reccomend using nannocholopsis to culture rotifers?

[crazinezz978]

I heard its more expensive, but is it worth it....is rotifer production able to survive solely on using "instant algae"?

Pros/Cons would be great.

 

[Zooid]

Instant Algae is great if you don't overfeed. I've crashed rotifers using Rotifer Diet overfeeding.

I've had a constant culture of rotifers going for about seven or eight months now with live nannochloropsis. I don't have to worry about overfeeding with live nanno so it's easier for me to use that.

Live nanno is also time consuming, so I guess that's one of the cons of using it. Cleanliness is very important when growing your own phytoplankton.

 

[heap]

i've had better rotifer reproduction w/ instant algae than i got with cultured live algae - had better luck w/ live cultured algae for feeding rots in a larva tank, tho.

 

[rkelman]

" I've crashed rotifers using Rotifer Diet overfeeding."

Yup I just did the same thing. That being said I will never culture live phyto again. Its just too much work. My rotifer cultures are very good on Rotifer Diet. (Exept when I overfeed)

 

[crazinezz978]

So, why is nannocholopsis so expensive..

can I get Rotifer Diet and keep my Rotifer cultures alive that way solely?

 

[Zooid]

You can....just be careful not to overfeed and do water changes regularly. Maybe once a week? rkelman can probably tell you how to use it better than I.
The nanno 3600 from Reed is extremely concentrated so you don't use much at all. That's one of the reasons it's so expensive.

 

[crazinezz978]

Any, even cheaper ways to culture rotifers...I've been hearing about some guillard g/2 selling on faf...is that for rotifers? is it recommended, it seems much cheaper...

 

[rkelman]

Guillard g/2 is fertilizer. Its for growing Phyto. The cheapest way is to culture your own phyto but its a pain. Rotifer diet is no cheaper than the Nanno 3600 to use I don't think. The ingredients are somewhat different as well as the concentration.

 

[Zooid]

If you decide to grow your own phyto you will need the Guillard. I bought mine in the dry mass pack about a year ago and I still have a LOT left. After mixing it I use about 15ml every four days.

It's definitely cheaper to grow your own but like I said before it's very time consuming. I spent about an hour and a half last night splitting cultures and cleaning equipment.

 

[Lifes A Beach]

I use Reed's Instant Algae Nanno 3600 and you can't beat it! My rotifer cultures have been going for 10 months with no problems. It's so easy using this stuff...add a little to r/o water and that's it! There's enough other tough work to do so why not go the easy route.