Hey reefers,
I have had a love hate relationship with my phyto culture. On the one hand, it seems beneficial being dosed to my mixed reef (polyp extension and growth.) On the other hand, I’ve found it difficult to culture due to crashes. I starts to add up, purchasing starter cultures from Mercer and fellow hobbiests. I feel my crashes are due to bacterial contamination (unverified.) So I worked out a cheap and easy method.
The phyto I grow is nannochloropsis from Mercer’s of Montana and use their f/2 fertilizer.
The next useful gear is a homemade Secchi stick. It helps you keep check of your progress, that is surprisingly repeatable.
You need a graduated cylinder (glass, 50ml Is a good size,) and a white piece of flat plastic.
Pull the bottom off the cylinder, place a white plastic disc Jiffy marked as the photo, and reassemble.
To use it look down the cylinder as you slowly fill it with a sample of your culture. However full the cylinder is, that is the reading.
As the culture grows more dense, the number goes down. As it crashes, the number starts to go up.
I’ve given up trying to sterilize big jars, especially the ones with nozzles that accumulate organics. Instead I use 2 gallon disposable Ziplock bags. The only thing you need to clean is the rigid airline tubing. Once things are set up, I try not to touch the culture. I add fertilizer via the rigid airline. I transfer the culture via the airline as well. You can take your samples via the airline, using a syringe and a bit of soft air line.
First, staple the ziplock before you open it. This obviously prevents it from fully unzipping.
Secondly, set things up like the picture, which I I think is pretty simple.
And with the lights on:
My next step will be to figure out how to put the light panel underneath the culture.
I have had a love hate relationship with my phyto culture. On the one hand, it seems beneficial being dosed to my mixed reef (polyp extension and growth.) On the other hand, I’ve found it difficult to culture due to crashes. I starts to add up, purchasing starter cultures from Mercer and fellow hobbiests. I feel my crashes are due to bacterial contamination (unverified.) So I worked out a cheap and easy method.
The phyto I grow is nannochloropsis from Mercer’s of Montana and use their f/2 fertilizer.
The next useful gear is a homemade Secchi stick. It helps you keep check of your progress, that is surprisingly repeatable.
You need a graduated cylinder (glass, 50ml Is a good size,) and a white piece of flat plastic.
Pull the bottom off the cylinder, place a white plastic disc Jiffy marked as the photo, and reassemble.
To use it look down the cylinder as you slowly fill it with a sample of your culture. However full the cylinder is, that is the reading.
As the culture grows more dense, the number goes down. As it crashes, the number starts to go up.
I’ve given up trying to sterilize big jars, especially the ones with nozzles that accumulate organics. Instead I use 2 gallon disposable Ziplock bags. The only thing you need to clean is the rigid airline tubing. Once things are set up, I try not to touch the culture. I add fertilizer via the rigid airline. I transfer the culture via the airline as well. You can take your samples via the airline, using a syringe and a bit of soft air line.
First, staple the ziplock before you open it. This obviously prevents it from fully unzipping.
Secondly, set things up like the picture, which I I think is pretty simple.
And with the lights on:
My next step will be to figure out how to put the light panel underneath the culture.
