ok watched all Rob's videos and read all the posts I think but still have a couple of questions.

1. my phyto isn't as dark green as rob's in his videos and I'm leaving 7 days between splits - why? salinity off??

2. how do I start the rotifer culture, have the glass vial of salt water rotifer from florida aqua farm - don't think it came with instructions.

3. wondering if anyone has thought of this procedure for phyto - keep 6 or so going all the time, take 1 bottle every other day, filter it, use half of it on tank and top it up with culture water and put at end of line. In a couple of days use the next one in line (oldest) and so on so you don't have to refrigerate, always using from fresh sample.

4. do you really have to wash out bottles for phyto every time??

Hi bourbon. I don't culture either of these, I just wanted to say :welcome: to TR.

phyto i wash it everytime (jars and rigid tubes). Had them crash a few times because of it. For my phyto, I let go for 14 days. And it gets really dark, but I add 5ml of essential elements and I use a 4L pickle jar. They work great. Easy to clean. Some people use miracle grow for their phyto,but does not as green like mine. Use micro algae grow from aquafarm.

As for rotifer. You need to start in the dish that the phyto disk came it for 24hrs, then add them into a 500ml bottle and then I think after 48hrs into a 5gal tank.
phyto disk add a little of phyto and rotirich ...not much
500ml get the bottle a little green and add rotirich also.

Derek

actually here..found instructions for rotifers

Place Resting Rotifer cysts in a shallow wide dish that provides a large surface area to allow for gas exchange and fill with a half an inch of culture water. (Culture water for rotifers is prepared by sterilizing 250mL of ro/di water in a micro-wave for 7-10 minutes on high. Allow the water to cool to room temperature, now using your brand of salt mix to a specific gravity of 1.0069-1.0107.) Drip a small amount of prepared culture water into the vial of Resting Rotifers to help hydrate the cysts, shake well and pour into your shallow wide dish. Cover the dish with clear plastic (such as Saran Wrap) and provide continuous light using a flourescent 6500K light and one actinic. (This lighting should provide you between 500-2000 lux.) Keep temperature at 77 F (25C).

Hatching will start in 1 to 3 days. At the 24 hour mark assume that hatching has begun, whether you see any rotifers or not, add a small amount of phytoplankton (enough to turn the water a very light green colour), or add a drop or two of rotifer enrichment (just enough to slightly cloud the water.

At 48 hours transfer your culture of rotifers to a larger vessel (capable of holding 500mL). Add 500mL of prepared culture water (as outlined previously). Again feed your culture fresh phytoplankton (just enough to turn the water a light green) or add a few drops of rotifer enrichment (just enough to turn the water cloudy).

At 72 hours (third day) simply stir and feed your live rotifer culture again.

At 96 hours (fourth day), transfer your culture to a 2 liter container and add 2 liters of prepared culture water. Again feed with phytoplankton (add just enough phytoplankton to turn the water a light green colour), if Roti Rich is used add just enough to cloud the water slightly. Important: In the beginning stages of culturing rotifers it is important to provide food routinely but never in excess. Excess food will impede reproduction by shifting pH values. Secondly, always start your cultures in small volumes and slowly work to larger vessels, the reason for this is that you want your culture to always be greater than bacteria. It's nature's old rule: The strongest survive. By starting with small dense cultures and slowly working to larger vessels, will ensure success.

Continue to provide 12 to 24 hours of medium to low lighting, and maintain your culture at a temperature between 70-80 F (21-27C). Provide enough aeration to maintain good circulation.

After 7 to 10 days, your culture of rotifers should be dense enough for you to start harvesting. Rotifers are best collected by using a 53 micron plankton collector.

Me neither and me, too. :welcome:

thanks so much guys this really helps

kazam - what are the essential elements? who makes it?

do you add it in addition to the micro alagae grow?