Phyto culture questions

[Levinson]

I've decided to give phyto culture a go and am in the process of preparing the supplies.
Before I get started, I wanted to learn as much as possible about the procedures and be prepared so I've been reading and watching youtube videos but I still have some questions (I'm sure there will be more to come) and hope to hear from those who have the experience.

1. Many people seem to harvest and/or split a culture by pouring some of it into another container and continuing the existing culture by refilling freshly mixed saltwater and adding F/2 medium. When you pour it to harvest, won't it have some phyto getting stuck to the top side and mouth of the bottle? Could this become a problem (decay, contaminate, etc, being out of water and all) or is this not really an issue? Are you better off using a new sterilized bottle after each harvest? Or am I just getting paranoid and overthinking this?

2. For those who are using typical plastic bottles with narrow openings, how do you sterilize the bottle? Do you put hydrogen peroxide, bleach, or ethanol solution and then shake it? If you are using hydrogen peroxide or bleach solution, do you have to rinse it with water afterward or can you just pour it out and air dry? If you have to rinse it, won't there be a risk of contamination from the water you rinse it with?

3. Do you add F/2 after each harvest or during culture as well?

I will be back with more if I can think of any. Thank you in advance

 

[Pistondog]

I used to be diligent about sterilization (ethanol). I dont think it matters a lot. Clean in sink, let air dry.
You must keep the phyto moving with air bubbles or stirrer.
Get a cheap pink horticulture light, unless you have a fixture already
Use f2.
Timeline
1. Days 1 and 2 little apparent growth
2. Days 3 thru 7 or 8, most greening up
3. 8 thru 10, not much change harvest or split.

To harvest, pour off 80%, restart with fresh saltwater and f2. Clean vessel at least every other batch.

Lots of anecdotal info like this, or google "phyto growth for biofuel" for more technical info.

 

[Pistondog]

I use wide the mouth vessels from poseiden which allow for good cleaning and the top provides a nice rubber seal. Little pricy, but what isnt.

Phytoplankton Systems | Poseidon Reef Systems

Includes a PhytoTank, Culture Pack and Phytoplankton Starter Cultures

poseidonreefsystems.com

 

[Levinson]

Thanks for the input @Pistondog,
Do you get some phyto on the top side of the vessel after a harvest because you have to tilt the bottle to pour it?
Do you clean or swap out the vessel after each harvest?

 

[Kasrift]

All good things said by @Pistondog . I use the Poseidon reef system too. I think a few things depends on type of phyto. Nanno always crashes if I pour most out during a split and try and use the same vessel (same bag for Poseidon) but tetra is good for every other. In all honesty, start with tetra, it is more forgiving and best for copepods too.

Always have a sterile vessel. Use rubbing alcohol pads to clean. Best to use F2 at the start of a culture, but you can add it mid cook. I add it when I split though.

 

[Pistondog]

Thanks for the input @Pistondog,
Do you get some phyto on the top side of the vessel after a harvest because you have to tilt the bottle to pour it?
Do you clean or swap out the vessel after each harvest?

Yes clean the jar after each harvest is best practice.

 

[Kmst80]

I use 2lt juice bottles,cleaned with water and then a tiny amount rubbing alcohol. I use TNC Complete,can't get f2 here and it's low in phosphate. 2 ml per bottle,after a week another 2ml per bottle,top up with ro water,harvest after 2 weeks. I harvest 50%,use a new bottle prepared with half 24ppm saltwater+ fertiliser and half of the old phyto. Standard desk lamp as light source. I use phyto for 2 weeks and dose daily,keep refrigerated.

 

[Gtinnel]

I use bottles that iced coffee comes in (because I always seem to have a lot of them). I keep two growing cultures while I clean and sterilize another two bottles and air lines. I clean them with tap water and then sterilize them with rubbing alcohol.
After the cultures grow for about a week I take one of the two bottles and split it into the two clean bottles and top up with fresh saltwater and add f2. I put the other bottle into smaller bottles and put in the fridge to use.

 

[Levinson]

I use bottles that iced coffee comes in (because I always seem to have a lot of them). I keep two growing cultures while I clean and sterilize another two bottles and air lines. I clean them with tap water and then sterilize them with rubbing alcohol.
After the cultures grow for about a week I take one of the two bottles and split it into the two clean bottles and top up with fresh saltwater and add f2. I put the other bottle into smaller bottles and put in the fridge to use.

Do you mean something like this?

 

[killer2001]

I set up a 5 gal bucket with some phyto and f2 and its been running for over a month now. When it gets really dark green, I'll harvest and replace what I took out with new saltwater. When the green color begins to transition into a yellowish, I'll add more f2.

Since I got tired of going to the fridge (shaking up the bottle) and dosing phyto everyday I set up two small pumps, one in my refugium, one in the phyto bucket. 3 times a day both pumps turn on at the same time (for 5 seconds) and my refugium water essentially swaps with the water in the phyto bucket (maintaining a similar salinity of 35ppt).

One less thing I have to do now.

 

[Gtinnel]

Do you mean something like this?
View attachment 3102020

No it’s a bottle that I buy from the grocery store. It’s just a basic 48oz bottle that I obviously peel the label off of.
Here is a pic of the bottles that I use, but any plastic bottle would work. I just prefer this over a 2 liter pop bottle because it has a little bit wider mouth.

 

[LordofCinder]

I use 2 litre pop bottles for my cultures, I use vinegar to sterilize them before I add saltwater, phyto, and F2, then add an airline and leave alone for a week.

I use the phyto, then I clean the bottles with vinegar again, and then start a new culture. Over and over again...

 

[taricha]

Check the new Jay Hemdal article posted recently.

 

[Levinson]

So I manage to get some Nannochloropsis but the shipping took a while and it did smell a little bit funky.
I fear some of it has gone bad.
Still, this is my one chance with Nanno and I had to get this going somehow.
I got 3 culture bottles going, hoping at least one would make it. All in different sizes too.
Sanitized the gear and the water as best as I could with rubbing alcohol and a UV-c lamp.
About 1ml of F/2 per liter as instructed.
12 hours of light per day since my grow light had the max 12 hours preset timer.
It's been 3 days and with my untrained eyes, I'm not sure if it's getting any darker. The smallest culture bottle seem to have some short hairy stuff growing on the sides of the bottle. Is the smallest culture bottle already done for?

2nd day

3rd day

 

[Kmst80]

So I manage to get some Nannochloropsis but the shipping took a while and it did smell a little bit funky.
I fear some of it has gone bad.
Still, this is my one chance with Nanno and I had to get this going somehow.
I got 3 culture bottles going, hoping at least one would make it. All in different sizes too.
Sanitized the gear and the water as best as I could with rubbing alcohol and a UV-c lamp.
About 1ml of F/2 per liter as instructed.
12 hours of light per day since my grow light had the max 12 hours preset timer.
It's been 3 days and with my untrained eyes, I'm not sure if it's getting any darker. The smallest culture bottle seem to have some short hairy stuff growing on the sides of the bottle. Is the smallest culture bottle already done for?

2nd day
View attachment 3113296

3rd day
View attachment 3113289

View attachment 3113290

Last picture looks like the phyto settling,just give it a little shake. You need to be patient. I don't know how much phyto you received but it looks like you heavily diluted it. Mine was like that at the beginning. Now I can't look through it anymore, even after I split it. Give it time.

 

[Levinson]

I had a quick look today and I think the smallest bottle is done for. It's getting lighter in color compared to the others with more gunky stuff growing on the sides. The other 2 bottles, I'll wait and see.

 

[Levinson]

One on the far left looks pretty much gone.

 

[Levinson]

Today is the 7th day since I got started.
I could be seeing things but I think I might be getting some growth, of something at least.
One issue is that I'm getting some chunky bits in the cultures. I had some to begin with but I feel like there are more of them now. It's not yet at a dense where many people would normally harvest but I think I might harvest it today just to strain all the chunky bits.

2nd day

4th day

5th day

6th day

 

[Kmst80]

Today is the 7th day since I got started.
I could be seeing things but I think I might be getting some growth, of something at least.
One issue is that I'm getting some chunky bits in the cultures. I had some to begin with but I feel like there are more of them now. It's not yet at a dense where many people would normally harvest but I think I might harvest it today just to strain all the chunky bits.

2nd day
View attachment 3118375

4th day
View attachment 3118376

5th day
View attachment 3118377

6th day
View attachment 3118378

I wouldn't worry about the chunks. I get phyto growing on the walls and bottom of the bottles and eventually some of it comes loose. I only strain when I harvest. I would give it more fert and leave it one more week. Here is my culture for comparison.

 

[Kmst80]

Looking good mate