Pyrocystis culture ?

[Eatfrenchfries]

Has anyone kept this similiar to phytoplankton with an air pump to keep it suspended? In the past I've kept it in small amounts with just light and daily swirls. Wondering if the aeration would activate the bioluminescence and ruin the culture. I imagine so but wanted to throw it out there for ideas

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Has anyone kept this similiar to phytoplankton with an air pump to keep it suspended? In the past I've kept it in small amounts with just light and daily swirls. Wondering if the aeration would activate the bioluminescence and ruin the culture. I imagine so but wanted to throw it out there for ideas

I know people have added them to their tanks before, so I'd imagine that as long as the air flow isn't too heavy, the culture should be fine:

Yeah - these dinos (Pyrocystis fusiformis) are coldwater and non-toxic (people have legitimately drunk the stuff before, though it’s not recommended). People add these to their tanks on occasion, but they typically only last a couple of weeks (slowed growth at the higher temp, and removal via filtration, skimmers, etc.).

 

[Eatfrenchfries]

Aeration ended up stimulating them too much that I lost them. I'm basically just swirling around 500mL containers daily to keep em going.

 

[Eatfrenchfries]

Gonna be trying this again but with a magnetic stirrer set to go off 2-3 times a day. Someone suggested a small fountain pump but I'm worried it's too much agitation even once a day.

Basically really trying to automate this culture as I keep forgetting to swirl 10 jars everyday.