Another Phytoplankton Culture Tutorial

[Chris_from_SoCal]

This is a day 14 update. Both tanks are lighter since I just doubled the amount of salt water. I did the same last week. I also doubled the amount of F2 each time. I did remove some to feed the copepods. One more week and each tank will be full then I can use a larger amount to feed them and keep it going if all goes well.

Splitting into two seems to be the right thing since one tank is definitely doing better than the other. I did have to increase the airflow. The deeper it gets the more air is needed. I have made it a habit to shake each tank every other day so I do not get any growth stuck to the walls.

This is using cheap 1 gallon plastic containers from Walmart, bottom LED lighting for growing and a 3D printed base. I also 3D printed a holder for the solid airline to connect it to the lid that is easily removable. At the top of the solid airline is a valve to adjust the air.

 

[EnterName]

This is a day 14 update. Both tanks are lighter since I just doubled the amount of salt water. I did the same last week. I also doubled the amount of F2 each time. I did remove some to feed the copepods. One more week and each tank will be full then I can use a larger amount to feed them and keep it going if all goes well.

Splitting into two seems to be the right thing since one tank is definitely doing better than the other. I did have to increase the airflow. The deeper it gets the more air is needed. I have made it a habit to shake each tank every other day so I do not get any growth stuck to the walls.

This is using cheap 1 gallon plastic containers from Walmart, bottom LED lighting for growing and a 3D printed base. I also 3D printed a holder for the solid airline to connect it to the lid that is easily removable. At the top of the solid airline is a valve to adjust the air.

Yepp, always split in multiple smaller batches and always keep a backup for a few days. Preferably in the fridge.

Just to show how lazy you can get with Nannochlorpsis: The batch I started is still running, no water added, no fertilizer, culture still pure and dense. I'm currently trying to get a Tetra culture running from a crashed starter I received. It will take a while but I might get there... We will see. If it worked I will post here and explain what I did (it isn't too much different or complicated).

I might also soon show how you can use certain substances to stain phyto cultures to see if the cells are still alive or if you are basically dealing with dead particles. I will have to see if I can find the time.