Phytoplankton Culture Station Lets See Them!

[KrisReef]

After posting this thread and seeing what others where doing I decided to set about creating my own culture station. It's not "high tech" or "innovative" but it looks nice and should be simple to maintain.

I’m so lazy anymore but I would like to do something similar if I ever get busy again.
Your setup looks awesome, and those flasks have a nice steam punk/ Dr Frankenstein styling going on!
@Paul B - do your food culture concerns have any “steam” in them?

Nice work, and wonderful for your system.

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Finished my new station this week. Hoping to get some phyto and pods bubbling this weekend.

 

[tippin.turtle]

I’m so lazy anymore but I would like to do something similar if I ever get busy again.
Your setup looks awesome, and those flasks have a nice steam punk/ Dr Frankenstein styling going on!
@Paul B - do your food culture concerns have any “steam” in them?

Nice work, and wonderful for your system.

No steam and due to the hot weather no phytoplankton at the moment either. Afraid a live culture will die during shipping so waiting for cooler temperatures before ordering. Definitely adds the "laboratory" feel to the fish room for sure! It's good fun...lol! Pretty excited about having glowing green bubbly water and I know my tank will love it too. I appreciate the compliment! This I suppose is my best attempt at "next level".

 

[KrisReef]

Finished my new station this week. Hoping to get some phyto and pods bubbling this weekend.

You guys are awesome and making me feel inadequate. Another nice plankton station getting on line.

 

[tippin.turtle]

Finished my new station this week. Hoping to get some phyto and pods bubbling this weekend.

Nice! I have a new "rotifer station" too but its nothing more than food grade buckets.... Not as exciting or as cool as my "phyto station"..lol.

 

[tippin.turtle]

No "wow" factor here....

 

[luckneto]

Very simple nannochloropsis culture.

Pacific sun phyto reator, a air pump and DOS to automate dosing.

Manually dosing F2 weekly.

 

[FMF0331]

I'm cheating .... i have a monthly subscription with Algae Barn
5280 pods and OceanMajik

 

[tippin.turtle]

Very simple nannochloropsis culture.

Pacific sun phyto reator, a air pump and DOS to automate dosing.

Manually dosing F2 week

I find this interesting… a part of me likes the idea of having this auto dosing/ phytoplankton reactor feeding the tank and the other part does not. Never have liked auto dosing of anything. How is your maintenance with the PacificSun and have you ever had a culture “crash” while using it?

 

[luckneto]

Hi!

The reactor is running 2 months with no problems.

Need to see how it goes in long run.

The water that comes into the reactor is the same I use for auto water change. I run oversized UV 24/7 in this reservoir to minimize contamination risk.

I find this interesting… a part of me likes the idea of having this auto dosing/ phytoplankton reactor feeding the tank and the other part does not. Never have liked auto dosing of anything. How is your maintenance with the PacificSun and have you ever had a culture “crash” while using it?

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Finished my new station this week. Hoping to get some phyto and pods bubbling this weekend.

Bought some Algae Barn phyto from LFS and some Tier 1 phyto from the owner. What a difference.

 

[homer1475]

Algae barn phyto is great for your tank, but tough to get a good culture from. Least thats what I've read a few times from people who have tried.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

I'm cheating .... i have a monthly subscription with Algae Barn
5280 pods and OceanMajik

Thank you for the support! ;Happy

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Algae barn phyto is great for your tank, but tough to get a good culture from. Least thats what I've read a few times from people who have tried.

Because it is a blend of 4 different species, when you try to culture it one will eventually out compete the others

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Algae barn phyto is great for your tank, but tough to get a good culture from. Least thats what I've read a few times from people who have tried.

To be fair, I don't know how long the algae barn phyto was at the LFS and how diligent they were with shaking it each day. It's not as strong as the other phyto, but I think it will still culture.

I might order directly from Algae Barn and see the results I get next time. I also want to try Reef Nutrition.

 

[tippin.turtle]

Interesting that a commercial venture (Algae Barn) is following this thread. That being said, I'm choosing Algae Research Supply's "filter feeder formula" over Algae Barns "oceanmagik". Essentially both are the same with the only exception being that each contain a seperate ingredient.
The three ingredients that they both have in common are: Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, and Isochrysis.
The final remaining ingredient however is different.
Algae Barn's contains: Thalassiosira weissflogii - A diatom
Algae Research Supply contains: Porphyridium - A red microalga
I'm not sure the rationale behind adding a diatom to the mix rather than another planktonic microalgae?
That being the case, I'm choosing Algae Research Supply over Algae Barn.
If anyone cares to share their knowledge as to which is better and why; then please share your thoughts with the community.

 

[Spare time]

If only I could keep my cultures sterile for more than a few weeks lol

I always end up with flakes of algae inside the container.

Then again, I am not using a .2 micron filter on the air pump, nor is my salt container sterile, and I am confident my f/2 was not sterile haha

 

[tippin.turtle]

Interesting that a commercial venture (Algae Barn) is following this thread. That being said, I'm choosing Algae Research Supply's "filter feeder formula" over Algae Barns "oceanmagik". Essentially both are the same with the only exception being that each contain a seperate ingredient.
The three ingredients that they both have in common are: Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, and Isochrysis.
The final remaining ingredient however is different.
Algae Barn's contains: Thalassiosira weissflogii - A diatom
Algae Research Supply contains: Porphyridium - A red microalga
I'm not sure the rationale behind adding a diatom to the mix rather than another planktonic microalgae?
That being the case, I'm choosing Algae Research Supply over Algae Barn.
If anyone cares to share their knowledge as to which is better and why; then please share your thoughts with the community.

A follow up on my own question here sourced from Algae Barn's website:

“THAL”​

Thalassiosira weissflogii :: Unflagellated Diatom :: 5 – 32 microns Thal is the largest strain of phytoplankton we offer. As a beneficial diatom, this algae consumes silicates, restricting the growth of harmful dinoflagellates and silicates. Cycle time is reduced by adding Thal to your tank!

I suppose this ingredient may be useful for a "newly" established tank as a preventive for dinoflagellates as stated by Algae Barn. If I were actively seeking such a preventive one could surmise that this would be a "stand alone" product and not something included in a supplement for coral nutrition.

Algae Research and Supply on the other hand focuses solely on coral nutrition it would appear.

PORPHYRIDIUM (PORPHYRIDIUM CRUENTUM)​

Aquarium Benefits:

• Pigmentation:
  • Phycoerythrin. This pigment is one of the few red pigments.
  • Pigments incorporated by filter feeders into their flesh
• Aquarium Animal Health Benefits:
  • Porphyridium improves immune systems (Journal of Fish Diseases 2008, 31, 489–495)
  • Good fatty acid composition for filter feeders (Aquaculture International 15.1 (2007): 1-9.)
  • Improves growth (Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 172–173 (2014) 90–95)
• Tank ecosystem
  • Nitrogen compounds can be scavenged by actively growing phytoplankton

Background on the strain:
The red algae are mostly macroalgae (large multicellular and visible with the naked eye), but Porphoridium is one of the few that are planktonic microalgae. The red microalga Porphyridium (Rhodophyta) is a potential source for several products like fatty acids, lipids, cell-wall polysaccharides and pigments. The polysaccharides of this species are sulphated and their structure gives rise to some unique propertiesthat could lead to a broad range of industrial and pharmaceutical applications. additional, P. cruentum biomass containing carbohydrates of up to 57% have been reported. Thus, the combined amount of carbohydrates in biomass and exopolysaccharides of this microalga could potentally provide the source for bio-fuel and pharmaceuticals. The red pigment is a large protein called a phycoerythrin. It is one of the few water soluble photosynthetic pigments.

This only solidifies my decision to use Algae Research and Supply's Phytoplankton over Algae Barns. If I wanted a dinoflagellate preventive then I would seek one out. Thanks but no thanks Algae Barn. I hope this is useful for those seeking optimum coral nutrition and health and provides insight into the differences between these two products.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

To be fair, I don't know how long the algae barn phyto was at the LFS and how diligent they were with shaking it each day. It's not as strong as the other phyto, but I think it will still culture.

I might order directly from Algae Barn and see the results I get next time. I also want to try Reef Nutrition.

If you are looking to culture algae, it's best to buy single species cultures. Our Phyto-Feast Live has 6 species in it, which makes it a poor starter. Here is a great place to buy starters: https://utex.org/collections/living-algal-strains

Chad

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

If you are looking to culture algae, it's best to buy single species cultures. Our Phyto-Feast Live has 6 species in it, which makes it a poor starter. Here is a great place to buy starters: https://utex.org/collections/living-algal-strains

Chad

Very impressed when a company steers you away from their product when better options exist. Thanks Chad and Reef Nutrition! I've only heard good things about your company and will definitely be a customer in the future.