Dosing phyto and pods

[kdtorgy]

I’m new to reefing and have a 140 gallon tank with mostly softies and a few LPS that is just over 2 years. I want to start dosing live phyto and pods. I have a chaeto fuge which was started about a month ago and is doing well. I have a few questions:

1. What is a good live phyto source? I tried Tommy’s phyto from BRS for about a month. Dosed 40 mL a day. Didn’t see much effect. Is there a better source? Phytoprme from RU Salty has good reviews but a bit pricey. Any experience with this product? They recommend dosing 0.5 cups/50 gallons 1x a week and shutting down skimmer for 24 hours post dose. Is it better to dose smaller amounts more frequently or larger doses less frequently?

2. I also want to dose pods for general food source and nutrient control. There are a lot of sources. Any recommendations? I got a jar and added it about a week after I started the fuge and phyto dosing but can’t see any so I’m assuming they died and/or were eaten. One vendor recommended 3 gallons a month for my system. That seems like a lot considering they should be able to safely breed in my fuge. Wondering if they are just trying to sell a lot of product.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wculver]

I’m new to reefing and have a 140 gallon tank with mostly softies and a few LPS that is just over 2 years. I want to start dosing live phyto and pods. I have a chaeto fuge which was started about a month ago and is doing well. I have a few questions:

1. What is a good live phyto source? I tried Tommy’s phyto from BRS for about a month. Dosed 40 mL a day. Didn’t see much effect. Is there a better source? Phytoprme from RU Salty has good reviews but a bit pricey. Any experience with this product? They recommend dosing 0.5 cups/50 gallons 1x a week and shutting down skimmer for 24 hours post dose. Is it better to dose smaller amounts more frequently or larger doses less frequently?

2. I also want to dose pods for general food source and nutrient control. There are a lot of sources. Any recommendations? I got a jar and added it about a week after I started the fuge and phyto dosing but can’t see any so I’m assuming they died and/or were eaten. One vendor recommended 3 gallons a month for my system. That seems like a lot considering they should be able to safely breed in my fuge. Wondering if they are just trying to sell a lot of product.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I suppose my first question is what exactly are you feeding in the tank? A clam or something? Clams really do like the phyto and if it's a small one they actually likely need it depending on the size. Mine actually needed to be fed periodically till about 4 inches. The phyto source though I really don't think makes any difference, all of them are small enough to be consumed by anything in the tank, coral, clams, etc.

As far as the pods though I see no reason to "dose" them at all. If the tnak is healthy, has ample live rock, you'll end up with a zillion pods that freely reproduce. Save your cash for something more important down the road.

Lastly, there are other options for coral/clam feeding that also work and are far more cost efficient. Personally I like Reef Chilli that BRS sells. It doesn't raise the phosphate and once the coral figure it out there is a great feeding response. Usually I put in a little when I feed the fish so they sense the feeding is coming. After a few minutes the polyps come out and can feed rest. You can also spot feed but I just broadcast feed because with the coral I have I don't see any difference with the extra effort.

 

[kdtorgy]

I suppose my first question is what exactly are you feeding in the tank? A clam or something? Clams really do like the phyto and if it's a small one they actually likely need it depending on the size. Mine actually needed to be fed periodically till about 4 inches. The phyto source though I really don't think makes any difference, all of them are small enough to be consumed by anything in the tank, coral, clams, etc.

As far as the pods though I see no reason to "dose" them at all. If the tnak is healthy, has ample live rock, you'll end up with a zillion pods that freely reproduce. Save your cash for something more important down the road.

Lastly, there are other options for coral/clam feeding that also work and are far more cost efficient. Personally I like Reef Chilli that BRS sells. It doesn't raise the phosphate and once the coral figure it out there is a great feeding response. Usually I put in a little when I feed the fish so they sense the feeding is coming. After a few minutes the polyps come out and can feed rest. You can also spot feed but I just broadcast feed because with the coral I have I don't see any difference with the extra effort.

Good question. at this point I don’t have a fish that requires pods but might want a mandrin in the future. I’m mostly interested in phyto and pods to act as part of the cleanup crew and provide a natural food source for the fish and corals. I think that after seeding the tank I shouldn’t need to add pods too frequently as the Phyto will provide a good food source and the fuge a source of protection for breeding.

 

[catiebartholomew]

I’m new to reefing and have a 140 gallon tank with mostly softies and a few LPS that is just over 2 years. I want to start dosing live phyto and pods. I have a chaeto fuge which was started about a month ago and is doing well. I have a few questions:

1. What is a good live phyto source? I tried Tommy’s phyto from BRS for about a month. Dosed 40 mL a day. Didn’t see much effect. Is there a better source? Phytoprme from RU Salty has good reviews but a bit pricey. Any experience with this product? They recommend dosing 0.5 cups/50 gallons 1x a week and shutting down skimmer for 24 hours post dose. Is it better to dose smaller amounts more frequently or larger doses less frequently?

2. I also want to dose pods for general food source and nutrient control. There are a lot of sources. Any recommendations? I got a jar and added it about a week after I started the fuge and phyto dosing but can’t see any so I’m assuming they died and/or were eaten. One vendor recommended 3 gallons a month for my system. That seems like a lot considering they should be able to safely breed in my fuge. Wondering if they are just trying to sell a lot of product.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

i culture phyto and pods. got my phyto culture starter from mercer montana and apocalypse pods from algae barn make sure to use freshly made saltwater, not existing tank water when you start your cultures ) i use drink dispensers under a florescent light with airline tubing in em. take the tubing out to feed with hydroalgal fertilizer. i add fresh saltwater to the culture every time i harvest, i’ve found greater success with lower salinity levels ~1.019.

 

[Dipper Pines]

1. What is a good live phyto source?

I know that you asked about live source, but I used live and not live and found that is nothing better then easybooster

Easy reefs - microalgae specialities for your aquarium or cultures. A Fitoplancton Marino SL website - Easybooster

Easy reefs micro algae specialities from the symbiosis between Fitoplancton Marino SL and Veta la Palma. Microalgae natural products with high technology. Self-production, highly technical compounds, providing balanced nutrition for omnivorous fish and marine invertebrates.”> <meta name=

www.easyreefs.com