Which phytoplankton?

[Malum Argenteum]

In order to start dosing phytoplankton again to rejuvenate some of the LR diversity in my tank, I recently ordered phyto from a popular producer here and was quite underwhelmed by the amount of actual phyto for the money. That would be a three figures a month habit, and I'm not up for that.

I used to use Reed Mariculture phyto back in the day, and may just go back to that again. But I wonder if there are any recommendations for other mixed phyto products/brands that are realistic to dose in moderate daily amounts. I am not interested in culturing my own.

 

[BanZI29]

What was the density like with the stuff you got?
I try to culture and make as dense as possible BUT, There are limits to how dense you can make certain phytos. they have peak they reach before dying off because it gets too crowded.
Here's some examples of my cultures. the ones in the 2nd pic is not at peak density, but they are close.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I guess what I'm looking for is something concentrated (far) beyond normal density, like Reed's products. I had used their Shellfish Diet, which has 80g dry weight per liter; the LFS version of this (Phyto Feast) is about half that, IIRC.

 

[BanZI29]

yea that looks a little lighter than it should be. PM sent

 

[BanZI29]

I will say though that depending on the blend of phyto, the look of the density can vary alot. Example, if you get phyto that is 11 different species, that density will be light because of the color variations between them all.
If you get a phyto with say, 3 species that includes a brown type (Iso or Thalas), that can appear to be darker and more dense depending on the blend. If you get one with let say 3 blends of green, that can appear slightly lighter. A secchi stick come in handy when trying to figure out true density.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

In order to start dosing phytoplankton again to rejuvenate some of the LR diversity in my tank, I recently ordered phyto from a popular producer here and was quite underwhelmed by the amount of actual phyto for the money. That would be a three figures a month habit, and I'm not up for that.

I used to use Reed Mariculture phyto back in the day, and may just go back to that again. But I wonder if there are any recommendations for other mixed phyto products/brands that are realistic to dose in moderate daily amounts. I am not interested in culturing my own.

We'd love to have you back as a customer. We are still making incredibly dense single species and multi-species products for the hobby and aquaculture. The way we separate the cells from the growing media is unique and results in a product has a lot of biomass as compared to other brands.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

We'd love to have you back as a customer. We are still making incredibly dense single species and multi-species products for the hobby and aquaculture. The way we separate the cells from the growing media is unique and results in a product has a lot of biomass as compared to other brands.

Yes, you guys took great care of me. I guess at some point I just tried to simplify things, and dropped the phyto dosing from the routine, but I feel like my tank misses it a little.

Was I correct in claiming that the Phyto Feast is about half as dense as Shellfish Diet?

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Yes, you guys took great care of me. I guess at some point I just tried to simplify things, and dropped the phyto dosing from the routine, but I feel like my tank misses it a little.

Was I correct in claiming that the Phyto Feast is about half as dense as Shellfish Diet?

Shellfish Diet is about 40% more concentrated. Thanks for asking.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

-Chad