Phytoplankton Culturing

HockeyRooster · Oct 2, 2020

I set up a little phyto culture to see if I could get it to grow. After a couple of weeks it’s dark green and I think it’s ready to be harvested. In light of that I have some questions.
1. After I harvest, do I need to do anything besides just replacing the water? Obviously I’ll add fertilizer and supplements to the water.
2. Do I need to do anything to the phyto before adding it to the tank?

If the phyto culture failed, would it still turn dark green like it has? I guess this process seemed simpler that I expected and I’m concerned that even though It looks really green, that it may not have worked. Sorry if this is a stupid thought/question. Just worried about adding this to the tank.

ichthyogeek · Oct 2, 2020

1) It's always best practice to replace the airline with a new sterile one. You can bleach the old one to make it sterile and then keep it in something like a ziploc bag or other airtight container to keep it sterile.

2) Just add it to the tank if you want to.

If the phyto culture failed, it would turn white, turn clear, or get lighter over time. As the cells die, they'll break down and start to make foam (like the kind you're getting now).

You did great! Good job!!