Anyone grow their own phytoplankton?

[asmith]

Hi everyone. I know that a lot of us use DT's phytoplankton in our tanks. I am a member on "The Saltwater Forum." Lots of us live in the Kansas City area so we meet regularly. Some of the local guys got together and built a bunch of "phytoplankton culture stations." We had a BBQ last weekend and they were distributed to those of us who purchased them ($20 before airpump and lighting). I have had mine set up for 4 days now and I already have 10 litres of fresh phytoplankton. The station is very easy and inexpensive to set up and will provide a continuous supply of fresh phytoplankton. My system is a ten station system. Each "station" contains a clear 2 liter soda bottle. I am going to use 6 of the stations for phytoplankton, and the remaining two stations to raise Mysis and brine shrimp. This station will quickly pay for itself in savings over buying DT's phytoplankton.

I can't take any credit for the design since I didn't have anything to do with it. Read the link below for more information about the design and those who designed it. You can easily build one yourself.
http://w3page.com/fishline/cgi-bin/i...ic=483&start=0


Here is a picture that I took of my station after only three days. The water in the bottles were clear on saturday evening.

I just though you might be interested.

[GreenLincoln]

I've seen a similar station, but where do you get the starter culture?

[asmith]

I think this is where we got ours. http://www.florida-aqua-farms.com

HTH,
Andrew

[LiquidShaneo]

This may sound like a dumb question, but can you store your home-made phyto like DT's? What are you doing w/ the excess phyto anyhow that your system generates (besides using it to feed your tank)?

liquid

[asmith]

Hi liquid. That is actually a very good question. The live phytoplankton can be stored in the fridge for a few months, but it is best to use it within 1 or two days. After that it begins losing it's value.

I plan on tweaking my system so that I only generate as much phyto as I need. I will be using some of the phyto to feed brine and rotifers in the other stations, and the rest will go into the tank. If I do end up with excess, then I will give it away to other local reef keepers or dump it out. The culture station will run indefinately as long as the cultures don't crash, so I am not too concerned about dumping out the excess. I figure I will pay for the system and starter cultures pretty quickly with the money I save by not buying DT's.

The thread that I posted above has the answers to lots of questions. The guys that organized this project really did a great job. We ordered 4 different species of cultures and split tem between us so if any of us has a crash we will be able to get new starter cultures from any of the other locals.

Andrew

[LiquidShaneo]

Heh, I'd love to read that thread but unfortunately I can't from my workstation here at work. For some reason that site is blocked.

How much salt are you using per 2 liter anyhow?

I'm trying to figure out the logistics of setting one of these up for my 38 gal tank right now...

liquid

[asmith]

According to the instruction sheet that I was given, the Specific gravity of the water should be around 1.014 - 1.017. About 3/8 cup of salt per gallon will usually get you in that range.

Andrew

[LiquidShaneo]

What about this: could you make up a decent sized batch of phyto and store it in your fridge so all you had to do was make phyto 1x per month? Could you use a culture from your fridge to restart a phyto culture?

liquid

[DAVE G.]

Newbbie here I just had my first brine shrimp to hatch yesterday!Want to learn more about what you're doing.
what are DT's

[asmith]

Liquid,

I am not positive, but you may be able to store it for awhile and then use it to culture a new batch. You only need a single living cell to start the process, so I would think it could be done.

Dave G,

DT's is a brand of concentrated phytoplankton. It is an important food source for filter feeders and the micro-critters that make up zooplankton. The Zooplankton then become food for larger critters going all the way to the top of the food chain. I will be using some of my cultured phytoplankton to feed brine shrimp and rotifers. The rest will be dosed to my main tank.

HTH's,
Andrew

[DAVE G.]

thanks one more question(sorry)can I feed my newly hatched brine shrimp phytoplex I want them to grow before using as food,when will I be able to feed them to my fish and gorgian?

[asmith]

The phytoplex would be fine to feed your brine. I would not let the brine get too large because I have heard (I'm not 100% sure on this) that they lose their nutritional value as they grow. The younger the shrimp are the more healthy they will be for your fish.

Andrew

[Mikeman]

cool idea, I know you can have to much calcium but can you have to much phytoplankton? just a ?

[asmith]

Yes you can add to much phytoplankton to your tank. If you add too much you will risk algae blooms, and you could turn your tank into a culture station causing your water to turn green. That would be a bad thing.

JMO/JME,
Andrew

[organicreefer]

Originally posted by asmith
The phytoplex would be fine to feed your brine. I would not let the brine get too large because I have heard (I'm not 100% sure on this) that they lose their nutritional value as they grow. The younger the shrimp are the more healthy they will be for your fish.

Andrew

andrew is right,the food value of adult brine basically comes down to what is in their stomachs.live well fed adult brine are an attractive food that i would reccomend to finicky fish,but not as an only food.hth

[coralite]

What are you guys using for a nutrient source? I had been using water from the tanks after boiling it but that takes a long time.

[ranaman]

You can buy premade nutrient solutions from various places such as Florida Aqua Farm. But the below link gives how to make do with MIRACID fertilizer. If you added some B complex vitamins you would have something real close to the formulas used. See http://www.nethawaii.com/~kraul/plankton.html
It also has instructions for sterlizing sea water with chlorox. HTH