My DIY 1.5 Pint Phytoplankton grow jar.

[BruceW]

I ordered 1/2 watt LEDs from Ebay. I chose blue, red and white varieties. I believe the blue and red are approximately the frequencies needed for photosynthesis. I paid <$20 shipped for ten of each color.

Then I ordered a 3 volt power supply for $5 from Amazon. This particular power supply comes with a short adapter cable with a female connector.

I drilled 13/16th holes in the lid for each led and a fourth in the center for future addition of an air pump hose. Then I soldered some old speaker wire scraps between the LED leads and the adapter cable. Later I glued the LEDs into place. LEDs only flow current in one direction so please verify that they illuminate before soldering.

This setup draws 1.5 watts of power. The power supply is rated for 1 amp / 3 watts. So it could support a second jar with some additional wiring.

I used shrink tubing to cover the solder joints between speaker wires and the adapter. I will add beads of silicone caulk to cover the solder joints on the LEDs.

Total time to complete this jar was less than 10 minutes.

 

[zoacrazy42]

Sweet I'm follow to see how this pans out !

 

[Dapperjman]

Following this too, very cool.

 

[BruceW]

I have seen significant growth over the last day. The jar was sitting in a window for several days before I added the LEDs. They are making a difference.

 

[Pfisherman]

subbed...

 

[Ahruk]

This is a very cool idea.... Too many great/bad ideas for me to get up to on this site.... xD Thanks for sharing

 

[Windy]

You only need the red LEDS. the rest are a waste.

 

[BruceW]

You only need the red LEDS. the rest are a waste.

What wavelengths of light would you use? My research suggested that 450 nm (blue) and 650 mm (red) were the most used for photosynthesis.

When I split this jar think I will run two jars side by side in the window. One with the LEDs and one without to see how much difference the LEDs make.

 

[Windy]

Look at the Algae scrubber threads. They all use red LEDS as that is the wave length that is used by algae.

 

[Harold Green]

Nice idea but I think the setup is too small for most reefers. I use nearly the total volume of phyto daily as your jar holds. I have six 2-liter bottles set up in front of a standard t-8 florescent fixture and use half of one bottle every other day. Soon to increase as another dt comes on line in my den.

 

[Windy]

But, that lid would fit a much larger bottle.

 

[BruceW]

the setup is too small for most reefers

It is a good size for me but you could easily use 64 ounce (half gallon) mason jars. I picked 24 ounce jars because they were on the shelf and would produce more than a weeks supply for my tank.

 

[BruceW]

I am having success with this setup. The only negative is that I need to swirl the jar once a day to keep the phytoplankton in suspension. My next step may be to try to come up with some sort of stirring device.

The jar on the left is currently growing with the combination of the sunlight and the LED lights. I saw a rapid increase in growth when I added the LEDs which are on 24/7. The jar in front is the first harvest which I am keeping in the refrigerator and feeding to the tank. The jar on the right is my attempt to grow copepods in a bottle of phyto. I believe that both the phyto and the copepods are growing in the jar. The copepods have started to have the upper hand and are reducing the amount of phyto. My tank is responding well to every other day phyto feedings. I believe I am seeing additional growth beyond what I had feeding bacterioplankton alone.

 

[Harold Green]

An air line run to the bottom of each jar should keep the phyto in suspension. Pods aren't too bad but if you decide to culture Rodifers you'll need to keep them a distance away from your phyto cultures to prevent contamination.

 

[BruceW]

An air line run to the bottom of each jar should keep the phyto in suspension

Strangely I have tubes going to the bottom with large bubbles slowly coming out but I still get phyto on the bottom. Most of it is in suspension but I probably have a quarter inch on the bottom in a batch that is close to ready.

 

[Harold Green]

Not enough air flow. The water should almost be boiling as air is pumped rapidly into the mix. My two liter bottles only have the slightest bit of settling, actually just a film on the bottle. Depending on f/2 amount, lighting, and temperature you should reach maximum dark green in about two weeks starting with half a container or dark green phyto added to similar amount of water.

 

[Justin Nguyen]

Thanks for sharing.