who is culturing live foods, esp copepods and phyto?

0-0

:)

well, not really...phosphate is 0 due to constant GFO, and n'ates are 0-20 depending. i've even tested three samples at once, got 0 10 and 20. n'ates tend to be between 10 and 20 though.
 
If you are getting such inconsistent results, either your testing method is inconsistent or your test kit is not reliable. What test kit do you use for NO3?

Tomoko
 
I take a one liter bottle split it. Then I take a 4oz shot glass and give each tank one glass.. I put the rest in the fridge and do the same the next day. I dump whats left in my seahorse tank. I only keep 3 bottles and they take about a week maybe a little more to mature. Every now and then I will just dump half a bottle into one tank if I end up having two bottles ready at the same time.. I've never had a problem doing this though.

My biggest trouble when I first started was I wasn't adding enough fertilizer.. I was really worried about adding to much and ending up dosing the tank with Fertilizer along with Green water. My cultures never would get a Really dark green. I kept thinking it was lighting or water. Adjusted my Fertilizer and bam fixed the problem.. Some of this stuff you will just have to play with.. I'd also keep splitting your culture till you have atleast 3 bottles.. Cause you probably will crash one or two before its all said and done..

To me green water is very easy.. Its very forgiving as long as you keep every thing clean.. The thing I like about it is once you split a bottle you dont have to touch it for a week.. I've even been busy before and if I have a bottle ready but dont have any Fresh SW to split it.. I'll add a couple of drops of Fertilizer to keep it going for another day or two. GL

BTW I have melted a few bottles before..When I go to clean mine now I just run hotwater in a cup and nuke it for 20 seconds.. Most of the time it doesn't melt the bottle lol.. One of these days I think I'm going to get me some glass bottles..
 
Both 8Ball and beaslbob are keeping phyto successfully. Other people seem to keep having crop failures for some reason.

Tomoko
 
seachem i think (test kit isnt here). i have red sea, but only for a few tests.

when i did that i took water from different places in the system...so it really should be the same everywhere?

my wife said i could start. i planned on doing three bottles, rotating like will does. I was also thinking about using 500ml bottles instead of one liter. once i start growing pods i may need more, but it seems for now 3x500 would be more than enough, i could pull half a bottle every 5 days--that should be more than my tank needs, right?

just to confirm--too much green water overwhelms current bacteria, and turns your tank to pea soup. will that correct itself when you run out of whatever the limiting nutrient is?

if i dont have enough bugs in the tank to keep phyto in check now, will they just live until they starve to death, running out of nutrients? if so, what happens to their waste? does it just decompose back into N, P, etc?

hey...if they eat nutrients, bugs eat them, fish eat bugs, fish poop, the same amount...MORE N, P, etc is in the tank--not just what was there before but the micro algae grow too.

how much of these things are being removed by skimming? it seems like you could keep adding stuff and it never really leaves--N and P dont break down any further than N and P!!!

thanks for the chemistry lesson,

tim
 
There should not be any difference in water quality whichever part of aquarium the water came from. I suspect that your test method is inconsistent if you get three different results from the same tank water taken at the same time.

I am sure you can run a small set up with three 500 ml bottles. Just keep those bottles really clean so you want have crashes.

>>too much green water overwhelms current bacteria, and turns your tank to pea soup.<<

Nope. Green water (nannochloropsis or other green phytoplankton) consumes nutrients in your tank water (inorganic NO3 and PO4) and multiply to make pea soup. Bacteria has nothing to do with this, except possibly slowing them down by competing for the same nutrients. It's a good thing you have a refugium with macroalgae because they can usually outcompete phytoplankton as long as phytoplankton density is relatively low. Keep the macroalgae growing well. Macroalgae don't do too well with a GFO reactor running well 24/7, though.

I don't think you run out of nutrients for green water. Those who had them can tell you how hard it was to get rid of them. Water changes with freshly made salt water using RODI water) do not stop green water. Only thing that can is either copper or completely covering up and shutting out the light for the tank for 4 to 5 days.

I hate to keep on talking about pea soup, but as long as you have NO3 as high as 20 or more, there is a chance you get a pea soup. Your tank inhabitants supply ammonia and phosphate to them, too. I have a nannochloropsis acclimated to fresh water to feed my daphnia. I keep my nannochloropsis in a small tank with a number of fish in it. As I feed my daphnia using 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank water with nanno, I replenish the tank with fresh water. I feed my fish in the tank and the next day the tank is pretty much back to dark green. I do this on purpose.

>>will they just live until they starve to death, running out of nutrients? if so, what happens to their waste? does it just decompose back into N, P, etc?<<

Yes, they probably starve to death if there is not enough nutrients in the tank and decompose back into N, P, K, etc.

>>how much of these things are being removed by skimming? <<

Skimming removes some phyto. I usually turn off my pumps and skimmer (all on one switch) when I feed my tank. However, a skimmer does not help much to eliminate pea soup once you have it.

No, N and P does not break down any further, but N and P normally do not stay in our tank as N and P ions or molecules for long. Inorganic N and P are consumed by macroalgae, microalgae and some bacteria. They are often bound to other ions and exist as organic compounds, too. Water chemistry is extremely complex. Enough chemistry lessons, Tim?

Tomoko
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10831642#post10831642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tomoko Schum
........ Only thing that can is either copper or completely covering up and shutting out the light for the tank for 4 to 5 days..........
Click to expand...

UV and O3 will clear it up in a very short time. I've got a 100g that i use to cure rock in, intentionally dumping in enough phyto to turn it to 'pea soup' works wonders for a rock curing tank when you get most of the die off from shipping removed. with 300 mg/hr O3 it'll clear up in about 12 hrs and be crystal clear and the NO3/PO4 levels are minimal too.
 
NEVER!

chemistry me to death...Lord knows the Math dept at UAH is trying to math me to death :(

(linear algebra and calculus)

SOOOO....the N and P are consumed and then bound in macro algae, and then removed when i harvest macro.

except when i harvest caluerpa and feed it to the foxface, who then starts the cycle over again.

how long do you leave skimmers off when you does phyto?
 
wait...'probably decompose when they starve to death' which means they will run out of nutrients unless they are eaten?

but i inferred that they wont starve to death, as NPK really wont have much limit at the phyto level in my tank.

is there a way to keep them localized, like in a specific part of a sump? if not completely, then at least to a certain extent?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10833993#post10833993 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by timrandlerv10
wait...'probably decompose when they starve to death' which means they will run out of nutrients unless they are eaten?
Click to expand...

once the available nutrients are consumed the phyto will start to die off, that die off releases nutrients that feed those still alive and the cycle continues until they are consumed by bugs or the skimmer :) if you're dosing the phyto to your tank several hours would be my suggestion to turn the skimmer off or block the air intake and let it continue to circulate. the only way to localize it in one section of the tank/sump/fuge is to remove that portion of the system from circulation with the rest of the tank.
 
Tim-

Never enough chemistry? I thought a lot of people hated chemistry, especially organic chemistry. There is a lot of math involved in chemistry, though.

When you are through with calculus and linear algebra, you can try Differential Equation ;)

Good to have you in the conversation, JetCat :) Yes, UV is helpful and so is a diatom filter. I cannot comment on a ozonizer since I don't have any experience with it. 4 day black-out is cheaper, though.

Tomoko
 
funny you should mention diff eq, i have that and another calc next semester... :(

Tim, why arent you a Doctor?
Well, i realized i would never pass Organic

:)

we did creat an electrically conductive...isomeric? polymer, which was pretty cool.

When you're done helping me with phyto, you can help me with calculus and linear algebra? :)

ok, so when i get my starter, do i put it in one bottle, or spread it out over all three, 4/6ths, 1/3rd, 1/6th, which would line them up for week 2, 3, 4 and then i should be on track?

i almost started this weekend using propel bottles, which have a really wide mouth, but alas, they are a deep (opaque!) blue...

back to cyano: uv wont kill it? it's facilitated by lack of flow and excess nutrients? i have it growing in my chaeto this time...i think because my fuge light timer broke, and it ran 24/7 for an unknown time...
 
You can turn off the fuge light for 4 to 5 days and cyano should be gone. Your macro will be fine. Cyano tend to stick to things and not all of them won't pass through the UV unit.

Tomoko
 
Tim -

Are you ready to start now? I have 500cc of nano ready for you. I let 250 cc mature over five or days for you. If you are ready, I can drop it off at CRA this weekend (late Friday afternoon or Sunday.)

Tomoko
 
I'll be ready by this weekend...we're going shopping tonight. Turns out i didnt have a gang valve...kind of important...

any chance i can come pick up in person? i'm looking for a reason to come stare at your tank :)

if its not convenient, i can pick up at CRA or anywhere else you want.

oh, and thank so much...for the information, encouragement, 500cc of nano...

tim
 
You can come pick it up at my house if you prefer to stop by here. I am usually home after 4:00 pm during the week. I am in and out a lot during weekends. Please let me know when you'd like to stop by since I have to run errands sometimes.

I will be making drastic change to my tank by dismantling the rock work to catch my two fish who absolutely resist going into a fish trap.

Tomoko
 
Well, it looks like the bottles are getting darker!

The next question is how to dose it? Do i just put it in the display after turning off the skimmer? Any pitfalls on use--other than over use? What is a good 'full strength' dose for a 50 gallon system?

I can't wait!!!
 
You can start slowly and see. 8Ball mentioned earlier that he uses a shot glass for each tank. There is no set amount or dosage.

Tomoko
 
keep an eye on NO3/PO4 levels, if you didn't allow the phyto long enough to consume all the micro grow it'll carry over to the tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Phyto dosing.
Replies
2
Views
623
Bakeman
B
B
Help needed with aiptasia tank
Replies
3
Views
438
griss
griss
E
Refractometer woes….what would you do?
Replies
12
Views
439
jrill
J
DPauley
Bonnethead Shark Collection and Care in Home Aquaria
Replies
3
Views
277
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
A
New Naso Tang breathing heavy and not swimming much anymore
Replies
2
Views
431
griss
griss
Back
Top