Trouble Starting Phyto Cultures

[Resilient]

I am trying to get some Phyto cultures started and am struggling.

I got Phyto from Reef Hype and Aqua Algae f/2 fertilizer from Amazon. I have tried starting 5 cultures now and they are all turning white after about a day.

I am adding the fertilizer at 1mg/l per the directions, sterilizing with 100ppm bleach and neutralizing with sodium thiosulfate and checking to make sure it is chlorine free then going from 400ml to 500ml by adding the reef hype.

I have the air tube running through a hole poked in cling wrap.

Thoughts on what might be going wrong here? I have a 40x microscope, but it's not really enough to tell if the phyto is alive to start with. But the bag is and continues to be dark green, my cultures start out a light green then turn cloudy white in about a day.

Is this contamination? Maybe the culture is dead to start with?

 

[Fish Fan]

My initial thought here is that you're not neutralizing all the bleach, but sounds like you are.

My only other thought is not enough light?

 

[Dust Bowl Corals Verified Sponsor]

Try by using boiling water as a sterilizer and then ensure your SW is around 1.20 or so. That’s where I’ve had the best luck. No help on the cultures. I started with Mercers.