Can I boil unused SW for phytoplankton culture?

[Elbereth]

I mixed some SW to QT an incoming fish but turns out I won't be able to get it until next week. I know I could just let the water sit there until then but I was just about to start a phytoplankton culture soon so I'm curious if I could boil the water (to kill any live contaminants) to use for the phyto culture instead. Or will boiling cause chemical changes which would make the water unsuitable for use? Thanks in advance!

 

[MnFish1]

I mixed some SW to QT an incoming fish but turns out I won't be able to get it until next week. I know I could just let the water sit there until then but I was just about to start a phytoplankton culture soon so I'm curious if I could boil the water (to kill any live contaminants) to use for the phyto culture instead. Or will boiling cause chemical changes which would make the water unsuitable for use? Thanks in advance!

the minute it cools back to room temperature you would be back where you were. The phytoplankton culture SHOULD - outcompete any bacteria, etc for nutrients. There would be no reason that I can see to sterilize the water.

 

[Derrick0580]

Just sterilize the holding container the sw is going to be stored in. When I was making phyto I used the 2 gallon jugs that stack you can buy in hardware at wally world. Just dump some alcohol in it and swish it around and let it drain over night and make sure to sanitize the powerhead and tubing you use to fill it and keep it all separate from your normal use stuff.

 

[Elbereth]

I remember reading about boiling RO water before mixing in the salt when starting cultures and I didn't keep the water covered as neatly as I would've with water for phytocultures so some water from my other tanks could've gotten in.

 

[marinebreeders]

When it comes to boiling SW it is recommended for sterile purposes to maintain the temperature at 70C for a duration of 2 hours. You don't want to boil the seawater.

I suggest an alternative option which involves using unscented bleach and sodium thiosulfate. The bleach will sterilize the seawater and the sodium thiosulfate will neutralize the bleach.

A combination of both is ideal if you truly want to use it for your phytoculture.

 

[MnFish1]

When it comes to boiling SW it is recommended for sterile purposes to maintain the temperature at 70C for a duration of 2 hours. You don't want to boil the seawater.

I suggest an alternative option which involves using unscented bleach and sodium thiosulfate. The bleach will sterilize the seawater and the sodium thiosulfate will neutralize the bleach.

A combination of both is ideal if you truly want to use it for your phytoculture.

In conjunction with a Chlorine test kit (would help) - However - I still would postulate that there are bacteria, etc. in the phyto culture you're adding

 

[Elbereth]

When it comes to boiling SW it is recommended for sterile purposes to maintain the temperature at 70C for a duration of 2 hours. You don't want to boil the seawater.

I suggest an alternative option which involves using unscented bleach and sodium thiosulfate. The bleach will sterilize the seawater and the sodium thiosulfate will neutralize the bleach.

A combination of both is ideal if you truly want to use it for your phytoculture.

Thanks! The 70C at 2 hours is very useful to know.

I decided to mix a fresh batch of saltwater for the culture, treated with chlorine and then with Prime, using chlorine test strips to check chlorine levels. But unfortunately my culture went clear within 2 days. The disk I was using from Florida Aqua Farms had very little cells to begin (definitely not enough for a 2L bottle as stated!) so maybe my starting concentration was too low. Or maybe there was some residual chlorine left that didn't register on the test strip.

 

[Elbereth]

In conjunction with a Chlorine test kit (would help) - However - I still would postulate that there are bacteria, etc. in the phyto culture you're adding

Makes sense that there'd be bacteria in the phyto starter already but when I tried culturing phyto briefly in the past I couldn't get my culture to take off until I started boiling the RO water before preparing the culture medium.

 

[Pistondog]

Thanks! The 70C at 2 hours is very useful to know.

I decided to mix a fresh batch of saltwater for the culture, treated with chlorine and then with Prime, using chlorine test strips to check chlorine levels. But unfortunately my culture went clear within 2 days. The disk I was using from Florida Aqua Farms had very little cells to begin (definitely not enough for a 2L bottle as stated!) so maybe my starting concentration was too low. Or maybe there was some residual chlorine left that didn't register on the test strip.

Get a phyto culture from @Eldredge. Nano is easy.
I dont know why, but starting with more starter culture seems more successful.

 

[MnFish1]

The point I was trying to make is the culture is not sterile - thus - it doesn't make sense to make the water sterile. SINCE - when you take RODI water, add salt - it will eliminate most bacteria. In addition - for a Phyto culture - you could also just use tap water - and dechlorinate it (also not completely sterile) - but I think the issues with a phyto culture and sterility might be being taken to an over the top area?

 

[MnFish1]

Get a phyto culture from @Eldredge. Nano is easy.
I dont know why, but starting with more starter culture seems more successful.

Its outcompetition

 

[Eldredge]

Thanks for tagging me Piston Dog. Just to add my two cents:

I would recommend keeping everything as clean and sterile as possible. In my experience, cross contamination - usually from another phyto, ciliates, or some other microorganism - is the main killer of cultures.

When a new culture is started, the phyto has to create a suitable environment to thrive. This happens much more quickly if a larger amount of phyto is added to start the culture. Adding more phyto also helps the phyto outcompete any other stray cells that may be present in the new culture. So, new cultures usually do better if they aren't too diluted.

I'm not sure that Prime actually neutralizes chlorine permanently. That might be why you lost your culture after a couple of days. It would be better to neutralize it with sodium thiosulfate or sodium ascorbate I think.

Using tap water would probably be fine for the phyto - maybe better than RODI water, but I would be cautious about adding tap water to a reef system unless you know for sure everything that is in it. I use filtered RO water to be safe.

And, to your original question, I don't think that boiling the water would be a very good idea. I have tried sterilizing culture medium in bottles in a pressure cooker, and it didn't work too well.

I think you will see good benefits from adding good live phyto to your system. Whether you decide it is worth the hassle of culturing it yourself or not, I would highly recommend adding some daily. Good luck!