Phyto culture container growing algae?

[Jason K]

This is my first attempt at culturing phyto. Started out with a very “thin” starting culture of oceanmagik (~10% of total solution). Solution at 1.017 salinity w f2 dosed per bottle instructions. Photo below is 5 days in. Solution is definitely getting greener I think, but I’m getting dust algae growing on the sides and bottom of the container. Is this bad? Should I scrap and start over?

 

[KrisReef]

I doubt that the phytoplankton will be ruined from growing up with an ugly container. I would work with it for now and keep feeding the tank as you go.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Idk much about phyto, accept it crashes extremely easy, some people use new containers every batch. This is a good live stream with dong Zou, he touches base on how he does phyto for many years, there is some good information to pick up from it.

 

[kilnakorr]

Idk much about phyto, accept it crashes extremely easy, some people use new containers every batch. This is a good live stream with dong Zou, he touches base on how he does phyto for many years, there is some good information to pick up from it.

I find that not to be true.
I used to clean everything really good when I started, but now I just rinse in tapwater. Doesn't seem to effect the results at all.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I find that not to be true.
I used to clean everything really good when I started, but now I just rinse in tapwater. Doesn't seem to effect the results at all.

That May or may not be true I've never once tried to, or thought about making phyto, I just so happened to watch this live stream and picked up that information and thought it was good information for me, maybe it could help @Jason K . Although I've also heard several well to do refers say similar things mentioned in this live stream, so I tend to lean towards the previous information, but im glad your method works for you, maybe it's your technique.

Feel free to write up any of your methods or techniques, as well as any photo documentation you have of your set ups to help others with some information.

 

[mdb_talon]

I find that not to be true.
I used to clean everything really good when I started, but now I just rinse in tapwater. Doesn't seem to effect the results at all.

This is my experience exactly. I use disposable bottles and every few weeks just toss them as I am no longer even willing to make the effort to rinse the bottles.

 

[kilnakorr]

That May or may not be true I've never once tried to, or thought about making phyto, I just so happened to watch this live stream and picked up that information and thought it was good information for me, maybe it could help @Jason K . Although I've also heard several well to do refers say similar things mentioned in this live stream, so I tend to lean towards the previous information, but im glad your method works for you, maybe it's your technique.

Feel free to write up any of your methods or techniques, as well as any photo documentation you have of your set ups to help others with some information.

I think I have a few threads here already
My first attempts failed due to not adding enough fertilizer. Once fixed, it was easy.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

This is my experience exactly. I use disposable bottles and every few weeks just toss them as I am no longer even willing to make the effort to rinse the bottles.

What do you mean ? Are you saying that you agree with Dong Zou in that phyto cultures can crash easily?

 

[kilnakorr]

What do you mean ? Are you saying that you agree with Dong Zou in that phyto cultures can crash easily?

Opposite I believe.Quick rinse, and toss the bottle once a quick rinse isn't enough.
A little build up occurs after a while, so a good cleaning is needed from time to time.

 

[mdb_talon]

What do you mean ? Are you saying that you agree with Dong Zou in that phyto cultures can crash easily?

No I am saying I don't find that they crash very often and at least in my case if they do it's no big deal. If doing a single culture at a time without backup it may be an issue. I did not watch the video and I imagine it is useful and describes a more ideal way of doing things and ensuring cultures stay clean, etc.

For me though I just give the large juice bottles we use at the house a quick tapwater rinse. Then approximately every 5 days I empty half of each culture from the bottle and fill it back up with saltwater and add fertilizer. After 4 or 5 weeks of this the bottle is getting a bit nasty and I just use a new bottle. Every 3 or 4 months I use paper towel to wipe down the airline tubing. That's pretty much my maintenance.

Initially I would look with microscope every fairly often to make sure I was growing what I thought I was. Never really had any issues so I still do occasionally check but only every few months. Only issues I ever have are I do get a crash every couple months in one of the 5 bottles I usually have going, but I just swap out the bottles and do the split a bit thinner. Even those crashes I believe are because I don't ever add topoff water as evap occurs. Over the course of several splits(and refill with saltwater) the salinity keeps building and I presume is why I occasionally eventually get a crash.

If I was growing thousands of gallons to commercially sell them certainly I would take more precautions. Growing several gallons a week for personal use in my experience at least not much care is needed.

 

[PeterC99]

Jason - I just rinse my glass containers and reuse. About once every other month, will clean out containers. I also just rinse my OJ bottle storage containers and reuse. Have not crashed a culture in over a year.

 

[kilnakorr]

No I am saying I don't find that they crash very often and at least in my case if they do it's no big deal. If doing a single culture at a time without backup it may be an issue. I did not watch the video and I imagine it is useful and describes a more ideal way of doing things and ensuring cultures stay clean, etc.

For me though I just give the large juice bottles we use at the house a quick tapwater rinse. Then approximately every 5 days I empty half of each culture from the bottle and fill it back up with saltwater and add fertilizer. After 4 or 5 weeks of this the bottle is getting a bit nasty and I just use a new bottle. Every 3 or 4 months I use paper towel to wipe down the airline tubing. That's pretty much my maintenance.

Initially I would look with microscope every fairly often to make sure I was growing what I thought I was. Never really had any issues so I still do occasionally check but only every few months. Only issues I ever have are I do get a crash every couple months in one of the 5 bottles I usually have going, but I just swap out the bottles and do the split a bit thinner. Even those crashes I believe are because I don't ever add topoff water as evap occurs. Over the course of several splits(and refill with saltwater) the salinity keeps building and I presume is why I occasionally eventually get a crash.

If I was growing thousands of gallons to commercially sell them certainly I would take more precautions. Growing several gallons a week for personal use in my experience at least not much care is needed.

What settings are you using on your microscope?
I have kids one, but not good enough to really make out the shapes on the phyto, so thinking of getting a better one.

 

[mdb_talon]

What settings are you using on your microscope?
I have kids one, but not good enough to really make out the shapes on the phyto, so thinking of getting a better one.

Mine is also a very cheap one. In my experience 80-120x is good enough. Can go higher magnification and be able to detail but not needed for my hobby level evaluation. I use around 20-40x to be able to for the most part be able to if other things have made there way into the culture and if I see something looking suspicious can zoom from there. Never really found anything that concerned by but I mostly just looking to make sure that the bulk of what I am seeing is my nanno or tetra phyto(cultured separately). Just to make sure that dark green liquid I am dosing my tank is actually phyto that I want and not something else that has taken over the culture. I am sure bacteria and other things could also be getting in there that I don't see, but since it not crashing my cultures I don't worry too much about it(again for my noncommercial hobby level use of this)

 

[kilnakorr]

Mine is also a very cheap one. In my experience 80-120x is good enough. Can go higher magnification and be able to detail but not needed for my hobby level evaluation. I use around 20-40x to be able to for the most part be able to if other things have made there way into the culture and if I see something looking suspicious can zoom from there. Never really found anything that concerned by but I mostly just looking to make sure that the bulk of what I am seeing is my nanno or tetra phyto(cultured separately). Just to make sure that dark green liquid I am dosing my tank is actually phyto that I want and not something else that has taken over the culture. I am sure bacteria and other things could also be getting in there that I don't see, but since it not crashing my cultures I don't worry too much about it(again for my noncommercial hobby level use of this)

Thanks. May try again tomorrow then.
Maybe I'm just bad at focusing, and not knowing what to look for.
Should be plenty og circular things right?

 

[mdb_talon]

Thanks. May try again tomorrow then.
Maybe I'm just bad at focusing, and not knowing what to look for.
Should be plenty og circular things right?

Yes little round green mostly near perfect circles if we talking about nanno phyto. They should not move at all on their own.

If tetra phyto they are much larger and usually more of an egg shape and can move on their own and have more distinguishing characteristics.

Any other types I have not yet tried.

What I did when I started was found a lot of microscopic pictures online of each type I grow so that I was able to have a reference for what I should be seeing. Just reading about it really have me no confidence in what they should look like. I also looked closely at the initial cultures when I received them so I had a good idea of what a healthy culture should look like.

 

[kilnakorr]

Yes little round green mostly near perfect circles if we talking about nanno phyto. They should not move at all on their own.

If tetra phyto they are much larger and usually more of an egg shape and can move on their own and have more distinguishing characteristics.

Any other types I have not yet tried.

What I did when I started was found a lot of microscopic pictures online of each type I grow so that I was able to have a reference for what I should be seeing. Just reading about it really have me no confidence in what they should look like. I also looked closely at the initial cultures when I received them so I had a good idea of what a healthy culture should look like.

Think my microscope is just not good enough then.
All I have ever seen is a grey blur..no colors at all. Below picture is from a previous culture, and is pretty much how I see it through the microscope:

Pretty hard to tell shape.

 

[Jason K]

So I don't know if it was algae. It's some kind of organic goop I think that developed from and/or came from the OceanMagik starter. I'm guessing this is not the best starter to use. After ten days, and the color not developing much darker, I restarted using 1/3 of the culture (trying my best to avoid any solids). The initial color of this second run was yellow...which I know is not good. It's 4 days in, and it's now light green. We'll see if it continues to color up.

I'm assuming this is not going to end up working, and I'd need to restart with a clean starter culture.

 

[emmysnewtank]

I just started my first culture with a bottle of OceanMagik as well and have the same green 'detritus' settling at bottom. I think its dead phyto from shipping thats settling out. I am going to try and run the culture out, but I do think I read that its better to have a single strain phyto as your starter so that one strain doesn't outcompete the others.

Anyone have suggestions of another good starter culture to purchase?

 

[Jason K]

This is the culture 12 days in after the first split. It’s yellow greenish, but is pretty much opaque and doesn’t have any solid junk on the bottom or sides. So I think it’s working??? I’m gonna harvest/split again on day 14.

 

[kilnakorr]

This is the culture 12 days in after the first split. It’s yellow greenish, but is pretty much opaque and doesn’t have any solid junk on the bottom or sides. So I think it’s working??? I’m gonna harvest/split again on day 14.

Don't take thia as any form of advice, but my phyto is usually ready after 3-5 days.

I just started two new cultures an hour ago (Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis):

I'll try to remember to post an updated pic in a day or two.
I guess, both nutrients and light source plays a role, and possibly CO2 levels.