I've been growing copepods (tisbe and tigriopus) using live phytoplankton as feed (tetraselmis, nannochloropsis, and isochrysis). I've noticed that the phyto I use has a big impact on copepod yield.
I'm hoping someone, maybe @Reef Nutrition, @AlgaeBarn, or really just anyone with more expertise can advise me before I make a change. I'm not an expert at this.
My best copepod yields thus far have been using all three types of phyto as feed. Unfortunately, isochrysis is a %$#@ing pita for me and crashes sometimes. When this happens I just feed nannochloropsis and tetraselmis but my copepod yield is much lower.
Recently my nannochloropsis culture was taken over by some type of cyanobacteria. I think it's synechococcus. It has happened to me before (several times actually) but this time I just fed it to my copepods anyway, along with the usual isochrysis and tetraselmis. To my surprise copepod yields seem about the same. The cyanobacteria got in as a contaminant and grows faster and denser than nanno. I don't know if it's as good for the copepods but it doesn't seem to hurt them.
I've tried feeding the copepods just nannochloropsis alone and just tetraselmis alone and my yields were not as good. So it seems to me isochrysis is the key. I have not tried isochrysis by itself.
I've also tried to grow a couple other types of phyto including rhodomonas and porphyridium but they are even more finicky than isochrysis and harder to find. I have had success growing the diatoms thalassiosira and chaetoceros gracilis, but not so much in a bio-reactor. I used erlenmeyer flasks instead which works but it's slower and I don't get near as much of it so I think at best this would just be a supplement to the phyto.
So, should I:
1) toss the cyanobacteria and restart nannochloropsis
2) continue using the cyanobacteria in place of nanno
3) stop using nanno/cyano and just grow more isochrysis
4) try something else?
I have 4 bioreactor setups for growing phyto and don't really want to make more. I devote two for isochrysis now because it seems to be the best, and when one crashes I have a backup.
I really wish tetraselmis worked better as copepod feed because it's much more reliable to culture than anything else for me.
My copepods:
TYVM in advance for any advice.
I'm hoping someone, maybe @Reef Nutrition, @AlgaeBarn, or really just anyone with more expertise can advise me before I make a change. I'm not an expert at this.
My best copepod yields thus far have been using all three types of phyto as feed. Unfortunately, isochrysis is a %$#@ing pita for me and crashes sometimes. When this happens I just feed nannochloropsis and tetraselmis but my copepod yield is much lower.
Recently my nannochloropsis culture was taken over by some type of cyanobacteria. I think it's synechococcus. It has happened to me before (several times actually) but this time I just fed it to my copepods anyway, along with the usual isochrysis and tetraselmis. To my surprise copepod yields seem about the same. The cyanobacteria got in as a contaminant and grows faster and denser than nanno. I don't know if it's as good for the copepods but it doesn't seem to hurt them.
I've tried feeding the copepods just nannochloropsis alone and just tetraselmis alone and my yields were not as good. So it seems to me isochrysis is the key. I have not tried isochrysis by itself.
I've also tried to grow a couple other types of phyto including rhodomonas and porphyridium but they are even more finicky than isochrysis and harder to find. I have had success growing the diatoms thalassiosira and chaetoceros gracilis, but not so much in a bio-reactor. I used erlenmeyer flasks instead which works but it's slower and I don't get near as much of it so I think at best this would just be a supplement to the phyto.
So, should I:
1) toss the cyanobacteria and restart nannochloropsis
2) continue using the cyanobacteria in place of nanno
3) stop using nanno/cyano and just grow more isochrysis
4) try something else?
I have 4 bioreactor setups for growing phyto and don't really want to make more. I devote two for isochrysis now because it seems to be the best, and when one crashes I have a backup.
I really wish tetraselmis worked better as copepod feed because it's much more reliable to culture than anything else for me.
My copepods:
TYVM in advance for any advice.