Copods and phytoplankton production

Terry Mattson · Sep 9, 2019

Would like input: I have a reef set up and seeded copods about 4 months ago. My mandarin is growing feeding on copods in th DT. I also have a refugium with cheto and some copods. Over the last 6 weeks I have watched the population of copods slowly deplete. I do dose phytoplankton. So just ordered some copods to bridge the shortage. But seems expensive to continue buying them.

Questuons:

1) best place to buy copods and phytoplankton?

2) is it better to buy or grow phytoplankton and copods at home?

3) is the Poseidon Reef System ($179) a good investment to produce the food source for my mandarin, clam, and other LPS corals?

Silent · Sep 9, 2019

Phyto is super easy. Better to do it at home instead of buying it.

Terry Mattson · Sep 9, 2019

Silent said:
Phyto is super easy. Better to do it at home instead of buying it.

So what is your process?

Silent · Sep 9, 2019

Just fill something up with ro water with a loose lid and put a small amount of phyto you have gotten from someone else or bought and use a air pump and airline tubing preferably the hard tubing and let it gently bubble at the bottom of the container. Use whatever strong white cheap light you have to light it 24/7 and whenever it is really green put it in the fridge and use it to seed another container. Youtube has many videos of it.

jordan10 · Sep 9, 2019

Silent said:
Just fill something up with ro water with a loose lid and put a small amount of phyto you have gotten from someone else or bought and use a air pump and airline tubing preferably the hard tubing and let it gently bubble at the bottom of the container. Use whatever strong white cheap light you have to light it 24/7 and whenever it is really green put it in the fridge and use it to seed another container. Youtube has many videos of it.

As in strong white light just a regular light? What do u use?

Silent · Sep 9, 2019

I used power compact and another time i used t5s. Whatever you have that doesnt make the phyto hot if the light is close. The more light the quicker the phyto multiplies.