Phytoplankton Discussion - Your Experience!

[enlighten]

Hello all! I want your input to discuss all things phyto! Please share your experience buying, using, and culture phytoplankton!

Some topics of discussion:

• Where do you buy your phytoplankton?
• What strain/variety do you prefer to use? To culture? Do you mix?
• What vessal or container do you use to culture, light, setup?
• What do you use the phyto for? Copepods, coral, etc?
• Any other thoughts or discussion on phytoplanton would be great

Much appreciated!

 

[ryanjohn1]

I have bought for a few popular companies. I honestly don’t know if it does anything.

 

[enlighten]

I have bought for a few popular companies. I honestly don’t know if it does anything.

I did a small culture before and plan to up my game and start regularly dosing my reef. If I have extra, I may also consider culturing pods. What brands did you try? I assume is was a mix?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Algae barn etc.

 

[enlighten]

Algae barn etc.

Maybe someone can chyme in on your response. Explain the benefits of dosing phyto. I read somewhere they call bottled phyto zombies xD

 

[ryanjohn1]

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still adding some. But I don’t know if it’s doing anything

 

[enlighten]

Bump!

 

[ReefDreamz]

I buy my live phyto from Dinkins Aquatic Gardens. I buy the half-gallon size live-phyto and a half-gallon of pods every 25 days or so. I add the whole half-gallon of pods the day I receive it and dose about 80 ml of the live phyto every day into my ~190 gallon system. I don't know if it does anything but my corals all look great, my dragonet is fat, I have zero algae in the display, and a ton of feather duster worms.

 

[enlighten]

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still adding some. But I don’t know if it’s doing anything

Thread 'Benefits of dosing phytoplankton in your aquarium.'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/benefits-of-dosing-phytoplankton-in-your-aquarium.1014881/

 

[Dinkins Aquatic Gardens]

I buy my live phyto from Dinkins Aquatic Gardens. I buy the half-gallon size live-phyto and a half-gallon of pods every 25 days or so. I add the whole half-gallon of pods the day I receive it and dose about 80 ml of the live phyto every day into my ~190 gallon system. I don't know if it does anything but my corals all look great, my dragonet is fat, I have zero algae in the display, and a ton of feather duster worms.

Thank you for the shoutout!

In our own tank and from customers we've seen/heard of greater polyp extension, coloration and growth.

 

[enlighten]

Thank you for the shoutout!

In our own tank and from customers we've seen/heard of greater polyp extension, coloration and growth.

What stains do you use in your mix? Can you link me in on any resources you provide or images of the operation

 

[Lavey29]

I use Reef Nutrition phytofeast daily. It's concentrated phytoplankton. The ocean has unlimited phytoplankton for its inhabitants so I want my tank to have it available also for my inhabitants large and micro small.

 

[Reef By Steele]

I have bought for a few popular companies. I honestly don’t know if it does anything.

Sorry to hear that you didn’t get results. Some are harder to measure like fish and coral color as the changes are gradual. Some are more measurable, but are the fact or anecdotal? Now I sell phytoplankton and pods, so you can take this with a grain of salt, but here is what I saw in my tanks. 13 1/2 weeks ago I had major shoulder surgery. I did water changes the week before in my 6 systems. I have always fought nutrients to the point that I started dosing lanthanum and homemade NOPOX.
During this 13 1/2 weeks there was almost zero maintenance to these tanks. I maybe switched out a roller Matt in two of them, but in the others I never even switched out the socks.

In my logs the last tests all in Hanna checkers I recorded were on 8/22. 110 reef N 26 P .1 with dosing 12/7 N 8.3 P .61, 210 reef 8/22 N 14.3 P .3 12/7 N 5.1 P .21 160 Predator aorta FOWLR (have GSP) 8/22 N 36.3 P .19, 12/7 N 5.6 P .9 maxed the tester.

Now although my P is high, I have not cleaned the skimmer cup, pulled anything from the fuge, replenished my “chemicals” so fairly happy with those numbers. And my fam fed a good portion of this time and I know they fed extra. I haven’t tested the other three, one is fallow for the entire time, and just have t made the time. Did water changes in the 110 and 210 reef and in the 210 fallow angel tank. Have water mixed for the 160, but think I got Paly Yoxin yesterday and just got back from Dr and don’t feel up to it.

Now because I culture my own, I dose more than I could afford to buy, but it makes a difference. I dose 2 ml for every actual gallon water volume, and will probably go to three now that I’m mostly up and running.

Another point to consider is, was your phyto live. Only live phytoplankton will consume nutrients, dead/non viable will raise nutrients if more is added than is consumed.

 

[Jeremy_d]

Hello all! I want your input to discuss all things phyto! Please share your experience buying, using, and culture phytoplankton!

Some topics of discussion:

• Where do you buy your phytoplankton?
• What strain/variety do you prefer to use? To culture? Do you mix?
• What vessal or container do you use to culture, light, setup?
• What do you use the phyto for? Copepods, coral, etc?
• Any other thoughts or discussion on phytoplanton would be great

Much appreciated!

I farm my own phyto from Ocean Magic that I bought a few months ago. There is a very noticeable difference in my corals when I dose phyto, I get amazing polyp extension and I have copepods EVERYWHERE.

 

[Reef By Steele]

I farm my own phyto from Ocean Magic that I bought a few months ago. There is a very noticeable difference in my corals when I dose phyto, I get amazing polyp extension and I have copepods EVERYWHERE.

If by farm you mean culture, with a mixed strain it will eventually be single or possibly crash. Probably Nanno takes over which isn’t terrible as it is high energy, if you are ever in the mood to do 2 or 3, PM me and I will give my 2 cents worth on which to culture for best benefit for your system and its needs.

 

[Pistondog]

We do 1 gallon daily water changes with diluted live phyto. We culture nano, isochrysis and tetra in 3 liter batches.
Done batches go into a 10 gallon plastic tank with some fresh saltwater for the awc's. The tank has an agitator moving the water and a light for a few hours a day.
The glass does film over more than when not dosing phyto.

 

[TWYOUNG]

I culture Tetraselmus in three one gallon jars so one is always ready to harvest. Tetra was chosen due to the belief it's easier for pods to eat with a less formidable cell wall, and it's mobility makes it easier to scope and determine it's viability. I add 300 mls per day to my 135g system and use it to culture Tisbe pods. No idea if all this effort does anything but I began it as a treatment for dinoflagellates.

 

[Dinkins Aquatic Gardens]

What stains do you use in your mix? Can you link me in on any resources you provide or images of the operation

We use a blend of:

Nannochloropsis
Tetraselmis
Pavlova
Isochrysis galbana
Thalassiosira weissflogii
Phaeodactylum tricornutum

That provides a great nutritional profile with some species being higher in certain fatty acids, etc.

For home culturing I absolutely LOVE the Poseidon kits. They are a little pricey but are fantastic and the bags/disposable tubing make sanitation a breeze.

 

[UMALUM]

Now all we need is algae barn to chime in and we'll have the trifecta.

 

[enlighten]

@AlgaeBarn Care to chyme in? We def need your input!