#1 Phyton to culture

[SaltyCrew4u]

I have a good copepod population going and in order for me to keep culturing them I'm going to need to setup my own
Phytoplankton culture. I really only have room for one maybe two one gallon jars. Which Phyto would you recommend if you only had one jar and which two would you recommend if two were available? Reef tank and copepod health.

 

[Rocks reef]

I would do a green of your choice and then a red/orange of your choice. The red/orange strains offer other nutrition the green doesn't provide. I think it's higher in Omegas and such.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Reef By Steele could help you out!

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

With only one jar I would do Nannochloropsis as it can be the easiest, just done run it too long as it crashes quick once it has consumed the nutrients. With two my first choice would be Isochrysis, but it can be temperamental. You can get about the same nutritional profile from a diatom, which will culture easier, but needs silicate to form its outer cell wall. Chaetoceros Muerelli would be my first choice if a diatom.

Nanno will have a higher fat content, but the other two will be higher in HUFA (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), lipids and amino acids making it a more nutritious addition.

I would actually do a gold or brown over the green if only one, but they can take more patience and a learning curve.

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

Received my phytoplankton today and I finally finished setting up everything. I definitely need to organize everything but that can wait. How do I know if im using to much light or not enough? I purchased 4 grow lights but I'm only using two to start off. To much or not enought? Please excuse my ghetto setup.
Amazon product ASIN B0DTHC977N

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

Full Spectrum Grow Lights, 36W(Actual Power) Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants with Daisy Chain Function, Sunlike Spectrum,768 LEDs and 4/8/12/16/20H Timer for Seed Starting(Pack4)

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

With only one jar I would do Nannochloropsis as it can be the easiest, just done run it too long as it crashes quick once it has consumed the nutrients. With two my first choice would be Isochrysis, but it can be temperamental. You can get about the same nutritional profile from a diatom, which will culture easier, but needs silicate to form its outer cell wall. Chaetoceros Muerelli would be my first choice if a diatom.

Nanno will have a higher fat content, but the other two will be higher in HUFA (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), lipids and amino acids making it a more nutritious addition.

I would actually do a gold or brown over the green if only one, but they can take more patience and a learning curve.

Ok so phyto seems to be doing well. Its the end of day three and it's already pretty dark. I know most people say 7 days. I did two half gallon jars. Today is the end of day 4. If you compare day 1 with day 4 it's pretty good. I might of used 1 ML more than the recommended dose in each culture but I dont want it to run out of nutrients. I am unable to see the airline with my lights on. Any recommendations?

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

Ok so phyto seems to be doing well. Its the end of day three and it's already pretty dark. I know most people say 7 days. I did two half gallon jars. Today is the end of day 4. If you compare day 1 with day 4 it's pretty good. I might of used 1 ML more than the recommended dose in each culture but I dont want it to run out of nutrients. I am unable to see the airline with my lights on. Any recommendations?

I ment today is the end of day 4.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

From the pictures I would say it could be split. May have finished quicker due to only culturing a 1/2 gallon depending on how much kphyto vs water you started with. May also have to do with the lights and using reflectors as more light equals more growth.

Looking good.

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

From the pictures I would say it could be split. May have finished quicker due to only culturing a 1/2 gallon depending on how much kphyto vs water you started with. May also have to do with the lights and using reflectors as more light equals more growth.

Looking good.

So I removed the reflectors after day one because I saw some settling in one jar. I used 16oz of phyto to roughly 64oz of SW. So a tad over half a gallon in all. I was told I could start a culture with a 1:1 ratio, or a 1:10 ratio. I ended up doing a 1:4 ratio. Here we are 4 days later. Should I just harvest tomorrow to prevent a crash? I believe I used roughly 3ml of F2 in each jar. It only called for 1ml of F2 per liter of SW.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

So I removed the reflectors after day one because I saw some settling in one jar. I used 16oz of phyto to roughly 64oz of SW. So a tad over half a gallon in all. I was told I could start a culture with a 1:1 ratio, or a 1:10 ratio. I ended up doing a 1:4 ratio. Here we are 4 days later. Should I just harvest tomorrow to prevent a crash? I believe I used roughly 3ml of F2 in each jar. It only called for 1ml of F2 per liter of SW.

They appear dense enough from the pictures. Always better to harvest strong than to wait too long.

 

[Reef Genetics]

Do you have a link to those led lights?

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0DTHC977N?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Do you have a link to those led lights?

I got the 4 pack. Honestly I am only using 1 on my phytoplankton and 1 for my copepods which isn't even needed. They are cheap and have been working very well. Purchased off Amazon. Not sure if the link I posted will work. Below is the description.

Full Spectrum 768 LEDs Grow Lights, Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants with 4/8/12/16/20H Timer,Daisy Chain Function, Sunlike Spectrum for Seed Starting(Pack4)