How much phyto should you feed and how often?

[livinlifeinBKK]

Most of what my skimmer takes out is the phyto + I put in. If I add phyto my skim is a very translucent green.
My No3 is around 50 and read if you have a nutrient issue DONT dose phyto. I have stopped

Some people say live phyto lowers nutrients some

 

[PeterEde]

Some people say live phyto lowers nutrients some

You would think the algae would suck up the nitrate

 

[PeterEde]

Maybe I should dose more

 

[sixty_reefer]

Some people say live phyto lowers nutrients some

To lower nutrients with phytoplankton the fertiliser used in the culture will make a large difference, other important aspects on the fertiliser will be if the nutrients are organic or inorganic, I use a fully organic fertiliser in my CNP experiment, f2 and miracle grow have a lower organic content and most ingredient are inorganic.
the volume of the system dosed and the ml/gallon will also be variables that may not allow some to benefit from the phytoplankton Doc abilities. 1ml in a 25 gallon and 1ml in a 50 gallon have different dilutions.
the universal way to dose phytoplankton should always be referred as ml/gallon. With a clean phytoplankton culture containing only organic nutrients in the fertiliser I don’t have issues in depleting 20ppm of nitrates with a 2.88 ml/gallon in a space of a few weeks.

 

[sixty_reefer]

You would think the algae would suck up the nitrate

phytoplankton once in the system won’t live for long, it’s the bacteria in a system that will be lowering the nutrients, phytoplankton has a very high C content in the form of carbohydrates that will become glucose and by effect add a source of dissolved organic carbon for the bacteria numbers to grow as more Doc is available they will reduce inorganic pollutants like nitrates and phosphates and in a way making dissolved organic nutrients more available for the tank inhabitants that are much more easily assimilated by zooxanthellae.

Dates are in the pictures from a brown acropora to a nicely coloured stick

this is another specimen in my experiment that is showing visible growth in the same time of the above pictures ( 4 weeks )

 

[Susan Edwards]

To lower nutrients with phytoplankton the fertiliser used in the culture will make a large difference, other important aspects on the fertiliser will be if the nutrients are organic or inorganic, I use a fully organic fertiliser in my CNP experiment, f2 and miracle grow have a lower organic content and most ingredient are inorganic.
the volume of the system dosed and the ml/gallon will also be variables that may not allow some to benefit from the phytoplankton Doc abilities. 1ml in a 25 gallon and 1ml in a 50 gallon have different dilutions.
the universal way to dose phytoplankton should always be referred as ml/gallon. With a clean phytoplankton culture containing only organic nutrients in the fertiliser I don’t have issues in depleting 20ppm of nitrates with a 2.88 ml/gallon in a space of a few weeks.

what fertilizer did you use. I use the f2 from amazon or 2 part from Poseidon

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I add a few chugs to my 30g tank every day. I culture my own, and also use it to feed my copepod culture.

No excess algae that my cuc can't handle. I previously had a small Dino then cyano prior to phyto. I belive that phyto plus pods have reduced the unsightly algae.

 

[Nutramar Foods Verified Sponsor]

We always recommend starting with a lower dose (0.5mL/gal) and work up to 1-2mL/gal depending on the maturity of the aquarium and stock levels!

 

[Laith]

I dose 17ml a day of the easyreef EasyBooster in my 1900 liter tank (500g).

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I do 12-15 drops for a tank with 5 gallons of water. My tank is happiest when I dose daily. I realistically do it 3-4 days a week. I definitely have far more pods when dosing. I also dose directly to the fuge and do so after diluting the phyto in tank water. Always use reef nutrition live phyto due to the diversity. Love this product.

 

[glennf]

Al those years I never had the need for using phyto or any other plancton.

Corals are doing wel and 100% crystal clear water.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Every brand is different every reef system is different it's all up to personal preference it's very hard to over dose live phytoplankton .

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Al those years I never had the need for using phyto or any other plancton.

Corals are doing wel and 100% crystal clear water.

Such a beautiful reef!

 

[shakacuz]

40 drops in my 40B, 2x/week

 

[fishface NJ]

I need to find a phytoplankton that does not lower my nutrients

 

[KStatefan]

I add 25ml per day in my 100 gallon system. ipicked that ammount so my 32 oz will last my 6 week replacement schedule.

 

[glennf]

Such a beautiful

Thanks!

The only thing in my tanks that come near plancton is the green deposit on the front/side panels i scrape of (preferably after dark).
But that is of no use to the corals because the powerfilter will remove it in a short while and the water will be crystal clear again in the morning. The tangs love the scrapings though....
The sps colors are brighter due to more light penetration in clear water .
Imo that is what we are are looking for.

 

[Hitchhik3r]

do you guys pause your skimmer and filter socks and such when feeding phyto? If so, how long?

 

[Susan Edwards]

do you guys pause your skimmer and filter socks and such when feeding phyto? If so, how long?

I do not. I turn on a feed button on my apex for either 5 or 15 minutes as I add ab+ to it.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

do you guys pause your skimmer and filter socks and such when feeding phyto? If so, how long?

Phyto is too small to get caught in filter socks. A filter sock is usually 150-200 microns and phyto averages 5-15 microns depending on which one. I imagine it can get caught up in the skimmer. When I dose, it is during feeding time, so the returns are off, the MP's are throttled back and I just let it spread throughout the water column.