Boiling phyto culture water.

[TWYOUNG]

Would it be beneficial/necessary to boil the water I'm taking from my mixing station to grow phyto? I clean all my containers with bleach and alcohol but then use water that's often been in my mixing station for weeks. Haven't been having issues but it concerns me.

 

[ReefLegends]

Would it be beneficial/necessary to boil the water I'm taking from my mixing station to grow phyto? I clean all my containers with bleach and alcohol but then use water that's often been in my mixing station for weeks. Haven't been having issues but it concerns me.

You'll want to bleach or boil the water right before using it. Check out Reefer Dan on YouTube. For a hobbyist he does an excellent job on 1 gallon cultures. I sanitize with rubbing alcohol, then dry, then I bleach once and dry and then bleach again and dry. Then I add bleached water to the vessels, take the rigid tubing that's been sanitized and bleach and let the vessel roll for 1-2 hours, I also spray the airlines with rubbing alcohol. I add SPT and let the vessels sit for another hour and then add the phytoplankton starts.

If you're growing something basic, like nanno bleaching and being sterile isn't as important as culturing Isochrysis or rhodomonas.

 

[Kasrift]

You'll want to bleach or boil the water right before using it. Check out Reefer Dan on YouTube. For a hobbyist he does an excellent job on 1 gallon cultures. I sanitize with rubbing alcohol, then dry, then I bleach once and dry and then bleach again and dry. Then I add bleached water to the vessels, take the rigid tubing that's been sanitized and bleach and let the vessel roll for 1-2 hours, I also spray the airlines with rubbing alcohol. I add SPT and let the vessels sit for another hour and then add the phytoplankton starts.

That’s a lot of work. I know people think the Poseidon Reef Systems are expensive, but it’s much easier. New bag, rigid air straw, etc and just wipe down the lid/rim and hands with rubbing alcohol.

As for boiling the water, I don’t think it would matter because as was pointed out, your entire mixing station would have to be sanitized and that is a lot of work.