I saw someone else type up a guide in the DIY forum, and I thought that I would post my version here. I do it a little different than most, but my way is the quickest, cheapest, and most importantly reef safe. I originally typed this up for my ebay store, but I want to post it here as well. The moentioned fertilizer is called phtyo-grow, and can be purchased on ebay for around 5 bucks.
Culture Kit Checklist:
• 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton •Small airstone
•Drilled cap •2’ 2 bulb T-5 fixture
•4’ of airline tubing •Fertilizer
•Whisper® air pump •Dosing syringe
(1. First, remove the cap on the 2-liter bottle, and empty one liter into a separate 1 liter container (not included)
(2. Now you have to make more water to replace what you removed. To do this, fill a one liter container with tap water (RODI will not be optimal), and pour this water into a larger container. Add a drop of unscented bleach to the water, this will kill all bacteria. This next step is crucial; add 1ml of water conditioner per liter to neutralize the bleach, making the water culture safe.
(3. Add a tablespoon of salt per liter, and mix the water until all salt dissolves completely. Remove one ml of fertilizer with the dosing syringe, and add .5 ml of water to the culture, and .5 ml to your replacement water.
(4. Pour your replacement water into the 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton until the water reaches approximately 2 inches below the top of the bottle. If you have any remaining replacement water, that is okay, just pour the rest down the drain, not much should remain anyways.
(5. Take the included drilled cap and insert one end of the airline into the larger hole. Attach the airstone (also included) to the airline on the inside of the cap. Pull the airline through the hole until it is long enough to reach the bottom of the 2 liter bottle. Screw the cap on until it is tightened all of the way.
(6. Attach the outside end of the airline to the provided air pump, or an air pump of your choice. Turn the airpump on, and if the water begins to rise above the cap, empty out some water until this does not continue.
Periodically, you will have to remove a portion of your culture as it multiplies. You should have to do this around every 4-5 days, or when the culture becomes a dark/deep color.
(1. To split your culture, first remove the culture bottle’s cap and airline.
(2. Pour the entire culture through a coffee filter or a 20 micron sieve.
(3. Pour out all of the phyto into another container, leaving by rule of thumb at least half a liter of plankton behind.
(4. Make 1 ½ liters of water in the same way described in steps 2-3 of the previous article, and use this water to replace the removed phyto.
(5. Add 1ml of fertilizer to the mixture (don’t forget to shake the fertilizer first)
(6. Screw the cap on the culture bottle until it is tight, and turn the air pump back on.
(7. Repeat this process once optimal thickness is acquired.
(1. Make 1-2 gallons of fresh saltwater the same way that you do in your tank
(2. Pour the new saltwater into a 10 gallon tank or a 5 gallon bucket. Either one of these will work, but be sure to add twice as much water to a 10 gallon tank than a 5 gallon bucket.
(3. Put a small airstone with a flow regulator in the culture water, and turn on the air pump.
(4. Adjust the airflow until the air is moving slowly, just enough to add oxygen, but not enough to create a current.
(5. Add the pods to the culture water, and pour in about a quarter of a liter of nannochloropsis to start the culture. The water should remain a green tint at all times. When low on phyto, a yellowish color is acceptable, but optimal growth will not be achieved.
(7. After a week, your culture should be thick with pods. They look like little connected black dots swimming around in the culture.
(8. To capture them and make room for more pods to grow, dip a shallow Tupperware container in the culture water near the pods, allowing the water to suck the pods into the container.
(9. Pour the collected pods through the same sieve/coffee filter used to sieve the phyto, and put the water back in the culture.
(10. Flip the sieve upside down or inside out, and pour tank water through the sieve over the tank three times. This removes all pods from the filter and adds them to your tank.
(11. Every three weeks sieve half of the culture water and replace it with new water. Be sure to put the pods back in the culture instead of in your tank. Try to use a slow siphon to suck out the debris from the bottom of the culture and clean it up a bit.
The Culture of Marine Phytoplankton
Culture Kit Checklist:
• 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton •Small airstone
•Drilled cap •2’ 2 bulb T-5 fixture
•4’ of airline tubing •Fertilizer
•Whisper® air pump •Dosing syringe
How to set up your new culture kit
(2. Now you have to make more water to replace what you removed. To do this, fill a one liter container with tap water (RODI will not be optimal), and pour this water into a larger container. Add a drop of unscented bleach to the water, this will kill all bacteria. This next step is crucial; add 1ml of water conditioner per liter to neutralize the bleach, making the water culture safe.
(3. Add a tablespoon of salt per liter, and mix the water until all salt dissolves completely. Remove one ml of fertilizer with the dosing syringe, and add .5 ml of water to the culture, and .5 ml to your replacement water.
(4. Pour your replacement water into the 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton until the water reaches approximately 2 inches below the top of the bottle. If you have any remaining replacement water, that is okay, just pour the rest down the drain, not much should remain anyways.
(5. Take the included drilled cap and insert one end of the airline into the larger hole. Attach the airstone (also included) to the airline on the inside of the cap. Pull the airline through the hole until it is long enough to reach the bottom of the 2 liter bottle. Screw the cap on until it is tightened all of the way.
(6. Attach the outside end of the airline to the provided air pump, or an air pump of your choice. Turn the airpump on, and if the water begins to rise above the cap, empty out some water until this does not continue.
Splitting your culture
Periodically, you will have to remove a portion of your culture as it multiplies. You should have to do this around every 4-5 days, or when the culture becomes a dark/deep color.
(1. To split your culture, first remove the culture bottle’s cap and airline.
(2. Pour the entire culture through a coffee filter or a 20 micron sieve.
(3. Pour out all of the phyto into another container, leaving by rule of thumb at least half a liter of plankton behind.
(4. Make 1 ½ liters of water in the same way described in steps 2-3 of the previous article, and use this water to replace the removed phyto.
(5. Add 1ml of fertilizer to the mixture (don’t forget to shake the fertilizer first)
(6. Screw the cap on the culture bottle until it is tight, and turn the air pump back on.
(7. Repeat this process once optimal thickness is acquired.
How to Culture Copepods
(2. Pour the new saltwater into a 10 gallon tank or a 5 gallon bucket. Either one of these will work, but be sure to add twice as much water to a 10 gallon tank than a 5 gallon bucket.
(3. Put a small airstone with a flow regulator in the culture water, and turn on the air pump.
(4. Adjust the airflow until the air is moving slowly, just enough to add oxygen, but not enough to create a current.
(5. Add the pods to the culture water, and pour in about a quarter of a liter of nannochloropsis to start the culture. The water should remain a green tint at all times. When low on phyto, a yellowish color is acceptable, but optimal growth will not be achieved.
(7. After a week, your culture should be thick with pods. They look like little connected black dots swimming around in the culture.
(8. To capture them and make room for more pods to grow, dip a shallow Tupperware container in the culture water near the pods, allowing the water to suck the pods into the container.
(9. Pour the collected pods through the same sieve/coffee filter used to sieve the phyto, and put the water back in the culture.
(10. Flip the sieve upside down or inside out, and pour tank water through the sieve over the tank three times. This removes all pods from the filter and adds them to your tank.
(11. Every three weeks sieve half of the culture water and replace it with new water. Be sure to put the pods back in the culture instead of in your tank. Try to use a slow siphon to suck out the debris from the bottom of the culture and clean it up a bit.
