phyto culure

[reefNewbie]

Im growing my own phyto, its finally ready to be harvested. Question, whats teh best way. I mean, i only use a little bit every other day, should i be constantly adding more fresh salt water to it everytime i take a littl eout? Also, how often do i need to add more of the f2 formula?

 

[-JB]

When it's ready to be harvested, pour out 3/4 of the phyto and store in the fridge to use in the tank. The other 1/4, leave in the bottle and add your culture medium to it to top it off. Put it back under your phyto lighting and grow it for another 10 days or so and do it again.

 

[reefNewbie]

ok, but how often do i add more f2?

 

[-JB]

f2 is what's in your culture medium. You add it to your culture medium. You use your culture medium to start a new phytoplankton culture.

So you only add more f2 when you run out of culture medium.

Check out http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/breeder.htm for more info.

 

[reefNewbie]

ok, so when i take some of the phyto from one of my bottles and add it to a new bottle with the rest NSW, i do not have to add anymore f2 because there will already be enough in it? I dont ever see when I would have to add anymore then.....I will just constantly be dividing a current ready bottle into other bottles and topping them off with NSW. they

 

[-JB]

ok, so when i take some of the phyto from one of my bottles and add it to a new bottle with the rest NSW, i do not have to add anymore f2 because there will already be enough in it? I dont ever see when I would have to add anymore then.....I will just constantly be dividing a current ready bottle into other bottles and topping them off with NSW. they

OK we're confused here on what to do. Do not use NSW for culturing phytoplankton. The NSW has many other organisms that will contaminate the plankton culture. They will consume the phytoplankton and become the dominant species in the culture, eventually giving you something other than the phytoplankton you were trying to culture.

You should be making and using what is called culture medium.

The culture medium is what you add to the phytoplankton to make it grow. It consists of salt water and Micro Algae Grow (your f2 formula). Use an empty bleach container, which has been thoroughly rinsed with tap water. Fill the gallon container with tap water and add slightly less than ½ cup of salt mix. Then add 3ml of Micro Algae Grow liquid. Shake container and let it sit for a day (if you use RO/DI water you don't have to let it sit). The day is for any chlorine that was in the tap water to go away.

 

[danmhippo]

ok, so when i take some of the phyto from one of my bottles and add it to a new bottle with the rest NSW, i do not have to add anymore f2 because there will already be enough in it? I dont ever see when I would have to add anymore then.....I will just constantly be dividing a current ready bottle into other bottles and topping them off with NSW. they

OK we're confused here on what to do. Do not use NSW for culturing phytoplankton. The NSW has many other organisms that will contaminate the plankton culture. They will consume the phytoplankton and become the dominant species in the culture, eventually giving you something other than the phytoplankton you were trying to culture.

Oh boy, I am equally confused as you are with your statement as you with ReefNewbie's. I would normally assume that NSW = New Salt Water = freshly made saltwater made from sea salt mix. How could there be organisms to consume phyto? I probably misunderstood you, but I think you are refering to aged tank water, no?

Anyway, the salt water to be used in phyto culture should be "sterilized". Either made fresh from synthetic salt mix, or sterilized aged old tank water. There are several ways to sterilize old tank water. One is cooking, there is also microwave, overpowering UV exposure....etc. Most commonly used are microwave method, but I am the lazy type and use UV instead.

I typically presterilize old tank water first, place them into a known volume container, and mix phyto growth formula in it. When you premix growth formula, you make sure the new water you replace into the culture vessel is at proper nutrient level. You will also find it much easier to measure and dose f2 for a one gallon container then a 2 liter bottle.

 

[Anonymous]

ok, so when i take some of the phyto from one of my bottles and add it to a new bottle with the rest NSW, i do not have to add anymore f2 because there will already be enough in it? I dont ever see when I would have to add anymore then.....I will just constantly be dividing a current ready bottle into other bottles and topping them off with NSW. they

OK we're confused here on what to do. Do not use NSW for culturing phytoplankton. The NSW has many other organisms that will contaminate the plankton culture. They will consume the phytoplankton and become the dominant species in the culture, eventually giving you something other than the phytoplankton you were trying to culture.

Oh boy, I am equally confused as you are with your statement as you with ReefNewbie's. I would normally assume that NSW = New Salt Water = freshly made saltwater made from sea salt mix. How could there be organisms to consume phyto? I probably misunderstood you, but I think you are refering to aged tank water, no?

Anyway, the salt water to be used in phyto culture should be "sterilized". Either made fresh from synthetic salt mix, or sterilized aged old tank water. There are several ways to sterilize old tank water. One is cooking, there is also microwave, overpowering UV exposure....etc. Most commonly used are microwave method, but I am the lazy type and use UV instead.

I typically presterilize old tank water first, place them into a known volume container, and mix phyto growth formula in it. When you premix growth formula, you make sure the new water you replace into the culture vessel is at proper nutrient level. You will also find it much easier to measure and dose f2 for a one gallon container then a 2 liter bottle.

Here is where all the confusion is coming from. NSW=Natural sea water and NSW= New sea water. We need to change that. From what i read, you can say NSW for Natural sea water. The other is ASW= Artificial sea water.

 

[-JB]

I was assuming NSW = Natural Sea Water.

 

[reefNewbie]

LOL sorry for all of the confusion, I meant new salt water.

We really do need to change that!