Nanno phyto doesn't work for my Tisbe pods. Should I ditch my Nanno culture?

[Levinson]

I've managed to culture Nannochloropsis oculata phytoplankton (Nanno).
The reason I wanted to culture phyto was to culture Tisbe copepods and possibly Parvocalanus and Acartia Tonsa copepods in the future, or maybe to gut load BBS (Note: got no plans to culture Tigriopus copepods).
The thing is though, I've found out that Nanno is not a good feed for many different copepods (seems to work for Tigriopus copepods although I'm not 100% certain) and Isochrysis and Tetraselmis are much better for copepod culture. I also tried feeding the Nanno to 2 of my Tisbe culture but it just isn't working. They are not multiplying at all. Should have done more research before buying the Nanno.
I've ordered Isochrysis to start culturing those and I plan on getting some Tetra soon enough.
I read Nanno could contaminate the Iso and Tetra cultures easily so it's actually a risk keeping them.

So at this point, I'm thinking maybe I don't want to keep my Nanno culture anymore.
The question is, is there still a reason why I should keep my Nanno culture now?
Like, could there be any uses of it for me that I'm not yet aware of? For example, if it can be used to feed Acartia Tonsa copepod culture (not sure if it could be) etc (not growing any corals btw).
It's easy to dump the Nanno culture down the drain but I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything before doing that.
What is Nannochloropsis really good for anyway? Culturing rotifers and feeding filter feeders?

 

[Subsea]

For feeding phytoplankton, AlgaeBarn sells three phytoplankton species combined. Each species is a different diameter that feeds different filter feeders.

At various stages of development, some pod species evolve from phytoplankton to detrivores.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

why is nanno not good for tisbe? I've been culturing tisbe and apocyclops with nanno for years, its no problem. Have never heard before that nanno is a not a good phyto....

I have also tried tetraselmus, I see no difference, it doesn't make pods reproduce faster, it works just as well as nanno.

I believe the majority of people are using nanno for their cultures, its the easiest to find.

 

[Levinson]

why is nanno not good for tisbe? I've been culturing tisbe and apocyclops with nanno for years, its no problem. Have never heard before that nanno is a not a good phyto....

I have also tried tetraselmus, I see no difference, it doesn't make pods reproduce faster, it works just as well as nanno.

I believe the majority of people are using nanno for their cultures, its the easiest to find.

Hmm.. maybe something else is not right with my pod cultures or I've got a different kind of copepods. It's good to hear a first-hand experience of a successful Tisbe culture with Nanno. It was hard to find info about people feeding Nanno to Tisbe culture and how it turned out for them. Did you feed anything else to your Tisbe culture?
As for Nanno not being an ideal feed for tisbe copepods, I've read it from multiple sources including from some threads here but one place I remember hearing from is here (from around 38:45 onwards).

 

[Boehmtown]

Tisbe should eat it. I cultured them for months on fish food

 

[bradreef]

I use tetra and it works well. I dont think it would hurt to try a 2nd type of phyto at this point.

 

[GarrettT]

I believe the majority of people are using nanno for their cultures, its the easiest to find.

and culture.

 

[Hawgpharm]

Here's what you want. Interesting presentation from researcher Todd Gardner. Pertinent information that Rob and Anthony discuss can be found at 41:45.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Sounds like it's a culture issue and not a food issue. Nanno should be perfectly fine for tisbe . Isochrysis, Thalassiosira, Porphyridium etc etc are for increasing the nutritional value of the copepods. In my opinion if you can't get them going on Nannochloropsis then switching phytos would be relatively pointless

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Here's what you want. Interesting presentation from researcher Todd Gardner. Pertinent information that Rob and Anthony discuss can be found at 41:45.

Great video.

I think the value of nanno is very little when it comes to raising copepods. They are by far the easiest and what most people start out with. As shown in the video, the combination of Tetra and Iso seems to be the go-to when it comes to faster/heathier growth. I have started to move away from nanno all together when it comes to feeding pods.

 

[Levinson]

@Jay'sReefBugs @lynn.reef.nerd @Hawgpharm
Thank you for all your input.

 

[just1seed]

I've managed to culture Nannochloropsis oculata phytoplankton (Nanno).
The reason I wanted to culture phyto was to culture Tisbe copepods and possibly Parvocalanus and Acartia Tonsa copepods in the future, or maybe to gut load BBS (Note: got no plans to culture Tigriopus copepods).
The thing is though, I've found out that Nanno is not a good feed for many different copepods (seems to work for Tigriopus copepods although I'm not 100% certain) and Isochrysis and Tetraselmis are much better for copepod culture. I also tried feeding the Nanno to 2 of my Tisbe culture but it just isn't working. They are not multiplying at all. Should have done more research before buying the Nanno.
I've ordered Isochrysis to start culturing those and I plan on getting some Tetra soon enough.
I read Nanno could contaminate the Iso and Tetra cultures easily so it's actually a risk keeping them.

So at this point, I'm thinking maybe I don't want to keep my Nanno culture anymore.
The question is, is there still a reason why I should keep my Nanno culture now?
Like, could there be any uses of it for me that I'm not yet aware of? For example, if it can be used to feed Acartia Tonsa copepod culture (not sure if it could be) etc (not growing any corals btw).
It's easy to dump the Nanno culture down the drain but I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything before doing that.
What is Nannochloropsis really good for anyway? Culturing rotifers and feeding filter feeders?

Try Phyto-Plus, that's what i use for my copepods, and i also have a brine shrimp tank going. Both tanks are really healthy, and they seem to love it. you can get it on etsy

 

[Hawgpharm]

Just my experience, but after three months I can say that tetra is just as easy to grow as nanno. When I start feeling really frisky, I'll try my hand at Iso.

 

[thrillreefer]

Just my experience, but after three months I can say that tetra is just as easy to grow as nanno. When I start feeling really frisky, I'll try my hand at Iso.

Totally with you. Tetra and Nanno can stand up to several weeks of neglect, and with a 10x dilution into fresh SW + f/2 fertilizer, they take right back off. Have been culturing both for a year without issue. Now trying my hand at raising Tigropus pods on Tetra, seem to be growing! T-Iso sounds a little more finicky but nutritious, so I may go there next

This bucket culture system has been flawless. Using Luer lock quick disconnects when I need to harvest. And a hanging grow light bulb gives enough shine on the pods below.