Cultivating Phytoplankton (1st time)

[TWYOUNG]

Its safer - rubbing alcohol evaporates and rinse off easier and the container can be used immediately, even if not completely dry.

Bleach you will need to be extra careful and make sure everything rinse off and completely dry

Do you dilute it?

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Hi everyone,

I know there are multiple threads on cultivating phytoplankton however I wanted to create my own so I can document along with receive guidance on my journey!

Please provide advice if you have experience because I would love to improve my current process! If there is anything you would change in amounts listed bel

Starting 05/16
About 1 liter of New Saltwater
16oz of phytoplankton
1 ml of f2 Fertilizer
Spare lightbulb

I’ve heard mixed reviews whether or not to add additional fertilizer to the culture when starting out but I figure I can always add more later on if it does clear up. What do you think? Should I add more fertilizer? Do I wait a day or 2 before adding more?

Very new to this, so if I butcher it I’m sorry in advance. Just trying to learn more

Ps. There are some beautiful set ups of culturing stations but we ain’t got the space or time for that lol… probably one of the most ghetto setups out there. AND IM PROUD OF IT LOL IF IT WORKS

Your starter culture is diluted by water, you always use fertilizer if the plan is to grow the culture. Super easy, half water half starter culture, 4ml fertilizer per gallon jar or 2ml if half gallon. Salinity a little lower than you keep in your reef. I keep a bottle of RODI for diluting my salt mix from the reef tank mixing station.

After 7 days I take half the jar and pour into bottles I keep in the fridge and use the other half to mix with half new salt water / fertilizer and repeat. I do two 1/2 gallon jars a week and have more bottles of this stuff in my mini fridge than I can dose into my tank. Super easy!

I also keep my cleaning very basic, I used a bottle brush to scrub out the old jar rinse in the sink. I squirt a little isopropyl alcohol into the jar and shake it up and then rise it again and let it air dry on the sink rack.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Hi everyone,

I know there are multiple threads on cultivating phytoplankton however I wanted to create my own so I can document along with receive guidance on my journey!

Please provide advice if you have experience because I would love to improve my current process! If there is anything you would change in amounts listed bel

Starting 05/16
About 1 liter of New Saltwater
16oz of phytoplankton
1 ml of f2 Fertilizer
Spare lightbulb

I’ve heard mixed reviews whether or not to add additional fertilizer to the culture when starting out but I figure I can always add more later on if it does clear up. What do you think? Should I add more fertilizer? Do I wait a day or 2 before adding more?

Very new to this, so if I butcher it I’m sorry in advance. Just trying to learn more

Ps. There are some beautiful set ups of culturing stations but we ain’t got the space or time for that lol… probably one of the most ghetto setups out there. AND IM PROUD OF IT LOL IF IT WORKS

First off I would be concerned about starting a fire with light like that!!!

 

[Habachi_Grill]

Your starter culture is diluted by water, you always use fertilizer if the plan is to grow the culture. Super easy, half water half starter culture, 4ml fertilizer per gallon jar or 2ml if half gallon. Salinity a little lower than you keep in your reef. I keep a bottle of RODI for diluting my salt mix from the reef tank mixing station.

After 7 days I take half the jar and pour into bottles I keep in the fridge and use the other half to mix with half new salt water / fertilizer and repeat. I do two 1/2 gallon jars a week and have more bottles of this stuff in my mini fridge than I can dose into my tank. Super easy!

I also keep my cleaning very basic, I used a bottle brush to scrub out the old jar rinse in the sink. I squirt a little isopropyl alcohol into the jar and shake it up and then rise it again and let it air dry on the sink rack.

That was my first culture, so definitely was diluted but I have since increase the amount to 1 full cup

 

[Habachi_Grill]

First off I would be concerned about starting afire with light like that!!!

HAHA YES, but I have since fixed that! It now goes above the tank lol

 

[Majid yousefi]

Day 4: WE MADE IT YALL LOL! I appreciate the guidance and the support over the last week! Phyto is dark dense green! I believe almost like when we first purchased the original culture. Very happy we came this far so I plan to split tomorrow will update to show results and amounts

It’s starting to be foamy at this point so I think that’s a sign that it is time to split the culture.

QUICK SIDE QUESTION: I recently received a sifter courtesy of reef nutrition at my local Coral Farmers Market. When moving all my culture to the new bottle, should I put it through the sifter to take out the detritus or would that not work?

Hi , are you adding f2 every day?