Phytoplankton Discussion - Your Experience!

[Reef By Steele]

Can I please ask, do you find any impact on nitrate or phosphate levels from dosing phyto?

A true live phytoplankton or blend will lower your nutrient levels. This is how we got into the business to start with. I was purchasing from another source who I now consider my mentor. We have 5 systems and our predator tank consistently ran near or over 100ppm of nitrates and phosphates so high I had to dilute 10 to one to even get a reading on my Hanna tester. I was dosing homemade No-Pox and Lanthanum chloride to even keep them below 50 and readable. Dosing his process made noticeable improvement within the first week. I was a contractor and built everything from homes to commercial structures, but years of doing too much on my own, caused me to have reconstructive surgeries on my neck and shoulder (don’t carry plywood balanced on your head lol). I was down and unable to work for 2 years, and couldn’t justify purchasing things for my tank so started culturing my own for personal use. And eventually tried selling on the selling forum as a hobbyist, but R2R felt I looked like a business so we became sponsors to continue to sell through the forum, and we are proud to support this forum as we believe it is great

If the product is good, you need to test weekly (which we should do anyway) to ensure you don’t bottom out your nutrients. When they start to drop, ease back on amount until you reach your target and stabilize with the tanks production. I zeroed the above tank, and I had quit NoPox and lanthanum as anytime I forgot to fill the doser reservoirs my tank would have a serious bacterial bloom and cause all kinds of problems. If I quit dosing Phyto only change is my nutrient start to come up.

Not to toot our own horn, but I have a customer who states that our Phyto is the first they have ever used that reduced their nutrients. I know there are others, but makes a guy feel good to get that feedback.

Dead products will not have this effect. They can be used for food source for pods and corals, but any not consumed will deteriorate and create nitrates and phosphates just like overfeeding.

 

[lesismore]

Can I please ask, do you find any impact on nitrate or phosphate levels from dosing phyto?

A true live phytoplankton or blend will lower your nutrient levels. This is how we got into the business to start with. I was purchasing from another source who I now consider my mentor. We have 5 systems and our predator tank consistently ran near or over 100ppm of nitrates and phosphates so high I had to dilute 10 to one to even get a reading on my Hanna tester. I was dosing homemade No-Pox and Lanthanum chloride to even keep them below 50 and readable. Dosing his process made noticeable improvement within the first week. I was a contractor and built everything from homes to commercial structures, but years of doing too much on my own, caused me to have reconstructive surgeries on my neck and shoulder (don’t carry plywood balanced on your head lol). I was down and unable to work for 2 years, and couldn’t justify purchasing things for my tank so started culturing my own for personal use. And eventually tried selling on the selling forum as a hobbyist, but R2R felt I looked like a business so we became sponsors to continue to sell through the forum, and we are proud to support this forum as we believe it is great

If the product is good, you need to test weekly (which we should do anyway) to ensure you don’t bottom out your nutrients. When they start to drop, ease back on amount until you reach your target and stabilize with the tanks production. I zeroed the above tank, and I had quit NoPox and lanthanum as anytime I forgot to fill the doser reservoirs my tank would have a serious bacterial bloom and cause all kinds of problems. If I quit dosing Phyto only change is my nutrient start to come up.

Not to toot our own horn, but I have a customer who states that our Phyto is the first they have ever used that reduced their nutrients. I know there are others, but makes a guy feel good to get that feedback.

Dead products will not have this effect. They can be used for food source for pods and corals, but any not consumed will deteriorate and create nitrates and phosphates just like overfeeding.

That’s great to hear. Thank you for weighing in.