Phytoplankton Dosing Amount? Is Dosing Zooplankton Actually Very Beneficial?

[Kathy Floyd]

We're in Thailand though

They might ship? I tagged them so they can respond.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

They might ship? I tagged them so they can respond.

If they can ship all the way over here at an affordable price and provide a guarantee it'll still be live (within reason of course) I'd love to hear from them! I doubt they'll be able to but will definitely hear them out either way

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Can I ask where you are buying live Phyto from? I've only been able to get bottles of Bereef, but unless those bottles are fresh, the phyto's are pretty much dead.

This is a little off topic but are you a live rock or dry rock fan?

 

[SE7ƎN]

I bought a starfish from them just about a month ago! They're definitely one of my preferred places to buy from! Some of the shops at Chatuchak are good as well but honestly I like the selection Bluesea has as well as well as the fact that they get regular shipments

I feel the same way...right now I'm doing the same with Bereef because I haven't found any other alternative...I assume at least some is still alive but now that you mention it, you're probably right in saying that it's mostly dead tbh...

OK, we are having the same issues as well.

I'm heartbroken because I just bought started my tank up again last month and bought a bottle of Bereef a few days ago to start dosing the copepods that came with some Chaeto I got, but all the phyto's were already dead and I looked at the expiration and it was back in June. Oh well.

I ordered some copepods from Similan Farm, and tried to start my own culture last year with Bereef and the culture crashed.

I also tried to culture the phyto's from Bereef with regular plant fertilizer, but that culture also crashed as well. It's kind of hard not having an access to F2 and the import fees make it not worth it, so seems like I'm stuck with Bereef and ordering copepods regularly for the time being. If you figure it out, please let me know. Good to have a fellow local reefer here!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

OK, we are having the same issues as well.

I'm heartbroken because I just bought started my tank up again last month and bought a bottle of Bereef a few days ago to start dosing the copepods that came with some Chaeto I got, but all the phyto's were already dead and I looked at the expiration and it was back in June. Oh well.

I ordered some copepods from Similan Farm, and tried to start my own culture last year with Bereef and the culture crashed.

I also tried to culture the phyto's from Bereef with regular plant fertilizer, but that culture also crashed as well. It's kind of hard not having an access to F2 and the import fees make it not worth it, so seems like I'm stuck with Bereef and ordering copepods regularly for the time being. If you figure it out, please let me know. Good to have a fellow local reefer here!

Have you checked Amazon.com for the fertilizer? I know they ship out of America but they actually have really cheap flat rate shipping for most items now.

 

[SE7ƎN]

This is a little off topic but are you a live rock or dry rock fan?

Live rock. Same as you. I just re-started my tank last month and seeded my tank with rocks straight from the ocean as well.

The only other rocks I can only find in Thailand are dead live rock. I didn't know any better when I first used it, so it caused a lot of algae issues. This time I around, I cooked my part of my old rock for 2 months until it stopped smelling and water wasn't dirty and threw in fresh live rock from the ocean to get my tank re-started. So far so good. Quick cycle.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Live rock. Same as you. I just re-started my tank last month and seeded my tank with rocks straight from the ocean as well.

The only other rocks I can only find in Thailand are dead live rock. I didn't know any better when I first used it, so it caused a lot of algae issues. This time I around, I cooked my part of my old rock for 2 months until it stopped smelling and water wasn't dirty and threw in fresh live rock from the ocean to get my tank re-started. So far so good. Quick cycle.

If only Similar Farms offered more than just the Tiger Pods it would be a great source to start a culture but the tiger pods get eaten really quickly depending on the fish you have... honestly I think the live rock is the best source for the pods...my last Bereef bottle has the expiration date in 2023...not sure if it really makes it that long live or not given the heat and other factors though.
On another note, we're so lucky to have live ocean rock available at the price it is here! In America and Europe they're paying a LOT more money for rock that's either maricultured (nothing against maricultured rock) or even more for live ocean rock that's been transported across the globe which I'm sure takes at least some toll on the biodiversity.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

@SE7ƎN hey, you know there's a seller on Shoppee with copepods and Phyto? I haven't bought them myself but they're not Tigger pods and the Phyto looks pretty good