I couldn't get an accurate color rendition. How exactly do you test it?

Phytoplankton is algae, and I would expect phosphate to come from it. Same as sheets of Nori. One guy used to give me a hard time for clipping sheets of phosphate in my tank for the tangs to eat. ;)
 
Hey Marc,
I use the a Seachem Multitest kit for the Po4. It only requires .4ml of sample. Which is not very green. So the Test strip is easy to distinguish. I am not trying to get exact reading but I believe when my test strip reads .5mg/l I am actually testing out at about .3mg/l. Which IMO is safe enough level for me to dose, whether it be my rotifer/pod tank or my fuge. Try it sometime....for a few weeks the Po4 is off the charts....and is unreadable..I know it is getting safe when my sample is somewhere withinin my test strip which max's out at 3.0mg/l
 
How long do you think I should let it bubble for? It does not seem to be getting much darker after a week. How long do you think it takes for the Po4 levels to come down? Here is a pic of it in it current stage. Thanks for any help.
100_0935-1.jpg

Thanks, Jeff
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8138157#post8138157 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jpa0741
How long do you think I should let it bubble for? It does not seem to be getting much darker after a week. How long do you think it takes for the Po4 levels to come down? Here is a pic of it in it current stage. Thanks for any help.
100_0935-1.jpg

Thanks, Jeff

Well, I have found that after about a week, the fertilize/nutrients are pretty much used up, the salinity starts to climb and it won't get much greener. So you can just use it like it is (lighter green) and just add more of it to the tank. But what I like to do is every week or so, top off the little bit of evap with Ro water and add another 1 mil of fert to them and let it go another week or so. I like to harvest mine when it is DARK EMERALD green.

Good luck with it.
 
If your recipe uses the FAF nanochloropsus disk, you have to split it at 7 days or it'll crash. The nice thing is that by the third generation, it will be darker than the first generation phyto.

If you are using Recipe #2 from my site, you can leave it to bubble for weeks on end. It won't crash. I've had it bubble for 2 months, just adding some more water when about 1" evaporated away.
 
I grow microalage for a living and thought I would chime in with some helpful hints. Please post a link to Melevs site so i can avoid redundancy.
One reason why your cultures may be crashing is oxygen poisoning. When you have all those cells conducting photosythesis, the culture will be come saturated with oxygen and oxygen will inhibit photosynthesis. The only way to rid the culture of oxygen is to blow it out with high air flow. A larger airspace will also help.
ANothere reson cultures may crash is that they reach a density that requires more CO2 than available and causes the pH to increase to deadly levels. The dendity of the cells can allso increase to the point where the cells shade one another and therefore more light is necessary. Never use airstones. Small bubbles will cut cells in half.

FOr clean cultures it is necessary to autoclave the the liquid medium before adding algae. Most ppl do not have an autoclave so boiling the media will also work, let it cool, than add the algae. Isopopyl alcohol is also great to use to sterilize your tools and culture vessels. A little bit of resiudual isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) will not harm the culture.
I hope my blurb helps someone.
 
Thanks for chiming in. It is greatly appreciated. I'll PM you the link to that page on my site.
 
Just an update. Culture crashed today 9-15. It was on it's 9th day. Do you think the problem was that I started the culture with DT's? I got some micro algea grow today, should I try this or stick with the miracle grow? Does micro algea grow need to be stored if fridge?

Thanks for all the help, Jeff
 
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