Dosing large amount of phytoplankton

[MNFish]

Oh and as a side not my skimmer has been consistent as before I started the large dosing. I somewhat expected an increase but so far it has been the same.

 

[Idech]

Wow, I could never dose as much ! I dose 1 capful about 2-3 times a week. I get greenish glass because of it so I don’t see the point of dosing more.

The pods feed on the glass or the rocks. Your thread is interesting though.

 

[MNFish]

One thing I forgot to mention is I did not think about the affect on salinity, but I am culturing at 35 so I did notice my salinity creep up by dumping so much in.

 

[MNFish]

Still at it putting at least 1/2 gallon into 75 gallons a week. Still going good, the one thing I noticed however is I dumped a bunch that I had in my fridge for over a week and it seemed to have caused my skimmer to go a bit nuts. I am wondering if the temp of the phytoplankton somehow matters or if a percent of them die off in the fridge. However when I add fresh currently growing phytoplankton I notice no difference in the amount in the skimmer.

 

[rustic_reefer]

I was dosing 30mL every other day into a 130gal tank. Noticed it was causing a hard encrusting green algae on the glass that was difficult to scrape off (needed to scrape with a razor to remove). It also seemed to suppress the growth of coralline algae.

 

[Kasrift]

I was dosing 30mL every other day into a 130gal tank. Noticed it was causing a hard encrusting green algae on the glass that was difficult to scrape off (needed to scrape with a razor to remove). It also seemed to suppress the growth of coralline algae.

I noticed this in my 10g frag tank. I culture too much phyto and dump a ton in both the 32 gallon display and my 10gallon frag. I don't have this issue in my display though, but I have tons more flow due to SPS.

 

[Pistondog]

I am experimenting with phytoplankton and did a large harvest today. I have read the recommendation on 5-10 ml per 10 gallons. I just put approximately 1000 ml into a 75. I have never seen my coral as happy. I am going to keep an extra eye on nitrates and phosphates but so far it has been very positive.

Anyone else dosing large amounts of phytoplankton?

Awc 3000 ml per day, but not dark green phyto, diluted 3:1 with new salt water. 125 gallons water volume.
For going on a year.

 

[darrick001]

Did anyone continue long term? Has anyone else tried this without a skimmer? I'm adding about 3000ml a week to a 114 gallon system . Nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate all read zero. Pods are everywhere. The only negatives I've seen are the algae grows on the glass pretty quickly, and the hydroids are growing quickly. Started dosing 50ml of tet a day about 2 months ago. 1 gallon of pods were added at the start. The tet crashed so I switched to iso 2 weeks ago. Noticed a difference in coral color within a few days of starting the iso. Not sure if it is a coincidence ,or the iso. Every coral is noticeably brighter.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Did anyone continue long term? Has anyone else tried this without a skimmer? I'm adding about 3000ml a week to a 114 gallon system . Nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate all read zero. Pods are everywhere. The only negatives I've seen are the algae grows on the glass pretty quickly, and the hydroids are growing quickly. Started dosing 50ml of tet a day about 2 months ago. 1 gallon of pods were added at the start. The tet crashed so I switched to iso 2 weeks ago. Noticed a difference in coral color within a few days of starting the iso. Not sure if it is a coincidence ,or the iso. Every coral is noticeably brighter.

I do a turkey baster full morning and night. I will always have Tet on hand and usually Iso, maybe some Cheato also. My tanks are 40g's Phyto is the building blocks to life.

 

[darrick001]

I do a turkey baster full morning and night. I will always have Tet on hand and usually Iso, maybe some Cheato also. My tanks are 40g's Phyto is the building blocks to life.

Do you run a skimmer?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Do you run a skimmer?

Yes, I run a skimmer. The skimmer is off along with the pumps when I feed for about 15-20 minutes depending on which tank. But my skimmers really do not pull much out. I empty the cup every week or so. More for aeration than anything.

 

[darrick001]

I'm not sure if you would be able to tell as the cells from a large amount phyto would only be a couple tablespoons a week. I know that the skimmer will remove any particle in the water and It does not care if it's good or bad . It is removed. That is the reason I removed the skimmer.