How to automate a phytoplankton culture

[bumpyj38]

Connected it all to the dosing unit, 2 lines, salt in and phytoplankton out.

how it looks over the tank, i’ll be honest it does looks odd and interesting at the same time.

Started at 1ml per hour and just upped the dose to 2ml per hour meaning 48ml per 24h.

I’m letting the tank get slowly used to the new constant availability of phytoplankton and as a result the new increase in CNP.
Bacteria and zooplankton should be the primary beneficiaries from this photo reactor.

my last culturing run for 2.5 years straight will be interesting to see this one going and observe the changes.

@sixty_reefer Any way you could give a basic tutorial on how this device works. I see two lines at the bottom. Does it add air at the bottom and the other is adding saltwater allowing it to overflow out of the top? I couldn’t find much online but I am Interested.

 

[sixty_reefer]

@sixty_reefer Any way you could give a basic tutorial on how this device works. I see two lines at the bottom. Does it add air at the bottom and the other is adding saltwater allowing it to overflow out of the top? I couldn’t find much online but I am Interested.

Hi, certainly I will write a more detailed thread later on, the one I’m using now is not the same as the diagram as it’s on a AIO system now, the one in the diagram was designed for a sump refugium meaning I had to make some alterations to get it to work for my current situation.

 

[sixty_reefer]

@bumpyj38 to automate the phytoplankton culture you will need a minimum of 1 dosing unit head.

the following pictures will be using 2 heads although it can be just one in use if you allow for the phytoplankton to be gravity fed into a sump or a display, because my current system is in the display I prefer to use the dosing pump to avoid splashing on the wall and it looks a bit neater.

material list to build exactly what I got:

air pump
Dosing unit
Air line
Rigid air line
Fauna marine DIY reactor with a 800ml smooth surface bottle
Reservoir for salt mix
Natural sea salt
Fertiliser
Phytoplankton starter culture
K1 micro media or similar


assembly:

step 1:

connect air line to the bottom of the reactor and use the provided check valve, this reactor got two air intakes one should be capped of with the supplied stopper and a additional check valve just to be safe.

Step 2:

Install the vessel as per manufacture instructions and remove the bottom of the bottle in a similar way to create a open top.

Step 3:

Add the lines from the tank to dosing unit and dosing unit to the phytoplankton culture, using heat try and create a hook kind of shape with the rigid air line.

the vessel lines should look like this

step 4:

Add a light source if mounted in the sump with a refugium addition light is not required. The refugium light is normally sufficient.

step 5:

Add 500ml of a live phytoplankton culture of your choice and top up with a salt mix at 1.019 and fertiliser

Step 6:

connect line to salt water top up reservoir, I find that mixing it at 1.015 keeps a good balance to accommodate for evaporation in the culture, wile using the system further adjusting to the salinity of the top up salt mix may be required.

step 7:

add a few beads of k1 or k1 micro
This keeps the interior walls of the vessel clean and will allow better light penetration and reducing maintenance.

once all installed allow for 7 days for the culturing to strengthen and start setting your dosing unit.

it’s important that the same amount of phytoplankton out and top up saltwater in matches, if not the vessel will overflow.
As a safe feature one could add a third line connected at the level of the phytoplankton culture in the vessel for a event of a malfunction and the top up saltwater mix is emptied in the vessel.

I normally start at 1ml per hour or 24ml per 24 hours and allow the tank to adjust and slowly increase the hourly dose until I achieve my desired amount.

The dosing amount has to be adjusted on the phytoplankton out and saltwater top up in always to avoid overflowing the reactor.

fertiliser:

I do 1ml manually once every 7 days, this could also be automated.

I started using the fertiliser below as I believe it contain ingredients that could be useful to a reef tank in the situation that the fertiliser is not fully depleted by the culture, this will happen with most types of live phytoplankton cultures automated or manually. The end user should always consider this and choose a fertiliser they would be happy to dose directly to a system.

saltwater top up water:

in general I’ve always had more successful cultures wend using natural sea salt it mixes at a lower dkh and ph, not absolutely sure on the advantage although my last culture went 2.5 years without maintenance or crashing.

this is the salt I’m using now

once all is set up it should look something like this, I’m normally not fond of having gear on display although I don’t have a alternative in this build, hopefully this information is helpful.

 

[Tathamet]

I still really need to try this at some point lol. I bought most of the stuff to make and try this out. around the time you posted this thread. Only thing I couldn’t seem to find at the time was k1 or k1 micro media without buying it in bulk.

After not using it I do feel the k1 type media is key to keeping things in suspension and from collecting on the sides and bottom of the glass. I went with the traditional jar and rigid airline method and it was a pain to maintain and keep alive. A lot of phyto would always settle no matter how much air I put through that thing.

The k1 or something similar seems like it would be a great addition to any phyto culture system/method.

I’ve been contemplating upgrading my tank. Not necessarily in size but different dimensions and a new stand with a sump below so I can hide stuff away. I definitely want to try to plan one of these in if I go that route.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I still really need to try this at some point lol. I bought most of the stuff to make and try this out. around the time you posted this thread. Only thing I couldn’t seem to find at the time was k1 or k1 micro media without buying it in bulk.

After not using it I do feel the k1 type media is key to keeping things in suspension and from collecting on the sides and bottom of the glass. I went with the traditional jar and rigid airline method and it was a pain to maintain and keep alive. A lot of phyto would always settle no matter how much air I put through that thing.

The k1 or something similar seems like it would be a great addition to any phyto culture system/method.

I’ve been contemplating upgrading my tank. Not necessarily in size but different dimensions and a new stand with a sump below so I can hide stuff away. I definitely want to try to plan one of these in if I go that route.

the cone shape of a inverted bottle and the media seem to have worked for me to keep everything in suspense until dosed.
All the best good luck with the upgrade I really miss a sump for those reasons also.

If you ever decide to do it remember that the protein skimmer will have to still be on at all times after all the continuous addition of phytoplankton will add organic carbon to a system and work in a way like other carbon dosing methods eventually lowering the overhaul nutrients in the tank. If bacteria is not actively exported the phosphates level may rise to high unless reduced via Phosphates binding medias.

Other things to keep in mind would be the addition of vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids And minerals through the demineralisation process as phytoplankton decompose and mass lost through tropic levels.
At the end of the day this ideology is aimed at artificially add the lowest trophic level in aquaria, one that without the aquarist intervention would be impossible to occur naturally, the addition of this level could anecdotally be key at achieving a good range of diversity at the microbiology level and zooplankton level.

 

[Chrisv.]

@bumpyj38 to automate the phytoplankton culture you will need a minimum of 1 dosing unit head.

the following pictures will be using 2 heads although it can be just one in use if you allow for the phytoplankton to be gravity fed into a sump or a display, because my current system is in the display I prefer to use the dosing pump to avoid splashing on the wall and it looks a bit neater.

material list to build exactly what I got:

air pump
Dosing unit
Air line
Rigid air line
Fauna marine DIY reactor with a 800ml smooth surface bottle
Reservoir for salt mix
Natural sea salt
Fertiliser
Phytoplankton starter culture
K1 micro media or similar


assembly:

step 1:

connect air line to the bottom of the reactor and use the provided check valve, this reactor got two air intakes one should be capped of with the supplied stopper and a additional check valve just to be safe.

Step 2:

Install the vessel as per manufacture instructions and remove the bottom of the bottle in a similar way to create a open top.

Step 3:

Add the lines from the tank to dosing unit and dosing unit to the phytoplankton culture, using heat try and create a hook kind of shape with the rigid air line.

the vessel lines should look like this

step 4:

Add a light source if mounted in the sump with a refugium addition light is not required. The refugium light is normally sufficient.

step 5:

Add 500ml of a live phytoplankton culture of your choice and top up with a salt mix at 1.019 and fertiliser

Step 6:

connect line to salt water top up reservoir, I find that mixing it at 1.015 keeps a good balance to accommodate for evaporation in the culture, wile using the system further adjusting to the salinity of the top up salt mix may be required.

step 7:

add a few beads of k1 or k1 micro
This keeps the interior walls of the vessel clean and will allow better light penetration and reducing maintenance.

once all installed allow for 7 days for the culturing to strengthen and start setting your dosing unit.

it’s important that the same amount of phytoplankton out and top up saltwater in matches, if not the vessel will overflow.
As a safe feature one could add a third line connected at the level of the phytoplankton culture in the vessel for a event of a malfunction and the top up saltwater mix is emptied in the vessel.

I normally start at 1ml per hour or 24ml per 24 hours and allow the tank to adjust and slowly increase the hourly dose until I achieve my desired amount.

The dosing amount has to be adjusted on the phytoplankton out and saltwater top up in always to avoid overflowing the reactor.

fertiliser:

I do 1ml manually once every 7 days, this could also be automated.

I started using the fertiliser below as I believe it contain ingredients that could be useful to a reef tank in the situation that the fertiliser is not fully depleted by the culture, this will happen with most types of live phytoplankton cultures automated or manually. The end user should always consider this and choose a fertiliser they would be happy to dose directly to a system.

saltwater top up water:

in general I’ve always had more successful cultures wend using natural sea salt it mixes at a lower dkh and ph, not absolutely sure on the advantage although my last culture went 2.5 years without maintenance or crashing.

this is the salt I’m using now

once all is set up it should look something like this, I’m normally not fond of having gear on display although I don’t have a alternative in this build, hopefully this information is helpful.

Awesome. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Tathamet]

the cone shape of a inverted bottle and the media seem to have worked for me to keep everything in suspense until dosed.
All the best good luck with the upgrade I really miss a sump for those reasons also.

If you ever decide to do it remember that the protein skimmer will have to still be on at all times after all the continuous addition of phytoplankton will add organic carbon to a system and work in a way like other carbon dosing methods eventually lowering the overhaul nutrients in the tank. If bacteria is not actively exported the phosphates level may rise to high unless reduced via Phosphates binding medias.

Other things to keep in mind would be the addition of vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids And minerals through the demineralisation process as phytoplankton decompose and mass lost through tropic levels.
At the end of the day this ideology is aimed at artificially add the lowest trophic level in aquaria, one that without the aquarist intervention would be impossible to occur naturally, the addition of this level could anecdotally be key at achieving a good range of diversity at the microbiology level and zooplankton level.

Awesome thanks! Yeah that was actually the reason I stopped using phyto. I didn’t have a skimmer at the time and my phosphates went through the roof. My nitrates were manageable with water changes but I couldn’t control my phosphates. Using gfo would just cause massive swings on me and i could never seem to balance it out. I kinda miss that explosion of life that the phyto gave the tank though.

I do have some old phyto in the fridge that I grew that’s probably over a year old. Doesn’t have any foul smell to it. It still smells fresh to me for some reason lol. Think it’s still usable? Maybe I can start introducing it back again now that I have a small hob skimmer.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Awesome thanks! Yeah that was actually the reason I stopped using phyto. I didn’t have a skimmer at the time and my phosphates went through the roof. My nitrates were manageable with water changes but I couldn’t control my phosphates. Using gfo would just cause massive swings on me and i could never seem to balance it out. I kinda miss that explosion of life that the phyto gave the tank though.

There is more issues regarding phosphates and phytoplankton, the main issue is the NPK ratio of the fertiliser, just as important as the CNP ratio being a limiting factor for heterotrophic bacteria the NPK ratio is the main limiting factor for phytoplankton and macro algae culturing, silica will also be a limiting factor to some species of phytoplankton although is not important for the species we grow in the hobby.

what I’ve come to conclude is that the NPK ratio in most common phytoplankton fertilisers is to high and the P content is way off the scale meaning that after the usual 7 days culturing the brine water from the culture will still be saturated in phosphates and phosphorus

here is a example

the NPK ratio in miracle gro Vs the NPK ratio in TNC

The NPK ratio in miracle gro is 7:3:5
The NPK ratio in TNC is 1.5:0.5:6

as you can see the P content in TNC is much lower compared to miracle gro making less residual P in the brine water added to the system with the phytoplankton.

now if we were to mention the NPK ratio in f2 the story would be different for a start it’s not mentioned any were what’s the content making the end user blind, second most guillard based formulas have a 1:1 N P ratio making this kind of fertilisers some of the highest in phosphates and phosphorus.
As a consequence this excess P will be added to a reef system and will cause the residual concentration of nutrients to go up, this is one of the reasons that not all phytoplankton users notice a decrease in nutrients, the reason being that their cultures brine water will be to high in Nitrates and phosphates not allowing for the decline in nutrients to be observed.

NPK meaning: nitrogen phosphorus potassium

i believe that @Eagle_Steve @WheatToast @Tired

should be able to add some more on the NPK ratio need for algaes and micro algaes

I do have some old phyto in the fridge that I grew that’s probably over a year old. Doesn’t have any foul smell to it. It still smells fresh to me for some reason lol. Think it’s still usable? Maybe I can start introducing it back again now that I have a small hob skimmer.

personally I would use it.

 

[Tathamet]

There is more issues regarding phosphates and phytoplankton, the main issue is the NPK ratio of the fertiliser, just as important as the CNP ratio being a limiting factor for heterotrophic bacteria the NPK ratio is the main limiting factor for phytoplankton and macro algae culturing, silica will also be a limiting factor to some species of phytoplankton although is not important for the species we grow in the hobby.

what I’ve come to conclude is that the NPK ratio in most common phytoplankton fertilisers is to high and the P content is way off the scale meaning that after the usual 7 days culturing the brine water from the culture will still be saturated in phosphates and phosphorus

here is a example

the NPK ratio in miracle gro Vs the NPK ratio in TNC

The NPK ratio in miracle gro is 7:3:5
The NPK ratio in TNC is 1.5:0.5:6

as you can see the P content in TNC is much lower compared to miracle gro making less residual P in the brine water added to the system with the phytoplankton.

now if we were to mention the NPK ratio in f2 the story would be different for a start it’s not mentioned any were what’s the content making the end user blind, second most guillard based formulas have a 1:1 N P ratio making this kind of fertilisers some of the highest in phosphates and phosphorus.
As a consequence this excess P will be added to a reef system and will cause the residual concentration of nutrients to go up, this is one of the reasons that not all phytoplankton users notice a decrease in nutrients, the reason being that their cultures brine water will be to high in Nitrates and phosphates not allowing for the decline in nutrients to be observed.

NPK meaning: nitrogen phosphorus potassium



personally I would use it.

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn’t really thought about the leftovers lol. I had mainly been using f/2 at the time too so it definitely could have been a contributing factor. I used to always make my own fertilizers for my planted tanks so I have most ingredients already on hand. Maybe I should try and make something specific for this at some point.

personally I would use it.

Sweet thanks! I’ll give it a try

 

[sixty_reefer]

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn’t really thought about the leftovers lol. I had mainly been using f/2 at the time too so it definitely could have been a contributing factor. I used to always make my own fertilizers for my planted tanks so I have most ingredients already on hand. Maybe I should try and make something specific for this at some point.



Sweet thanks! I’ll give it a try

If you ever do it, do tag me, would be interesting to se how it performs, especially if you were to be able to determine the demand for NPK of your culture

 

[Tathamet]

If you ever do it, do tag me, would be interesting to se how it performs, especially if you were to be able to determine the demand for NPK of your culture

i probably won’t be doing it anytime soon but I will keep you posted for sure if I do.

don’t think it should be too hard to figure out the demand. I’ll just need to get a sieve that can filter out the phyto so I can test what remains.

 

[sixty_reefer]

9 days since the automated culture started, is now showing a rich green colour can barely see the light behind the photoreactor.

despite the continuous addition of phytoplankton to the aquarium the culture seems to be maturing well. I’ve increased dosage from 3ml per hour or 72ml per day to 4ml per hour or 96ml per day on my 26 gallon tank.
this will translate to a weekly dosage of 672ml per week, will test parameters later on and see how this will affect the overall system in the weeks to come.

 

[bumpyj38]

@bumpyj38 to automate the phytoplankton culture you will need a minimum of 1 dosing unit head.

the following pictures will be using 2 heads although it can be just one in use if you allow for the phytoplankton to be gravity fed into a sump or a display, because my current system is in the display I prefer to use the dosing pump to avoid splashing on the wall and it looks a bit neater.

material list to build exactly what I got:

air pump
Dosing unit
Air line
Rigid air line
Fauna marine DIY reactor with a 800ml smooth surface bottle
Reservoir for salt mix
Natural sea salt
Fertiliser
Phytoplankton starter culture
K1 micro media or similar


assembly:

step 1:

connect air line to the bottom of the reactor and use the provided check valve, this reactor got two air intakes one should be capped of with the supplied stopper and a additional check valve just to be safe.

Step 2:

Install the vessel as per manufacture instructions and remove the bottom of the bottle in a similar way to create a open top.

Step 3:

Add the lines from the tank to dosing unit and dosing unit to the phytoplankton culture, using heat try and create a hook kind of shape with the rigid air line.

the vessel lines should look like this

step 4:

Add a light source if mounted in the sump with a refugium addition light is not required. The refugium light is normally sufficient.

step 5:

Add 500ml of a live phytoplankton culture of your choice and top up with a salt mix at 1.019 and fertiliser

Step 6:

connect line to salt water top up reservoir, I find that mixing it at 1.015 keeps a good balance to accommodate for evaporation in the culture, wile using the system further adjusting to the salinity of the top up salt mix may be required.

step 7:

add a few beads of k1 or k1 micro
This keeps the interior walls of the vessel clean and will allow better light penetration and reducing maintenance.

once all installed allow for 7 days for the culturing to strengthen and start setting your dosing unit.

it’s important that the same amount of phytoplankton out and top up saltwater in matches, if not the vessel will overflow.
As a safe feature one could add a third line connected at the level of the phytoplankton culture in the vessel for a event of a malfunction and the top up saltwater mix is emptied in the vessel.

I normally start at 1ml per hour or 24ml per 24 hours and allow the tank to adjust and slowly increase the hourly dose until I achieve my desired amount.

The dosing amount has to be adjusted on the phytoplankton out and saltwater top up in always to avoid overflowing the reactor.

fertiliser:

I do 1ml manually once every 7 days, this could also be automated.

I started using the fertiliser below as I believe it contain ingredients that could be useful to a reef tank in the situation that the fertiliser is not fully depleted by the culture, this will happen with most types of live phytoplankton cultures automated or manually. The end user should always consider this and choose a fertiliser they would be happy to dose directly to a system.

saltwater top up water:

in general I’ve always had more successful cultures wend using natural sea salt it mixes at a lower dkh and ph, not absolutely sure on the advantage although my last culture went 2.5 years without maintenance or crashing.

this is the salt I’m using now

once all is set up it should look something like this, I’m normally not fond of having gear on display although I don’t have a alternative in this build, hopefully this information is helpful.

Wow thanks for the detailed tutorial! I just have one question. You mentioned only one dosing pump is required which is being used to add salt water to the culture. If this is the case and it’s not overflowing into the tank, what is causing the phytoplankton to rise up into your dosing line and enter the tank? It can’t be a siphon right? Otherwise it would drain your bottle down. Or is is a siphon with a valve on it or something? I must’ve missed it in your post.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Wow thanks for the detailed tutorial! I just have one question. You mentioned only one dosing pump is required which is being used to add salt water to the culture. If this is the case and it’s not overflowing into the tank, what is causing the phytoplankton to rise up into your dosing line and enter the tank? It can’t be a siphon right? Otherwise it would drain your bottle down. Or is is a siphon with a valve on it or something? I must’ve missed it in your post.

The one I just described utilises 2 dosing heads one for salt top up and one to dose the tank with phytoplankton.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I’ve made a new diagram to illustrate better a partial automated culture and a fully automated culture

I’ve also made a new thread for the purpose to observe the changes and coral behaviour in a system that has a constant supply of phytoplankton, will be adjusting Nutrient on the tank and culturing as required on that thread.

Utilising the CNP in phytoplankton to carbon dose my system.

This thread is aimed at recording my personal system Carbon dosing method utilising live phytoplankton as a source of CNP. To accomplish my goals I will be implementing the automated continuous phytoplankton generator that I have developed in the past, this photoreactor allows me to add...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[((FORDTECH))]

There is more issues regarding phosphates and phytoplankton, the main issue is the NPK ratio of the fertiliser, just as important as the CNP ratio being a limiting factor for heterotrophic bacteria the NPK ratio is the main limiting factor for phytoplankton and macro algae culturing, silica will also be a limiting factor to some species of phytoplankton although is not important for the species we grow in the hobby.

what I’ve come to conclude is that the NPK ratio in most common phytoplankton fertilisers is to high and the P content is way off the scale meaning that after the usual 7 days culturing the brine water from the culture will still be saturated in phosphates and phosphorus

here is a example

the NPK ratio in miracle gro Vs the NPK ratio in TNC

The NPK ratio in miracle gro is 7:3:5
The NPK ratio in TNC is 1.5:0.5:6

as you can see the P content in TNC is much lower compared to miracle gro making less residual P in the brine water added to the system with the phytoplankton.

now if we were to mention the NPK ratio in f2 the story would be different for a start it’s not mentioned any were what’s the content making the end user blind, second most guillard based formulas have a 1:1 N P ratio making this kind of fertilisers some of the highest in phosphates and phosphorus.
As a consequence this excess P will be added to a reef system and will cause the residual concentration of nutrients to go up, this is one of the reasons that not all phytoplankton users notice a decrease in nutrients, the reason being that their cultures brine water will be to high in Nitrates and phosphates not allowing for the decline in nutrients to be observed.

NPK meaning: nitrogen phosphorus potassium

i believe that @Eagle_Steve @WheatToast @Tired

should be able to add some more on the NPK ratio need for algaes and micro algaes


personally I would use it.

Looks like you can only get the tnc complete in the uk. Is there anything you can recommend that’s available in the US?

 

[sixty_reefer]

I easn

Looks like you can only get the tnc complete in the uk. Is there anything you can recommend that’s available in the US?

I wasn’t ware of that will look tonight for a brand that has similar spec that will be available worldwide

 

[sixty_reefer]

Looks like you can only get the tnc complete in the uk. Is there anything you can recommend that’s available in the US?

I can’t find any similar product to TNC

I found this one that has good reviews although it doesn’t have the ratios to NPK although I would expect to be similar to TNC as they made for planted aquariums.

2Hr Aquarist APT 3

The choice of award-winning aquascapers. Use this all-in-one fertilizer to tackle the most demanding plants, or just enjoy everyday magic in the simplest tank. The easiest way to unlock the true potential of your planted tank today.

www.2hraquarist.com

I also found this one from brightwell that is missing Nitrogen and Phosphorus maybe someone could add it separately to Taylor the needs, brightwell does have nitrogen and phosphorus separately that could be really good in making a NPK ratio suitable for each phytoplankton species.

product would be:

brightwell Florinmulti
Brightwell Phosphorus
Brightwell nitrogen



I haven’t used either of the product although the first one seems a possibility may require testing to see if it will work. The second one would be interesting as N and P could be adjusted as needed.

it seems that there isn’t many all in one formula available products.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Brightwell florinmulti with neonitro and neophos sounds plausible also, I’m thinking of experimenting with this as most times it seems that the culture would benefit from extra Nitrogen, potassium and trace elements.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I can’t find any similar product to TNC

I found this one that has good reviews although it doesn’t have the ratios to NPK although I would expect to be similar to TNC as they made for planted aquariums.

2Hr Aquarist APT 3

The choice of award-winning aquascapers. Use this all-in-one fertilizer to tackle the most demanding plants, or just enjoy everyday magic in the simplest tank. The easiest way to unlock the true potential of your planted tank today.

www.2hraquarist.com

I also found this one from brightwell that is missing Nitrogen and Phosphorus maybe someone could add it separately to Taylor the needs, brightwell does have nitrogen and phosphorus separately that could be really good in making a NPK ratio suitable for each phytoplankton species.

product would be:

brightwell Florinmulti
Brightwell Phosphorus
Brightwell nitrogen



I haven’t used either of the product although the first one seems a possibility may require testing to see if it will work. The second one would be interesting as N and P could be adjusted as needed.

it seems that there isn’t many all in one formula available products.

The reason I would have liked to purchase the tnc product that you use is because you have already experimented with it and you already suggested the proper amount to use for success. With the 2hr product I do not know how much to use. Could I treat it the same as tnc and use the same ? Is this the ratios that you was looking for to conpare to tnc?