Hey folks,
Long time reefer but don't post much here. I've been discussing creating a phyto dosing system with some professional aquarium folks, and have done a bit of research and I would like to get some feedback on a system design. Of course it all would need testing, but I thought I'd like to get some opinions along the way.
My water has almost zero nitrates, yet I recently got some brown algae, and it stayed for quite awhile. During that time, I started dosing both phyto and copepods for a new mated mandarin pair and to my great surprise, the algae left almost immediately. Then I saw this on YT and things made sense:
My good bacteria didn't have enough nutrients to out-compete the brown algae.
So, I've been dosing about 5-10 ml every day for a month now, and the tank looks stunning. All the corals have great color and polyp extension.
That got me thinking about creating my own simple dosing system. I've read all the threads I can find on continuous phyto reactor dosing, and then saw this: the guy who sells the most phyto on the planet (according to him) said phyto doesn't need to be alive to be beneficial to organisms. Huh?
OK then. Continuing the thinking, and so I came up with this idea:
This concept focuses on a 2-step process:
1. A counter top phyto station that can be used to create bottled phyto for refrigeration. The station can process 2 bottles at a time and there are 6 32oz bottles. Each bottle will take 4-6 days to “bake” so all 6 bottles can be filled in just over 3 weeks, and put in the fridge. Then the station can be put up until next bake.
2. A sump bracket works with one bottle at a time and uses a ~2-week drip cycle to dispense the bottled phyto into the sump (about 0.18 cups a day for a 200 gallon tank-- normal recommended is 5ml/10 gal every other day so that would be 0.07 cups ). The mounting fixture allows for the phyto to be randomly “shaken.”
The goal was to not have to funnel and post process the phyto, but keep it in it's original container. Minimizes contamination and also provides the dispensing system.
Of course #2 could be optional-- if the 2-week fresh phyto drip dose doesn't work. Definitely needs testing.
So, because I have a 3D printer, I thought the below renders could be a good way to go. The total cost of just the supplies (not including the print) is under $30 for the counter top station.
So, I'm looking for *constructive* feedback. I'll continue this build thread as I learn more about this (or other direction). Thanks.
Long time reefer but don't post much here. I've been discussing creating a phyto dosing system with some professional aquarium folks, and have done a bit of research and I would like to get some feedback on a system design. Of course it all would need testing, but I thought I'd like to get some opinions along the way.
My water has almost zero nitrates, yet I recently got some brown algae, and it stayed for quite awhile. During that time, I started dosing both phyto and copepods for a new mated mandarin pair and to my great surprise, the algae left almost immediately. Then I saw this on YT and things made sense:
My good bacteria didn't have enough nutrients to out-compete the brown algae.
So, I've been dosing about 5-10 ml every day for a month now, and the tank looks stunning. All the corals have great color and polyp extension.
That got me thinking about creating my own simple dosing system. I've read all the threads I can find on continuous phyto reactor dosing, and then saw this: the guy who sells the most phyto on the planet (according to him) said phyto doesn't need to be alive to be beneficial to organisms. Huh?
OK then. Continuing the thinking, and so I came up with this idea:
This concept focuses on a 2-step process:
1. A counter top phyto station that can be used to create bottled phyto for refrigeration. The station can process 2 bottles at a time and there are 6 32oz bottles. Each bottle will take 4-6 days to “bake” so all 6 bottles can be filled in just over 3 weeks, and put in the fridge. Then the station can be put up until next bake.
2. A sump bracket works with one bottle at a time and uses a ~2-week drip cycle to dispense the bottled phyto into the sump (about 0.18 cups a day for a 200 gallon tank-- normal recommended is 5ml/10 gal every other day so that would be 0.07 cups ). The mounting fixture allows for the phyto to be randomly “shaken.”
The goal was to not have to funnel and post process the phyto, but keep it in it's original container. Minimizes contamination and also provides the dispensing system.
Of course #2 could be optional-- if the 2-week fresh phyto drip dose doesn't work. Definitely needs testing.
So, because I have a 3D printer, I thought the below renders could be a good way to go. The total cost of just the supplies (not including the print) is under $30 for the counter top station.
So, I'm looking for *constructive* feedback. I'll continue this build thread as I learn more about this (or other direction). Thanks.