Seachem phytoplankton

[slipknotgrrl83]

Anyone ever use seachem phytoplankton? I got a bottle for free and am thinking of trying it. Any advice and do corals actually take it and get better growth?

 

[CodyRVA]

I've used it, can't say i've noticed any positives, but no negative affect either. I usually alternate weekly dosing between phytoplankton and acropower.

 

[CastAway]

This is one of my most favorite articles.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/12/aafeature

If you have not seen it before, check out the section of corals feeding on phyto. Appears that those hard corals that do ingest phyto are very selective on type.

My own take on it is, phyto feeds zooplankton, and zooplankton feeds coral. It sounds negligible to me, the degree to which hard corals eat phyto.

 

[DED65]

I use both Seachem's Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. I dose small amounts a couple of times a week as I have Gorgonians. I also want to provide foods for the pods. When I order pods, I also order live phytoplankton from Algae Barn.

 

[CodyRVA]

I use both Seachem's Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. I dose small amounts a couple of times a week as I have Gorgonians. I also want to provide foods for the pods. When I order pods, I also order live phytoplankton from Algae Barn.

+1

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Ty, I'll give it a shot

 

[BiggieJohn]

Anyone ever use seachem phytoplankton? I got a bottle for free and am thinking of trying it. Any advice and do corals actually take it and get better growth?

I just started using the seachem phyto and zoo plankton.
Feeding zoas, a torch and a small hammer, all are growing like crazy

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

Just don't scrape your glass as often.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

I have zoo and phyto on doser

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Just don't scrape your glass as often.

How come? Does it stick to it?

 

[greg 45]

I use Mikesphyto delivered fresh to your door .

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

How come? Does it stick to it?

No, just "making" your own phyto...

 

[lordraptor1]

Anyone ever use seachem phytoplankton? I got a bottle for free and am thinking of trying it. Any advice and do corals actually take it and get better growth?

Yes dont recommend it caused algae and cyano outbreak a decimation of my pod population and it smells like hell

 

[Afaylenerich88]

This product is okay. Has a vinegar smell, it is also alkaline based.
it also contains some calcium. So when you add it to your tank it will make your alk, cal rise slightly I’ve seen in my own test as mush as a 3.0 increase in alk. And a 1.5 increase in cal.
Furthermore, I can’t say I recommend this product to be used in the manner they provide you on the bottle.

I use 1/4 of suggested amount. 2 times a week. Because of the rise in water alk .

I would suggest to anyone considering this product to first understand what it’s doing to your tank.

it contains all stages of phyto in bottle but what happens is 3 months on a persmart or petco or Ltd store the older much more mature strain will be killed off. Leaving you with basically dead algae, spores. And some alive but not fully developed yet until they float in the water for a few days.

I have noticed an out break in diatoms apon addition to the test tank:
I have not seen a decline in pod population, but I cannot confirm it helped them at all if any.

corals spent about 1 week during initial introduction of phyto closed or half open,
Most likely due to the rise in alk when adding to the tank.

I would recommend algae barn for this product. As it does not contain as many preservatives to keep phyto alive.
Thus removing the horrid alk swings you get with Seachem phyto

I just wanted to touch on ppl who seen algae/cyano bloom; this can happen: if you have an underlying condition already,
Ergo a tank that is not properly seasoned, meaning if it’s been up less then a year, if you have algae on your drag plugs, tank walls. Exct this will only fuel it.
Phyto is an algae that can be consumed by other algae like bryopsys, cyano bacteria, hair algae, olva (bubble algae), red dragon, Chetomorpha.feather calupra. Exct...::
It will only help it out compete your bacteria that live on rocks and sand filter media exct.. and allow the new king algae in the tank to take over and explode because now it has no competition for space. If your rocks still have a little green even if it’s not goring out of control. There is algae in your tank already.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Since you got it for free, try it, see how it works and if you like it then you can make a better decision to purchase more or buy the algaebarn stuff mentioned above.
Best of luck.

 

[lordraptor1]

This product is okay. Has a vinegar smell, it is also alkaline based.
it also contains some calcium. So when you add it to your tank it will make your alk, cal rise slightly I’ve seen in my own test as mush as a 3.0 increase in alk. And a 1.5 increase in cal.
Furthermore, I can’t say I recommend this product to be used in the manner they provide you on the bottle.

I use 1/4 of suggested amount. 2 times a week. Because of the rise in water alk .

I would suggest to anyone considering this product to first understand what it’s doing to your tank.

it contains all stages of phyto in bottle but what happens is 3 months on a persmart or petco or Ltd store the older much more mature strain will be killed off. Leaving you with basically dead algae, spores. And some alive but not fully developed yet until they float in the water for a few days.

I have noticed an out break in diatoms apon addition to the test tank:
I have not seen a decline in pod population, but I cannot confirm it helped them at all if any.

corals spent about 1 week during initial introduction of phyto closed or half open,
Most likely due to the rise in alk when adding to the tank.

I would recommend algae barn for this product. As it does not contain as many preservatives to keep phyto alive.
Thus removing the horrid alk swings you get with Seachem phyto

I just wanted to touch on ppl who seen algae/cyano bloom; this can happen: if you have an underlying condition already,
Ergo a tank that is not properly seasoned, meaning if it’s been up less then a year, if you have algae on your drag plugs, tank walls. Exct this will only fuel it.
Phyto is an algae that can be consumed by other algae like bryopsys, cyano bacteria, hair algae, olva (bubble algae), red dragon, Chetomorpha.feather calupra. Exct...::
It will only help it out compete your bacteria that live on rocks and sand filter media exct.. and allow the new king algae in the tank to take over and explode because now it has no competition for space. If your rocks still have a little green even if it’s not goring out of control. There is algae in your tank already.

i would like to touch on your coments regarding the algae cyano blooms regarding the phyto. fact is it is the product not underlying issues or tank maturity, it has to do with poor quality product. it has a vinegar from hell smell and is corrosive enough to eat the foil seals off the bottles first off, second cant blame long sit on store shelves when this is happening with not only in store purchases but also online orders from multiple sources.

for anyone looking into phyto outside of the live varieties, i recommend kent marine phytoplex i have used it reliably for years when live phyto is not available or is cost prohibitive. the kent marine phytoplex has always resulted in a pod pop exlosion for me and is why i recommend it.

 

[NashobaTek]

I use both Seachem's Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. I dose small amounts a couple of times a week as I have Gorgonians. I also want to provide foods for the pods. When I order pods, I also order live phytoplankton from Algae Barn.

+2, but I haven't noticed any vinger smell or any jump in alk and ca like 2 other posts state.

 

[lordraptor1]

+2, but I haven't noticed any vinger smell or any jump in alk and ca like 2 other posts state.

well count yourself lucky, sechem phyto always has a horrid odor, and is brown in color and i have yet to get a bottle of seachems phyto that hasnt had a corroded foil seal so i refuse to ever pay good money for it again.

i recommend kent marine phyto and zoo if live is not available no cal or alk spikes with it and unlike seachem ( or as i have been calling it seacrap) i have no problems, fact is kent marine just has good products and are readily available ant any local petco store for those in pinch convienent moments.

 

[KonradTO]

After reading this thread I was a bit worried about alk spike reading the comment of the user above (sorry forgot the nickname) so I measured alk right afted dosing the indicated amount of seachem phyto into my tank. No alk spike detected in my case. Although I cannot say it actually worked to feed my pods. I will try as a food for copepods and let you know.

 

[Chortanator]

I used to use this for my sea apple before people started growing phyto locally, I think it's junk honestly... my sea apple slowly starved to death over the course of two years, and I think it only got its nutrition from the water column, not from dead phyto.