Phytoplankton culture - Page 2

mudcat1 · 01/23/2012, 07:06 PM

Well I had my first mishap with the phytoplankton culture last night. After 18 hours the 6500K flourescent bulb that I am using heated the bottle to almost 100'F. I think I just made phyto stew.

I tweaked my setup and removed the bubble stone on my airline to make large, loud but cooler bubbles and now the temperature has stablized around 73'F. Hopefully phyto can deal with some temperature swings when the light is off the temperature of the bottle was 68'F.

rcmania · 01/23/2012, 07:19 PM

sorry to hear that Mudcat. From what i learned, the phytoplankton can survive a wide range of temps, Im thinking its around 65 to 85 degrees. Im also not using a airstone, just a open ended tube. Keep us up to date tho.

NirvanaFan · 01/23/2012, 08:35 PM

open ended airline tubing is fine. There is no need to run an airstone.

100 is high, but some of the phyto will probably live. It may kill off some of it, but it will probably rebound. I culture mine in the basement in the winter, and outside in the summer. It will drop to the 50s, and the phyto is fine. It actually grows so much better outside.

rcmania · 01/23/2012, 09:58 PM

What do u do, just set it outside in the sun with no air or du u run a cord outside?

NirvanaFan · 01/24/2012, 11:50 AM

I run an air pump inside the barn/garage with a 25' section of airline on it. The airline goes through a small hole and puts air into the 5 gallon opaque jug outside. 5 gallons lasts me over a week, and I usually end up not using a gallon or so. During the winter, it is more of a hassle to keep up with phyto demands.

rocking · 01/24/2012, 04:02 PM

nirvana fan can u send me a cupel of 30 oz starters from what u have going ?

Chrissypoo · 01/24/2012, 04:21 PM

In your experience how sensitive is the culture to temperature swings?

Salt_in_MyBlood · 01/24/2012, 05:43 PM

Great thread, looking to start a culture soon. We lost the local phyto company here and to buy the stuff shipped in is expensive. Will be looking forward to hearing results and things you may change next time.

rocking · 01/24/2012, 06:09 PM

who has some of the red and the light green to lime green going right now ?

rcmania · 01/24/2012, 06:13 PM

So far so good! Mine as doubled in darkness and it has been less than a week. Remember it was looking like mellow yellow at first, now its dark green, still see a little light but no where near what it was before. but i figure in about a week it will be ready to split.

rocking · 01/24/2012, 08:05 PM

cool rc i am glad some of the difrent tipes now need to be found i got the dark green and am looking for the lime green one and the red on so i can start doing some blinds .
for better better healt

alpine · 01/24/2012, 08:06 PM

Heres a good page on culturing phyto.Just make sure you read the whole page as he changes his recipe toward the bottom.

HTH

http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html

rocking · 01/24/2012, 08:10 PM

i had my sample under the mc scope looking at it and i am wounding if the red and the lime are higher in outer tipes of phytoplankton

rcmania · 01/24/2012, 09:15 PM

Wow, great article alpine. Thank you.

alpine · 01/24/2012, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcmania

Wow, great article alpine. Thank you.

No problem, I was actually catching up on it the other day & when I read this I figured it would be a good read for those involved.

rocking · 01/25/2012, 12:15 AM

yes thank you alpine
i found the other site for the farm and they have a good bit of info too
http://florida-aqua-farms.com it has some of the things needed to get it going good !

stormrider27 · 01/25/2012, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormrider27

How long does the phyto stay "fresh" in the fridge?

Anyone?

Mike_Noren · 01/25/2012, 08:16 AM

Not all microalgae are the same. FWIW: I've had success culturing what in a microscope looked like Nannochloropsis with potted plant fertilizer, but the same set-up failed completely to grow planktonic diatoms.

Apetty32 · 01/25/2012, 08:51 AM

According to dt's it will be fine for 6 months but if your making that much every week or so I'd recomend shareing it with friends or feeding Copepods relatively soon. The sooner you use it the less chance they will die. Keep in mind atleast 2 times a week shake up the Bottle you have it stored in to prevent build up on the bottom which will kill your culture if you let it set for too long like that. I shake mine about once every two days or once a day

alpine · 01/25/2012, 02:21 PM

A quote from Susan J. Wilson article on Melevs page.

"Don't be tempted to use phytoplankton that is too old, it will be at its best for 3 or 4 days after maturing but can be used up to a week. Remember, it's pretty much free from here on in, it's better to give it away or discard it if you have too much.

NOTE: Do not dump discarded phytoplankton in a sink or other drain. Nannochloropsis is both fresh water and marine, there is a chance that it could survive and cause an ecological problem."

From past experience,I never had a bottle last over a week,but I also used to give away a lot of phyto when I had my old system setup.Not sure on the longevity of DT's as I have never used it.

Also like Apetty32 said make sure you shake it daily.Shouldnt be to hard since we all go into the fridge several times a day.

HTH

NirvanaFan · 01/26/2012, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrissypoo

In your experience how sensitive is the culture to temperature swings?

not sensitive at all. When I culture outside, it frequently gets in the 80s or low 90s during the day and drops into the 60s at night.

Apetty32 · 01/26/2012, 08:41 AM

post your pictures that you have. Would like to share setups and everyones info and ideas also how green your culture is

rcmania · 01/26/2012, 09:59 AM

Let me ask you all this, how do you know when a crash happens?

NirvanaFan · 01/26/2012, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcmania

Let me ask you all this, how do you know when a crash happens?

Nannochloropsis will turn from a shade of green (from forest to lime, depending on the phyto density) to basically clear. There will also be a layer of crud on the bottom, or floating around the culture container.

NirvanaFan · 01/26/2012, 12:44 PM

These bottles need to be cleaned badly, but the colors of the algae are accurate. The one second from the right was started the day before the picture was taken. The bottle on the far left is ready to be harvested.

I don't have any pictures of harvesting in 5 gallon jugs outside, but it's nothing special.

01/23/2012, 07:19 PM	#27
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	sorry to hear that Mudcat. From what i learned, the phytoplankton can survive a wide range of temps, Im thinking its around 65 to 85 degrees. Im also not using a airstone, just a open ended tube. Keep us up to date tho. __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

01/23/2012, 09:58 PM	#29
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	What do u do, just set it outside in the sun with no air or du u run a cord outside? __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

01/24/2012, 05:43 PM	#33
Salt_in_MyBlood Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 76	Great thread, looking to start a culture soon. We lost the local phyto company here and to buy the stuff shipped in is expensive. Will be looking forward to hearing results and things you may change next time. __________________ New Tank setups should be covered under the renovation tax credit.... hahaha

01/24/2012, 06:13 PM	#35
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	So far so good! Mine as doubled in darkness and it has been less than a week. Remember it was looking like mellow yellow at first, now its dark green, still see a little light but no where near what it was before. but i figure in about a week it will be ready to split. __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

01/24/2012, 08:06 PM	#37
alpine Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Jacksonville,FL Posts: 1,156	Heres a good page on culturing phyto.Just make sure you read the whole page as he changes his recipe toward the bottom. HTH http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html __________________ Jorge We are the Reef Central....It is useless to resist. We will assimilate you into our collective. Resistance is futile.

01/23/2012, 07:06 PM	#26
mudcat1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 167	Well I had my first mishap with the phytoplankton culture last night. After 18 hours the 6500K flourescent bulb that I am using heated the bottle to almost 100'F. I think I just made phyto stew. I tweaked my setup and removed the bubble stone on my airline to make large, loud but cooler bubbles and now the temperature has stablized around 73'F. Hopefully phyto can deal with some temperature swings when the light is off the temperature of the bottle was 68'F.

01/23/2012, 08:35 PM	#28
NirvanaFan Reef Ninja Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 4,280	open ended airline tubing is fine. There is no need to run an airstone. 100 is high, but some of the phyto will probably live. It may kill off some of it, but it will probably rebound. I culture mine in the basement in the winter, and outside in the summer. It will drop to the 50s, and the phyto is fine. It actually grows so much better outside.

01/24/2012, 11:50 AM	#30
NirvanaFan Reef Ninja Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 4,280	I run an air pump inside the barn/garage with a 25' section of airline on it. The airline goes through a small hole and puts air into the 5 gallon opaque jug outside. 5 gallons lasts me over a week, and I usually end up not using a gallon or so. During the winter, it is more of a hassle to keep up with phyto demands.

01/24/2012, 04:02 PM	#31
rocking Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: gridley ca Posts: 434	nirvana fan can u send me a cupel of 30 oz starters from what u have going ?

01/24/2012, 04:21 PM	#32
Chrissypoo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 141	In your experience how sensitive is the culture to temperature swings?

01/24/2012, 06:09 PM	#34
rocking Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: gridley ca Posts: 434	who has some of the red and the light green to lime green going right now ?

01/24/2012, 08:05 PM	#36
rocking Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: gridley ca Posts: 434	cool rc i am glad some of the difrent tipes now need to be found i got the dark green and am looking for the lime green one and the red on so i can start doing some blinds . for better better healt

01/24/2012, 08:10 PM	#38
rocking Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: gridley ca Posts: 434	i had my sample under the mc scope looking at it and i am wounding if the red and the lime are higher in outer tipes of phytoplankton

01/24/2012, 09:15 PM	#39
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	Wow, great article alpine. Thank you. __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

01/25/2012, 12:15 AM	#41
rocking Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: gridley ca Posts: 434	yes thank you alpine i found the other site for the farm and they have a good bit of info too http://florida-aqua-farms.com it has some of the things needed to get it going good !

01/25/2012, 08:16 AM	#43
Mike_Noren Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Stockholm Posts: 712	Not all microalgae are the same. FWIW: I've had success culturing what in a microscope looked like Nannochloropsis with potted plant fertilizer, but the same set-up failed completely to grow planktonic diatoms. __________________ Acronyms alienate, abbreviations obfuscate. It's nothing personal, I'm cranky at everyone. Dear Reefcentral, please allow users to delete their posts. Current Tank Info: Experimenting with peroxide and vinegar

01/25/2012, 08:51 AM	#44
Apetty32 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 20	According to dt's it will be fine for 6 months but if your making that much every week or so I'd recomend shareing it with friends or feeding Copepods relatively soon. The sooner you use it the less chance they will die. Keep in mind atleast 2 times a week shake up the Bottle you have it stored in to prevent build up on the bottom which will kill your culture if you let it set for too long like that. I shake mine about once every two days or once a day

01/25/2012, 02:21 PM	#45
alpine Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Jacksonville,FL Posts: 1,156	A quote from Susan J. Wilson article on Melevs page. "Don't be tempted to use phytoplankton that is too old, it will be at its best for 3 or 4 days after maturing but can be used up to a week. Remember, it's pretty much free from here on in, it's better to give it away or discard it if you have too much. NOTE: Do not dump discarded phytoplankton in a sink or other drain. Nannochloropsis is both fresh water and marine, there is a chance that it could survive and cause an ecological problem." From past experience,I never had a bottle last over a week,but I also used to give away a lot of phyto when I had my old system setup.Not sure on the longevity of DT's as I have never used it. Also like Apetty32 said make sure you shake it daily.Shouldnt be to hard since we all go into the fridge several times a day. HTH __________________ Jorge We are the Reef Central....It is useless to resist. We will assimilate you into our collective. Resistance is futile. Last edited by alpine; 01/25/2012 at 02:23 PM. Reason: spelling error

01/26/2012, 08:41 AM	#47
Apetty32 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 20	post your pictures that you have. Would like to share setups and everyones info and ideas also how green your culture is

01/26/2012, 09:59 AM	#48
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	Let me ask you all this, how do you know when a crash happens? __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

01/26/2012, 12:44 PM	#50
NirvanaFan Reef Ninja Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 4,280	These bottles need to be cleaned badly, but the colors of the algae are accurate. The one second from the right was started the day before the picture was taken. The bottle on the far left is ready to be harvested. I don't have any pictures of harvesting in 5 gallon jugs outside, but it's nothing special.