OK Rob man... so you convinced me to get some screens (needed them for my copepod propagation anyhow) and to use them when I split my phyto cultures.

HOWEVER, as I am growing both Isochrysis and Tetraselmis, how exactly should I clean the screen after use so that it does not cross contaminate my phyto cultures?

Thanks in advance.

Bleach and water. Rinse until smell is gone, and let dry.

Since I don't have mine yet, I will ask two silly follow up questions.

(1) Isn't the screen made of fabric? And won't bleach rot that fabric over time?

(2) I thought bleach was a nasty five-letter word when it came to aquariums. Every time I have mentioned using bleach, people are like... nooooo, you don't want to do that!

actually, i use diluted bleach also as needed.
i start with only culture, rinse well with hot water, then when done i dip in a container of bleach water. the screens are more of a nylon and seem to hold up quite well to bleach cleaning

Back in the day we all bleached our dead coral heads every couple of weeks. :)

Cool beans, I'm on it.

I'm assuming the 120 micron screen is the one I should use, not the 250?

actually i would look at 53 micron, as that will filter out just about everything except the water and phyto cells

Well since I had to order the 120 and 250 micron for my copepod activities and stupidly ASSUMED that I could also use them for my phyto...

Are you saying that what I have is too small?

no, the 120 will work, but IMO is too big for phyto, as it will not filter out some other stuff that can get in there.. the 53 is small enough to let only the phyto through, and not much else.. of course you can use what you have, and you will probably be just fine.

Where are you ordering your screens from? Is it possible to get reusable screens to filter even the phyto out? I was wondering if it is possible to make a larval rearing tank divider that prevents phyto passing through.

this is where i got my collector from
https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi?cart_id=2562467.15096*S88bf4&product=COLLECTORS

as for setting up tank divider? im not sure how you would do that

Yup, those are the screen I have. Bleach does not hurt them. I use bleach on everything around here also that's tank related.

yep i second that, i always bleach mine. :)

out of curiosity, what dilution ratio do you guys use? I have been using about 1 cup bleach for 1 gallon of water on most stuff i have been doing, but i have never honestly thought about it.

mines actually pretty technical, i use the "that looks good" unit of measure...lol
its probably about 1/2 cup to 1 liter of water.
i just leave the container there and use it, replacing the we solution every week or so..

mines actually pretty technical, i use the "that looks good" unit of measure...lol
its probably about 1/2 cup to 1 liter of water.
i just leave the container there and use it, replacing the we solution every week or so..

LOL it is nice to have a bit of low tech, after all the high tech measuring (okay...how many cups of salt did i just add? wait, where is my refractometer? CAT! Get your paws out of there!)

So here is an odd question. What if i wanted to filter my phytoplankton out of the water? Is there a screen small enough for this?

oh wait. i just saw the previous post on that. The only filters i can find less than 10 microns are all high pressure water filters. I guess it would be easier to just let the water evaporate to get the phyto out, if you didn't mind them all dying.