Plankton Farm

[stevefranks]

Not sure if this is off topic, but I have just finished a plankton farm project after watching the phyto cast.

Let me know what you think. Hardware is as follows:

750l 4 Way Air Pump
3 x Visi-Lux Starters
3 x Gro Lux Tubes
3 x 30w heaters
Various valves + Tee Pieces
Pressed Steel Shelving

I will be able to have 24 cultures at any one time.

[Rob]

very nice setup Steve,
thanks for sharing. cant wait to see it in full production...

man that'll be a lot of phyto...lol

[stevefranks]

Tanks to the left BTW will be brine shrimp hatchery and holding tank before harvest and freezing/feeding.

One of the tanks will be 1/4 blacked out as a hatchery, with acrylic baffle with small hole. Newly hatched will swimm towards LED light at other end of tank.

Thanks,

Stephen.

[Scott]

Steve, that is a really cool setup!

[pham411]

nice set up mang!! im about to set up a station myself for my cultures. because of the lack of room in my house i need to make it in a cabinate or something. anyways thats another story, nice work dude!

latez

[Rob]

steve, is that bottom bulb different?
it has a noticeably different color...

[stevefranks]

They are all grolux bulbs that I bought second hand off a friend. The bottom one is old I think and needs replacing.

[V]

good job on that project steve. nice and clean area to work with too!
im not up to speed on growing my plankton obiously, but i was wondering if a small version of the hydroponic nutrient flood technique could be applied to this method of culturing.?

[stevefranks]

I am aware of NFT techniques, but I'm not sure how it could be applied here? NFT is basically pumping a nutrient solution past plants roots (usually in Rockwool?)..

Any ideas anyone?

[V]

yup, in hydro thats how it works, but im not looking at it from a hydro perspective, essentually its a recirculating system with a fundimental design that allows a flow rate and max surface areas within a compact Vertigal design stack!

i dont know, i know very little indeed about plank growing, but im assuming light, and the air pump are major components, with the air creating the movement within the jars?

i confess to having proplems with itunes at the time rob spoke of this!

[stevefranks]

Sounds interesting! What are your designs? I am always up for building things!

Are you passing phyto past corals? I am not sure I understand because wouldnt the phyto become dilute?

Could you explain a little more?

[V]

i did not think of a delivery system straight to the corals. a pipe with a row of small1way dams running down the lenght of the pipe may work,works like a plenum vessel! hook it up to a dosing pump and stand back.lol
the pressure from the tank would destroy this theroy, unless u did some homework and sourced out something that only allows one way flow, which closes with pressure., how do u normally apply the phyto, a turkey baster?
would be alot cheaper!

getting back, i was only thinking u could grow bulk amounts with a modified NFT system. the snakes and ladder plan can be hung near ur lights with a slow pump to pump it to the start again.
u know what i mean, the chanel runs the lengths of the light tubes, so there is no wasted light