Why can't I cultivate plankton?

[Seachelle]

I've tried twice now to cultivate phytoplankton and both times it's very quickly separated out and turned yellow. I'm using nannochloropsis from Mercer of Montana. I'm sterilizing the container with rubbing alcohol, doubling the volume with 1.020 sg water, putting in an airline to a rolling bubbling, and adding 2ml of F2 fertilizer. At least twice a day, I stir the mix around using the airline. I harvested one time after a week, taking half of the amount and replacing it with saltwater, and adding more F2. I have an LED grow light I bought off Anazon and it runs for 12 hours a day. About 2 days after my first harvest, the phyto separates out to the bottom and the water turns yellowish. This has happened twice. What am I doing wrong?

 

[J.chemicals]

Are you using freshly made saltwater?

 

[Seachelle]

Are you using freshly made saltwater?

Yes

 

[Garf]

I've tried twice now to cultivate phytoplankton and both times it's very quickly separated out and turned yellow. I'm using nannochloropsis from Mercer of Montana. I'm sterilizing the container with rubbing alcohol, doubling the volume with 1.020 sg water, putting in an airline to a rolling bubbling, and adding 2ml of F2 fertilizer. At least twice a day, I stir the mix around using the airline. I harvested one time after a week, taking half of the amount and replacing it with saltwater, and adding more F2. I have an LED grow light I bought off Anazon and it runs for 12 hours a day. About 2 days after my first harvest, the phyto separates out to the bottom and the water turns yellowish. This has happened twice. What am I doing wrong?

I’ve not grown any for a long time but are you sure that light is up to the job? It looks a long way from the jar also.

 

[Seachelle]

I’ve not grown any for a long time but are you sure that light is up to the job? It looks a long way from the jar also.

I'm not sure if they're bright enough. They were labeled as plant grow lights. The light bars are as close as I can to the jar.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Maybe you started with a bad culture to begin with? I too, just started culturing phyto with a kit from mercer too, but I chose tetra type instead, and I'm having great success and at the 7 day mark mine is crazy dark. Your steps look correct, and I'm sure that light is sufficient, maybe look into sourcing another starter bottle? There's a guy here who will sell single strain phyto, and I've bought his mixes before I started culturing my own.

Thread 'Fresh LIVE Phyto 8-Species Blend – FREE SHIPPING' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fresh-live-phyto-8-species-blend-–-free-shipping.796578/

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I'm not sure if they're bright enough. They were labeled as plant grow lights. The light bars are as close as I can to the jar.

I will assume that light is not good enough

 

[Seachelle]

Maybe you started with a bad culture to begin with? I too, just started culturing phyto with a kit from mercer too, but I chose tetra type instead, and I'm having great success and at the 7 day mark mine is crazy dark. Your steps look correct, and I'm sure that light is sufficient, maybe look into sourcing another starter bottle? There's a guy here who will sell single strain phyto, and I've bought his mixes before I started culturing my own.

Thread 'Fresh LIVE Phyto 8-Species Blend – FREE SHIPPING' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fresh-live-phyto-8-species-blend-–-free-shipping.796578/

Mine looked great up until I harvested half the batch. Then, it started separating out. I could see getting one bad batch, but I've purchased from Mercer twice and both times had the same results. I got the Nanno, and I've read that it's more prone to crashing. Maybe I'll try the tetra next.

What kind of lights are you all using?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Mine looked great up until I harvested half the batch. Then, it started separating out. I could see getting one bad batch, but I've purchased from Mercer twice and both times had the same results. I got the Nanno, and I've read that it's more prone to crashing. Maybe I'll try the tetra next.

What kind of lights are you all using?

This is what I use. I can’t stress enough how great this system is and how well it works. Before you say anything Yes it’s expensive but the customer support has been awesome and it took all the guesswork out of it along with knowing it’s gonna work because it’s made for it. On the site you can buy individual items as well I chose the pod and phyto system to feed my mandarins. I also got my Phyto and pods from them. When you buy a system from Poseidon‘s reef they guarantee the pods and phyto for lifetime you just have to pay for the shipping so even if there ever was something to go wrong it’s cheap to start it up again.

PhytoTank CL Copepod System

poseidonreefsystems.com

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Mine looked great up until I harvested half the batch. Then, it started separating out. I could see getting one bad batch, but I've purchased from Mercer twice and both times had the same results. I got the Nanno, and I've read that it's more prone to crashing. Maybe I'll try the tetra next.

What kind of lights are you all using?

This would be to just grow phyto again I’m sure you could diy for less but imo the time and energy spent plus to not have proven system with the support and guarantee is worth it to me

PhytoTank-L Kit (3.5 Liter Capacity)

PhytoTank is the hassle free system to culture phytoplankton

poseidonreefsystems.com

 

[((FORDTECH))]

In the beginning I was having problems with contaminating the phyto from not cleaning what’s nice about these systems is you just throw the bag away and put another bag in there not much cleaning to do and everything is sterile for the next culture weekly. Also the system comes with filters that go on the airlines to help prevent contamination. I have 2 phyto and 2 pod tanks I harvest every tank 1x a week. The amount of pods is insane. I have found if I kept phyto growing longer then 10 days or so the likely hood of crash is higher. This is why I harvest every 7 days seem to be sweet spot. From each phyto tank I use about 2,000ml of tank for new pod culture then 250ml to start the new phyto culture with 2mlpart a fretalizer and 2ml part b fertilizer and then the rest about 500ml into my doser Reservoir to dose my system about 100 mL a day. Then to keep costs down I buy the replacement bags from Amazon and I cut my own air lines to replace from bulk water line tube from Home Depot. I do buy and use there fertilizer.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Are you using freshly made saltwater?

For what it’s worth I use 1 month old saltwater that has been properly stored at 1.026 salinity

 

[damsels are not mean]

This is what I use. I can’t stress enough how great this system is and how well it works. Before you say anything Yes it’s expensive but the customer support has been awesome and it took all the guesswork out of it along with knowing it’s gonna work because it’s made for it. On the site you can buy individual items as well I chose the pod and phyto system to feed my mandarins. I also got my Phyto and pods from them. When you buy a system from Poseidon‘s reef they guarantee the pods and phyto for lifetime you just have to pay for the shipping so even if there ever was something to go wrong it’s cheap to start it up again.

PhytoTank CL Copepod System

poseidonreefsystems.com

Totally unnecessary for phyto imo. If you are rich great but i literally put plastic tea bottles in the windowsill with a cheap air pump and it grows more phyto than I can find a place to put if I have more than 1 or 2 bottles active at a time. This is a shaded north facing window btw.

 

[Derrick0580]

I use the poseiden system and even diy’d more jars similar to their setups but every harvest i empty out the jar and clean everything 100% and sanitize before putting anything back into the jar. I also start with 1 liter of phyto to 2 liters of 1.020 saltwater that is made in a sterilized bucket with a powerhead that is used only for that bucket. I wipe down the entire work area and wear gloves that i wipe off with 70% alcohol as well. I also use 4ml of F2 and haven’t lost a culture in months. You have to be meticulous in your sanitization. I was like you in the beginning. My first batch went great then would lose 50% after that until I spoke with @Anthony Scholfield and watched his videos on instagram.

 

[Dan_P]

I've tried twice now to cultivate phytoplankton and both times it's very quickly separated out and turned yellow. I'm using nannochloropsis from Mercer of Montana. I'm sterilizing the container with rubbing alcohol, doubling the volume with 1.020 sg water, putting in an airline to a rolling bubbling, and adding 2ml of F2 fertilizer. At least twice a day, I stir the mix around using the airline. I harvested one time after a week, taking half of the amount and replacing it with saltwater, and adding more F2. I have an LED grow light I bought off Anazon and it runs for 12 hours a day. About 2 days after my first harvest, the phyto separates out to the bottom and the water turns yellowish. This has happened twice. What am I doing wrong?

Test the salinity. Bubbling air through water will quickly raise the salinity through evaporation.

To avoid this bubble the air through water before going to the algae culture.

 

[Derrick0580]

Test the salinity. Bubbling air through water will quickly raise the salinity through evaporation.

To avoid this bubble the air through water before going to the algae culture.

If there is a lid, evaporation shouldn’t be much of a problem, based on the picture I would go to home depot and get some soft white led strips and just wrap them around the container. Not the entire length though because you don’t want it to heat it too much. You want it 72-82 degrees theoretically. Poseidon says to not dim their jars but when I checked the temps in their non dimmed jar vs my diy jar with dimmer mine was 82 degrees and theirs was 86 degrees however like I said I haven’t lost a culture in either jar in a long while. Also bump your lights to 16 on 8 off

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I'm using a $15 freshwater full spectrum clip on light that I had laying around, I figured if it grew plants like it did then it should work well for phyto. This is mine and I harvested on Thursday.

 

[Dan_P]

If there is a lid, evaporation shouldn’t be much of a problem, based on the picture I would go to home depot and get some soft white led strips and just wrap them around the container. Not the entire length though because you don’t want it to heat it too much. You want it 72-82 degrees theoretically. Poseidon says to not dim their jars but when I checked the temps in their non dimmed jar vs my diy jar with dimmer mine was 82 degrees and theirs was 86 degrees however like I said I haven’t lost a culture in either jar in a long while. Also bump your lights to 16 on 8 off

The lid may play a minor role controlling the evaporation rate in an aerated system. Simple enough to keep an eye on the salinity if salinity is important.

 

[Seachelle]

Totally unnecessary for phyto imo. If you are rich great but i literally put plastic tea bottles in the windowsill with a cheap air pump and it grows more phyto than I can find a place to put if I have more than 1 or 2 bottles active at a time. This is a shaded north facing window btw.

Yeah, I'm not ready to invest that much yet. I see a lot of people with DIY setups who seem to have no problems growing it. I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Seachelle]

I use the poseiden system and even diy’d more jars similar to their setups but every harvest i empty out the jar and clean everything 100% and sanitize before putting anything back into the jar. I also start with 1 liter of phyto to 2 liters of 1.020 saltwater that is made in a sterilized bucket with a powerhead that is used only for that bucket. I wipe down the entire work area and wear gloves that i wipe off with 70% alcohol as well. I also use 4ml of F2 and haven’t lost a culture in months. You have to be meticulous in your sanitization. I was like you in the beginning. My first batch went great then would lose 50% after that until I spoke with @Anthony Scholfield and watched his videos on instagram.

Wow! I've watched videos and sterilization was not really emphasized that much beyond wiping down the container with alcohol.