Dosing Phytoplankton

[tbrown]

I'm guessing I know the answer to this but:

I'm considering starting a live phytoplankton culture. There's really no way to add this to an auto doser without potentially dying and fouling the batch?

My thoughts - make a small batch (1 or 2 weeks worth) and add a bubbler. If I were dosing 10 ml daily, add 5-10 ml of fresh saltwater to the dosing container daily to account for the Phyto repopulating.

Add new fertilizer once or twice a week to keep it fed and growing.

My theory, even with all of this it would foul in a day or two?

Has anyone ever tried anything similar? Is there a way to successfully do this long term?

I'd be happy if I could get this to work for even just two weeks and then drain and clean the container and add more, fresh Phyto.

 

[Peace River]

I like the idea and your desire to experiment. Flushing the doser may be an issue. Good luck!

 

[PeterC99]

Wait, wait, wait!

Are you manually dosing phytoplankton now?

 

[tbrown]

Wait, wait, wait!

Are you manually dosing phytoplankton now?

Yes, but not live. I have been adding the bottled dead stuff. My wife and I are getting ready to start growing our own live.

 

[tbrown]

I like the idea and your desire to experiment. Flushing the doser may be an issue. Good luck!

That was my main concern. I'd have to flush the line or it would all be dead I'm assuming. Dead or water, one of the two.

 

[Mr. Wiggles]

I think I’ve seen someone use a super mini fridge to hold the phyto. They drill a small hole in top and dose the live phyto through it. Maybe worth looking into?

 

[tbrown]

I think I’ve seen someone use a super mini fridge to hold the phyto. They drill a small hole in top and dose the live phyto through it. Maybe worth looking into?

I've seen/heard about that one. I'm trying to figure out auto dosing. My concern is that the phyto in the tubing dies and potentially spoils the rest of the culture? If I keep it fed and bubbling it would be a normal growing Phyto culture but the stuff in the tubing would have to be cleared out to keep it from dying and spoiling the rest of the batch I'm thinking. Keeping it cold would help it last longer without being fed.

 

[Dinkins Aquatic Gardens]

I’ve never used it but have read that this pump can be programmed to “feed out” everything that’s in the lines so that nothing rots.

Jecod DP-2 Programmable Auto Dosing Pump, 2 Channel​