Not sure if I should try phyto culture again

[Spare time]

Every time I have cultured phyto, I usually get a few weeks before it beings to look flakey which I assume is from contamination. I don't split the culture because it never becomes dense enough to need to split. Every thing that touches the (distilled) water (and salt) gets put in scorching water and/or rubbing alcohol for several minutes. I think that the possible contamination comes from red sea coral pro salt which may contain bacteria (https://reefs.com/magazine/bacteria...ing-and-granular-activated-carbon-filtration/). Has anyone else done a phyto culture with red sea salts? The only other thing that I do differently with this culture is have the light on 24 hours which I have heard of others doing without issue. I am just wondering if I should bother getting more fertilizer (I am out atm) or just get some dense pre-bottled phyto and stop trying to culture it.

 

[DrZoidburg]

Honestly It can be hard to keep clean. Prime example I am home alone resetting a culture. Someone walks in and opens the fridge right behind me. Sure enough that one crashed. Even when clean there can be crud on the bottom. Its best to try to remember to give it a heck of a stir before bed or whenever is best for you. Also I do use red sea blue bucket, and run for 24/7. Been at this strain for almost 9 months maybe I forget exactly. Had a couple crashes. Best to have a few going at once. The trick here is to get a good ceramic filter or bottle top filter. After filter it looks clear but the small new phyto is still in there. Doing that reduces the bacteria. Another thing that can crash them if salinity or heat goes to high. You have to top off with fresh water. What fertilizer are you using? If you cant get it to at least look greener in a week even a few days maybe its shy on iron.

 

[Spare time]

Honestly It can be hard to keep clean. Prime example I am home alone resetting a culture. Someone walks in and opens the fridge right behind me. Sure enough that one crashed. Even when clean there can be crud on the bottom. Its best to try to remember to give it a heck of a stir before bed or whenever is best for you. Also I do use red sea blue bucket, and run for 24/7. Been at this strain for almost 9 months maybe I forget exactly. Had a couple crashes. Best to have a few going at once. The trick here is to get a good ceramic filter or bottle top filter. After filter it looks clear but the small new phyto is still in there. Doing that reduces the bacteria. Another thing that can crash them if salinity or heat goes to high. You have to top off with fresh water. What fertilizer are you using? If you cant get it to at least look greener in a week even a few days maybe its shy on iron.

I've been using fritz f/2.

 

[ZoWhat]

I use Mercer of Montana products off Amazon. Tetraselmis and their fertilizer.

I can usually get at least a 4-6 month run out if one batch I keep splitting.

It's not difficult at all with their products

 

[Spare time]

Honestly It can be hard to keep clean. Prime example I am home alone resetting a culture. Someone walks in and opens the fridge right behind me. Sure enough that one crashed. Even when clean there can be crud on the bottom. Its best to try to remember to give it a heck of a stir before bed or whenever is best for you. Also I do use red sea blue bucket, and run for 24/7. Been at this strain for almost 9 months maybe I forget exactly. Had a couple crashes. Best to have a few going at once. The trick here is to get a good ceramic filter or bottle top filter. After filter it looks clear but the small new phyto is still in there. Doing that reduces the bacteria. Another thing that can crash them if salinity or heat goes to high. You have to top off with fresh water. What fertilizer are you using? If you cant get it to at least look greener in a week even a few days maybe its shy on iron.

I also just don't have time for multiple culture, especially now.

 

[Spare time]

I use Mercer of Montana products off Amazon. Tetraselmis and their fertilizer.

I can usually get at least a 4-6 month run out if one batch I keep splitting.

It's not difficult at all with their products

I usually use their iso when seeding the culture.

 

[coralfishreef]

I’m at 10 months of splitting from the same base culture that I picked up from a local reefer which he got from Algae Barn (Ocean Magik). Salt is Red Sea coral pro salt mixed to 1.025 - 1.026.

I found that the splits can get contaminated if I try to reuse the tubing or when an air stone was used.

I only grow phyto for around 5 - 7 days and then it gets transferred into clean bottles which are stored in the refrigerator. If I need to grow more I take around 8 ounces and pour that into the new bottle with fresh saltwater. All of the bottles I either swirl or shake daily.

This setup has been working for me:
* An old 13 watt Ottlite desk light that wasn’t being used
* A basic mechanical light timer that I already had
* A new 3 liter water bottle used with every new batch, rinsed with very hot water and vinegar and then rinsed kit with very hot water. A small hole it drilled into the cap just big enough for RODI tubing and air to escape - I pour the water into another container and drink the water, leftover bottle $0
* New RODI tubing - no air stone
* 2 - 3 mL of F2 fertilizer
* 2 - 2.5 liters of premixed, fresh saltwater
* Near silent, mini, USB air pump from Amazon

 

[davidcalgary29]

Doesn't everyone find it extremely expensive if you don't cultivate your own? 750mL costs something like $30 when you factor in shipping to my town.

 

[Spare time]

Doesn't everyone find it extremely expensive if you don't cultivate your own? 750mL costs something like $30 when you factor in shipping to my town.

I can get it relatively cheap since I work aprt time at an lfs, but I usually dose a crap ton into my tank lol. If you can't get it from an lfs then yeah that can be pricey

 

[davidcalgary29]

My "LFS" is a ten-hour car trip, so it's a basement "grow-op" for me.

 

[coralfishreef]

I add around 200 - 300 mL a day spread between multiple tanks. It would cost around $5 - $6 a day if that was from Algae Barn.

The silent air bubbler is the key to growing phyto in my household . The other half doesn’t mind the green jug sitting on the counter because there isn’t any annoying humming noise. The silent air bubblers are also great for power outages. I have 5 of them now. 1 for phyto and 4 for power outages

 

[DrZoidburg]

I do mine at 1.019 -1.020 s.g. A couple hundred mL evaporates, and its over 1.030. Some of that mix blend phyto wont grow that high of sg. Also use a 30L/min pump hooked up to 6 various cultures not all phyto, and 2 fry tanks. With a plain jane t8 plant grow bulb. If you have time for one culture you have time for 2 lol. A solid back up plan if one gets contaminated.

 

[G Santana]

I recently started and I am doing it in my basement which no one can call Sanitized lol, I have now cultured 3L from my first bottle of phyto in my first try.
I just clean everything in alchohol and off I go. So far so good.

 

[DrZoidburg]

Its really almost impossible to be completely sterile at home. Some times I make mushroom cultures unrelated yes but takes insane cleanness. Gloves, masks, fumehood alcohol rubs, mouth wash, showers lol.. and from time to time you get contamination. Even after all of that.

 

[Spare time]

I think I'm may just make a gallon at a time out of a small bottle and refrigerate it. I just wish I could get it extremely dark before it becomes flakey.