Green water on tap: Where does your phyto come from?

[Peace River]

Green water on tap: Where does your phyto come from?

Many reef keepers add phytoplankton (sometimes referred to as “phyto”) and zooplankton to their tanks. These additions bring many benefits including food for the fish and corals as well as beneficial treatment for the water in the tank. Some people choose to culture their own phyto, others buy it online or from a local fish store, and some even set up subscriptions for regular delivery. If you choose to add phyto to your tank, where does your phyto come from?

Photo by @MNFish


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.topshelfaquatics.com

“Top Shelf Aquatics helps you feel confident in the quality, reliability, and consistency of getting everything you need for a perfect saltwater aquarium. From corals and fish to inverts and aquarium supplies, you can count on us to provide you with a seamless reefing experience.”

 

[GARRIGA]

Started with FW as a means to grow Daphnia as well as raising fry. Was going to transition to salt for Clown breeding but room became priority for a family member and that nixed everything.

Going to setup something outside and leverage the sun to power my cultures. Research has it that green water filters out certain heavy metals and contaminants and perhaps have a FW culture going as well off rain water which might provide a solution for top off once filtered through 5 micron or smaller to remove the single cell algae. Might also run it through Ultrafiltration as that filters down to .025 microns. No clue what's in our rain but I know Julian Sprung has an outdoor salt pond which relies on rain to perform WC therefore it might be a cheap and effective solution to top off. KISS my approach.

 

[JayM]

Mine comes from Algae Barn with a bottle of 5280 Pods.

I have no idea how beneficial either are at this point as it's only been a week - but I guess I'll find out soon enough.

 

[BanZI29]

I am trying to grow my own. Still doing ALOT of research, especially on lighting and the spectrum that is really needed to grow healthy Phyto and Cope pods.
As for now I do get my phyto from @Reef By Steele

 

[fodsod]

Mine comes from Dinkins

 

[vlangel]

I have fed phyto in a bottle from fish store but I doubt there is much living in it so don't really use that now. My tank is teeming with pods so I am not going to worry too much about supplementing phyto.

 

[Narideth]

I currently grow my own Phyto with pretty fair success. $50+ every month for a bottle of phyto and pods from Algaebarn wasn't doing it for me, so that's why I decided to culture my own, since my tanks are small and a batch will last me several weeks.

I started with a bottle of Nannochloropsis from Mercer of Montana after attempting to grow something with the Ocean Magic I was ordering (I know it's a mix, but it's what I had at the time.) The nanno was so rich and dark, it was a perfect starter culture.

Now every 3-4 weeks, I start up a new batch from the 8oz bottle I snag fresh from the previous batch, and pour that into a liter of fresh salt water and let it cook with some Guillard's F/2 for about a week. It usually gives me enough to go another 3-4 weeks before I need to brew a new batch again. I've been growing fresh batches from that initial starter since June, so... like 4-5 batches now.

 

[marcus aurelius]

My question is that, should I be using phyto all the time? I was buying from Algae barn. My current setup. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/180-upgrade-mixed-reef.1012730/

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I started culturing my own to raise rotifers for clownfish fry. Then decided I should raise copepods also because we have a lot of “Pod Hunters” in our 6 DT. Kept going a little bigger and a little bigger until I had leftovers so started selling. Became a R2R sponsor and now we produce way more than we can use.

Check out this link as to the benefits of phyto in your tank.

Why to dose Phytoplankton

What is Phytoplankton? Microalgae, what we call phytoplankton, are aquatic, microscopic, single-celled, photosynthetic organisms. Similar to plants (their land counterparts), phytoplankton have chlorophyll in their cells, and generate food through the process of photosynthesis. Phytoplankton are...

reefbysteele.com

 

[graziano]

Never used in the twenty years I have had reef

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

Never used in the twenty years I have had reef

Nice looking reef.

 

[Projects with Sam]

I setup a phyto growout in my fish closet. I usually have 4 gallons going at once.

I just buy a 3-pack of distilled water from the hardware... 1/4 cup of salt mix in a gallon and 200ml f/2 and its ready to go.

 

[stambo3]

I setup a phyto growout in my fish closet. I usually have 4 gallons going at once.

I just buy a 3-pack of distilled water from the hardware... 1/4 cup of salt mix in a gallon and 200ml f/2 and its ready to go.

 

[stambo3]

Hello,
What lighting do you use?

 

[Projects with Sam]

Hello,
What lighting do you use?

t12 4' led grow lights; also from the hardware store! an old fixture I had laying about.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Mine came all the way from Singapore because Thailand is ridiculous about having anything live imported...not like there's phytoplankton everywhere in tropical countries.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

I stopped feeding phyto as well as reef roids because I have too many spirorbid worms and vermetid snails. Trying to reduce free floating food.

 

[MBruun]

EasyBooster and EasySPS.
I use to grow my own tetraselmis, but changed to this more simple but not live phyto dosing

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I setup a phyto growout in my fish closet. I usually have 4 gallons going at once.

I just buy a 3-pack of distilled water from the hardware... 1/4 cup of salt mix in a gallon and 200ml f/2 and its ready to go.

200ml F/2 per gallon? I only use 2ml per gallon.

 

[Projects with Sam]

200ml F/2 per gallon? I only use 2ml per gallon.

Oops! You’re right! It’s a 1ml syringe, not a 100ml! Hah