CJ Monty
Active Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2018
- Messages
- 228
- Reaction score
- 73
- What state or country do you live in
- North Carolina
I have been reading up on the benefits of Phytoplankton and Copepods on a reef tank and am looking at trying to culture my own (due to cost of course). Here is my initial plan after reading a bunch of articles. Any thoughts and opinions are welcome as I do not want to throw money away. I have also some question along with the plan on items I am unsure about
I am going to source my inital phyto and copepods from AlgaeBarn (5280 pods which is a 3 pod blend and ocean magic phyto which has 4 or 5 different phytos)
Phyto
Pour a few ounces of phyto into 1 gallon of freshly mixed saltwater at a sg of 1.019. Put mixture in a clear jug. Place jug under a led light for 16 hours on and 8 hours off. Aerate water with moderate amount of bubbles (5ish a second)
Weekly Add:
Add 1ml of each Fritz F/2 Alage food A and B.
Add .5 ml of kent essential elements.
When it becomes a very dark green filter the solution with a 53 micro sieve into another container (to remove some junk). Use the half to feed copepods/tank and use the other half to start the process all over again.
If any left over phyto store in back of the fridge and shake a few seconds a day. Should last about a month.
Pods
Place half of 5280 pod container in a gallon of fresh saltwater mixed to 1.023 sg and place in dark colored 5 gallon bucket (read somewhere dark worked better). Aerate water with about 1-2 bubbles a second. Place next to phyto containers so it receives some ambient light but not direct.
As needed:
Add phyto to the maintain a light green colored water.
As pod population grows add another gallon of water to keep NH4 and PH down.
After about 4 weeks there should be about 3-4 gallons of water with a ton of pods. Pour about half of the container through a set of seives (560 micro, 300 micron (catches full grown pods), 180 micro (catches babys). Is there any reason to do this? Should I only put adults in the tank?
Take caught pods and pour saltwater on the back of the sieve and into the tank. Do they need to be temperature/salinity acclimated?
Do this when the lights are off and all skimmers/pumps are cut off for 30 minutes.
For the pods still in the culture bucket. Green up the water and repeat. Every couple of months when there is crud build up on the bottom siphon down to the crud level and clean container. Replace pods back in.
NOTE: No heaters are used. I have read ambient room temperature should be fine.
I am going to source my inital phyto and copepods from AlgaeBarn (5280 pods which is a 3 pod blend and ocean magic phyto which has 4 or 5 different phytos)
Phyto
Pour a few ounces of phyto into 1 gallon of freshly mixed saltwater at a sg of 1.019. Put mixture in a clear jug. Place jug under a led light for 16 hours on and 8 hours off. Aerate water with moderate amount of bubbles (5ish a second)
Weekly Add:
Add 1ml of each Fritz F/2 Alage food A and B.
Add .5 ml of kent essential elements.
When it becomes a very dark green filter the solution with a 53 micro sieve into another container (to remove some junk). Use the half to feed copepods/tank and use the other half to start the process all over again.
If any left over phyto store in back of the fridge and shake a few seconds a day. Should last about a month.
Pods
Place half of 5280 pod container in a gallon of fresh saltwater mixed to 1.023 sg and place in dark colored 5 gallon bucket (read somewhere dark worked better). Aerate water with about 1-2 bubbles a second. Place next to phyto containers so it receives some ambient light but not direct.
As needed:
Add phyto to the maintain a light green colored water.
As pod population grows add another gallon of water to keep NH4 and PH down.
After about 4 weeks there should be about 3-4 gallons of water with a ton of pods. Pour about half of the container through a set of seives (560 micro, 300 micron (catches full grown pods), 180 micro (catches babys). Is there any reason to do this? Should I only put adults in the tank?
Take caught pods and pour saltwater on the back of the sieve and into the tank. Do they need to be temperature/salinity acclimated?
Do this when the lights are off and all skimmers/pumps are cut off for 30 minutes.
For the pods still in the culture bucket. Green up the water and repeat. Every couple of months when there is crud build up on the bottom siphon down to the crud level and clean container. Replace pods back in.
NOTE: No heaters are used. I have read ambient room temperature should be fine.
