The Live Phytoplankton Poll

[aquaorange]

For several months I've been using Live Phytoplankton and am amazed with the growth and color of my LPS, mushrooms, soft corals, and polyps since I started using Live Phytoplankton. With limited Live Phytoplankton variety (DTs & Phytofeast) and rather high cost I'd like to evaluate how you supply nutrition to your corals, mushrooms, etc.

 

[starseed]

I've been playing w/ live phytoplankton for a month or so.

It first I only added DT 2 a week.

Then I increased it to the recommended dosage.

Then a split the dosage into 2 doses daily (i.e. my tank has a water volume of 60 gallons, so instead of 20ccs every other day, I add 5 ccs once in the moring and once in the evening.

Then I started adding Rodi-feast at about half the recommended dose for a week or two. Then I split that up into twp doses p[er day (about 4ccs once in the morning and once in the evening).

The first thing I saw was big increase in pods. My tank is over 3 years old w/ barebottom so my pods were pretty low. Now they are all over the place.

I like the live food because it's alive - what isn't eaten, stays alive for a while and becomes food for pods too. Also the DT is supposed to help lower nitrates and phosphates where as "dead" phytoplankton quickly breaks down and adds to the ammonia cycle.

It's been about 1 or 2 weeks since feeding regularly. The softies now know when it's feeding time as well as the stonies.

I've also been feeding my fish in the moring and evening ONLY when the PCs are on and the MH are off. The fish are far less agressive since they know when food is coming. They might be hungery when the MHs are on, but they know feeding time is at the PC light level. That really help with agression - before I fed anytime and when the fish got hungery, they would fight each other. That game is gone now.

I'm also interested in other people's use of live phytoplankton too.

 

[barleychown]

I culture my own, and have seen positive results from a daily dose being added to my tank.

 

[Lpsfanatic338]

I also culture my own