Anybody know how to culture n grow own phyto? Is it worth it or easier to buy a big ass jug. Would love to supplement phyto as good instead of flake n pellets. Have a feeling they have alot to do with high nutrients. Where do you start? I been reading but i dont undersyand it. Cal stir can prob help here...
Phyto
- Thread starter Krazykarl
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pulpfiction1
Reef Scavenger
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- Nov 16, 2010
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- 42.418807, -82.174073
actually rick posted a site unrelated to this topic,but i was looking around and seen this
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=145
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=145
S
shayneh
Guest
cal stir has first hand experience....to say the least!
C
Cal_stir
Guest
i'm getting ready to start back up, i've built a filter for my air pump, i got guillards f2, i have Isocrysis, Nanochloropsis and Tetraselmis,(Nanochloropsis being most common), i plan to culture copepods once my phyto is going and feed both to my tanks.
i got my phyto disks and guillards f2 at florida aqua farms, i'm starting my cultures in 1L plastic bottles at full strength(2ml/litre) guillards, after 5 days i will split the starter culture in 3, seeding 2 2L pop bottles and keeping 1/3 in the starter topping up the bottles with 1/2(1ml/litre) strenght culture medium(ASW @ 1.020 and guillards),after 9 days i will harvest 1 2L bottle, 2/3 of the other 2L bottle, seed a new 2L bottle with 1/2 the 1L starter and top up the 3 with 1/2 strength culture medium, i will harvest every 9 days after that as that is the best yield, after @ 11 days it starts to die off at which point it can't be recovered.
i'm going to do all 3 strains at once, i'm going to run a filtered air line to each bottle and an air line from each bottlle to a common jug with a cotton filter to try to prevent cross contamination, if i get cross contaminated then the nanochloropsis will prob win and take over, if so i will just go with it.
lighting will be a 4ft t8 2 bulb fixture with 1 40w 18k and 1 40w actinic(phyto likes red and blue light) 16 hours a day.
also i'm going to try to concentrate the phyto with a cream separater. and i have a microscope to check for contamination and bacteria.
everything must be sterile, all bottles and rigid air lines are bleached, rinsed with hot tap water, then rinsed with a mild muriatic acid solution and finally rinsed with rodi water.
plastic bottles and rigid air lines are replaced after 4 to 6 cultures.
some people have success with a 2 bottle setup and a twisty flourescent lamp, it is vey important sterilize the equipment and filter the air and no air stones, just a rolling boil of air. here is a good link http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/macro-micro-algaes/9656-culturing-phytoplankton.html
i got my phyto disks and guillards f2 at florida aqua farms, i'm starting my cultures in 1L plastic bottles at full strength(2ml/litre) guillards, after 5 days i will split the starter culture in 3, seeding 2 2L pop bottles and keeping 1/3 in the starter topping up the bottles with 1/2(1ml/litre) strenght culture medium(ASW @ 1.020 and guillards),after 9 days i will harvest 1 2L bottle, 2/3 of the other 2L bottle, seed a new 2L bottle with 1/2 the 1L starter and top up the 3 with 1/2 strength culture medium, i will harvest every 9 days after that as that is the best yield, after @ 11 days it starts to die off at which point it can't be recovered.
i'm going to do all 3 strains at once, i'm going to run a filtered air line to each bottle and an air line from each bottlle to a common jug with a cotton filter to try to prevent cross contamination, if i get cross contaminated then the nanochloropsis will prob win and take over, if so i will just go with it.
lighting will be a 4ft t8 2 bulb fixture with 1 40w 18k and 1 40w actinic(phyto likes red and blue light) 16 hours a day.
also i'm going to try to concentrate the phyto with a cream separater. and i have a microscope to check for contamination and bacteria.
everything must be sterile, all bottles and rigid air lines are bleached, rinsed with hot tap water, then rinsed with a mild muriatic acid solution and finally rinsed with rodi water.
plastic bottles and rigid air lines are replaced after 4 to 6 cultures.
some people have success with a 2 bottle setup and a twisty flourescent lamp, it is vey important sterilize the equipment and filter the air and no air stones, just a rolling boil of air. here is a good link http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/macro-micro-algaes/9656-culturing-phytoplankton.html
P
phi delt reefer
Guest
you think about doing this commercially if you get it going well?
C
Cal_stir
Guest
it has crossed my mind
P
phi delt reefer
Guest
what do you think your pricing would be....
i notice some bottled stuff you buy is good for a couple months if your put it in the fridge. is there a way "treating" your phyto to last as long? I think their would be some value there for grabbing a couple months supply at a time would be economical... having to refresh stock every 2 weeks wouldnt be ideal.
i notice some bottled stuff you buy is good for a couple months if your put it in the fridge. is there a way "treating" your phyto to last as long? I think their would be some value there for grabbing a couple months supply at a time would be economical... having to refresh stock every 2 weeks wouldnt be ideal.
C
Cal_stir
Guest
i believe it can live for up to 3 months in the fridge provided you shake it every couple days to prevent it settling and choking itself.
the problem i have found purchasing it is that it is always way out dated and once i got some from J&L and it was rotten.
the price for the dead stuff is bad enough, the live stuff is rediculous.
as for pricing, i have to see how things work out, if i can concentrate it, and how laborious it is to make it in quantity.
if i stay small scale i will prob have some extra i would sell for 5 or 10 buck a litre, but it would prob just be a couple 2L bottles a month
the problem i have found purchasing it is that it is always way out dated and once i got some from J&L and it was rotten.
the price for the dead stuff is bad enough, the live stuff is rediculous.
as for pricing, i have to see how things work out, if i can concentrate it, and how laborious it is to make it in quantity.
if i stay small scale i will prob have some extra i would sell for 5 or 10 buck a litre, but it would prob just be a couple 2L bottles a month
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