Help me get started cultivating phytoplankton

[lubeck]

Anyone have any good threads or articles to help me get started? I have a kit coming at the end of week. Not sure on the culture starter though?

Any advice or thoughts?

 

[Silver34]

 

[lubeck]

Does the fertilizer need to be refrigerated after opening? I have both the part an and b and then F2.

 

[ros3to]

I've never refrigerated it and haven't had no issues. Doesn't mean it doesn't have to be though just my experience.

 

[lubeck]

Started my first culture today using Mercer of Montana. Tetraselmis stran. One bottle was bad so I only started one.

 

[lubeck]

I've never refrigerated it and haven't had no issues. Doesn't mean it doesn't have to be though just my experience.

Thanks.

 

[lubeck]

My thought is I remove about 32 oz each week and leave the rest for the starter for a new batch.

That would mean I dose about 4oz per day on 260 gallons of water. Does that sound reasonable. Too much to start ?

 

[FernBluffReef]

Started my first culture today using Mercer of Montana. Tetraselmis stran. One bottle was bad so I only started one.

I have the same system. I don’t refrigerate the fertilizer. I find Tetra really easy. Put in fresh saltwater 250-350ml of Phyto and fertilizer and let it go. Tetra takes 7-10 days and is pretty forgiving.

I also did ISO. It seems to be faster growing. Culture for about seven days. Anything more and it burns out and crashes

 

[ros3to]

My thought is I remove about 32 oz each week and leave the rest for the starter for a new batch.

That would mean I dose about 4oz per day on 260 gallons of water. Does that sound reasonable. Too much to start ?

Keep parameters in check, especially phosphate if harvested too early it will bump em up.
When harvesting discard the very bottom as it contains chunks and dead phyto.

 

[lubeck]

I have the same system. I don’t refrigerate the fertilizer. I find Tetra really easy. Put in fresh saltwater 250-350ml of Phyto and fertilizer and let it go. Tetra takes 7-10 days and is pretty forgiving.

I also did ISO. It seems to be faster growing. Culture for about seven days. Anything more and it burns out and crashes

I bought a different culture and just added the whole bottle which was 16 oz and then topped off with saltwater. Added the 2ml of F2

 

[lubeck]

Keep parameters in check, especially phosphate if harvested too early it will bump em up.
When harvesting discard the very bottom as it contains chunks and dead phyto.

My phos has been high but stable. I dose 2 ml per week of lanthium and PO hovers around .25

 

[ros3to]

I bought a different culture and just added the whole bottle high was 16 oz and then topped off with saltwater. Added the 2ml of F2

I've always done 1/2 saltwater and 1/2 phyto 1ml of f2 for every liter of water

 

[lubeck]

Going to store the phyto in these and eventually dose an entire bottle per day. I like that it comes with a funnel

 

[lubeck]

Concerned my culture might of got too warm today. Seems like there is a lot of debris floating around and bubbles. Hoping the culture didn’t bail. Still a bright green with some darker green settling

 

[lubeck]

Coming up on 7 days tomorrow. It’s hard to tell if it’s gotten darker I know there is some die off but know it hasn’t crashed. It does look thicker though. I will let it go another two days and then bottle it up and use about 30 oz to make a new batch. I will take pics tomorrow

 

[lubeck]

First batch of phyto done. My dosing will be 2ml per gal which is 16 oz per day. Interested to see the impact.