Culturing Phyto - Video Podcast Episode 39

[Rob]

The first in a series of video episodes is now complete.
in this show i walk you though my setup and show you how i do my phyto culturing and splitting. i did this on a total whim, so if i left out any important info, please feel free to let me know and i will provide the info

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Watch the video here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3084753670011900610
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[Jimm]

Nice job Rob. Looks to be fairly easy. The 2-Liter bottle looks like something people might drink for St Patricks day! LOL

[pham411]

vidcast are looking great rob!! now we can match voice with face hehe. one thing about using mirical grow for you cultures. being that it is for plants and plants love phosphates, feeding too much phyto culture that uses mirical grow can eventually raise phosphate levels so watch out for that. as for the other stuff, i forgot what it was called, micro algae grow?? dont know if that stuff is high in phosphates. can you clear that up rob.

thanks.... looking forward to the rotifer culture vidcast.

latez

[pham411]

also, how much phyto do you guys feed your tanks??
tank size, amount dosed and when you usually dose is great info..

well of course i guess what you have in your tank matters also..but whatever

[byseven]

Great Work Rob !!!!
I normaly watch the podcas on the go !! ( driving ) ..

I am glad I got this on at home !!

[DJGonzo69]

Rob..great job on this vidcast. Man those things look like anti-freeze. So are these like DT's?

[rmulet]

That was actually a very good vidcast. The quality was great and screen size was perfect when it came up in iTunes. Bravo!
I was also curious about the phosphates and if it would pose a problem after some time. Would you have to use some phosphate remover?
I really look forward to seeing more vidcasts soon (along with the podcast of course!).

[fishcounter]

Bravo! I think Rob should with the Oscar! Thanks for the videocast. I have got to be honest, I am obviously still learning about the basics so this is way over my head right now. However, it was cool to see and get a better understand of what the process is like. Thanks Rob!

[gwen_o_lyn]

Wow Rob!! wow wow wow!! That was excellent. I'm still crackin up about "icky stuff" lmao!!

Can't wait to see more!!

[kj_yoda]

That was an awesome vid cast. The quality was perfect and your explanations were easy to follow, as always! Thanks a LOT. Can't wait to see more.

[gwen_o_lyn]

That was totally unbelievable- I'm still in awe!! Rob is the best!!

[Albatros]

Rob,

That was an awesome video cast .. very very helpful. I have a setup and have tried growing Phyto with limited results. Gonna try again since watching your vid. Can you please please run a show about the rotifers. That is what I really want to grow to support my new Coral tank.

I do have some questions ... how long do you usually grow the phyto after you split it? I assume it is about 7-10 days.

Some of the source I have read say to use regular tap water for the growing medium. The logic being that the extra phosphate and nutrients actually help grow the phyto ... can you give the pros and cons for this?

Can you talk a little about how you feed your tank the phyto? How much do you use? Are you dripping it? It seems to me that you will produce much more than you can use putting it into your tank on a regular basis ...

Again, very helpful show .. keep up the good work and please follow up with the rotifers!!

Thanks,

John

[Kevin McG]

Nice job Rob, that is exactly what I was looking for to start culturing my own. I do have a few questions though.

1. How much do you feed your tank?
2. How long is the shelf live on the phyto you have refrigerated?
3. What type of light is sufficient for culturing?

[kj_yoda]

Rob.,.,. You said that you would talk about the DATES, but you never did. I know they are there for shelf life etc. Please elaborate.

[gwen_o_lyn]

Originally Posted by kj_yoda

Rob.,.,. You said that you would talk about the DATES, but you never did. I know they are there for shelf life etc. Please elaborate.

I think we should make that schmuck do it over!!

[kj_yoda]

LOL gwen. ur mean

[Rob]

ok, first off thank you all for the kind words..
i was not comfortable releasing it, but i see i was just being stupid..
ok, so lets see if i can close up these loops...

Phosphates - i dont have any PO4 issues in my tank, but i will test the culture and see what it reads at. i have not any any issues in the more than 12 months i have been doing this.

how much do i feed - i feed 1 cup every few days to my 100 gallon tank

like DTs? - [/b][/b]well kind of, it is a live phyto culture, but not anywhere near as dense as DT's. so while you might feed 1 TSP of DT's you might need 1/2 cup to get the same amount of food in there...

Icky stuff - yes gwen.. this is a technical term... thought you knew that....lmao...

how long between splits - well its usually ready within 4 - 6 days (new cultures take up to 7-9 days). but i have let cultures sit for as long as 2-3 weeks before splitting. but i caution this, they still need to be checked, as many people cant do this.. some people will have a culture that will crash if not split on the x day.

Tap water - all the trusted sources i have read indicate that tap water is a NO-NO. i will see if i can get details later for you

Shelf live in fridge - i have not tested this to the limits but i have kept cultures for about 45 days in the fridge as long as they are stirred daily.

lighting - standard $10 shop lights are fine. mine literally cost $15 including bulbs from the hardware store, its got 2 bulbs and is 48" long..

dates on the bottles - this is simply so you know when the last split was... you can see if you last split it on the 20th and today is the 25th, you can easily see how long its been.. i recommend this over a "due" date, because they can vary too much. the day you split it is the best to put on the bottle.

doing it over again - no way.. lol... no seriously.. i might redo the video, becuase i really want a all encompassing video that leves littel unanswered.. so will i redo it? maybe..

i will add info as needed to this..
thanks everyone..

[Albatros]

Rob,

I suggest you hone your skills by doing a video about rotifers.

Thanks,

John

[gwen_o_lyn]

Originally Posted by Rob

ok, first off thank you all for the kind words..
i was not comfortable releasing it, but i see i was just being stupid..
ok, so lets see if i can close up these loops...

Let me be the first to say that you have nothing to worry about! I will just speak on behalf of the reef chicks of America, Sweden, Canada and anywhere- Your Reef Chick Fan Club is gonna be HUGE!! I am so glad you did release this- keep doing more- you are helping out so many people and you are adorable I don't mind watching over and over.

And Kevin- I wasn't being mean- I was just saying that I'd love to have more videos of Rob!! I was saying that in a good way

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Albatros

Rob,

I suggest you hone your skills by doing a video about rotifers.

Thanks,

John

thanks.. the video is already done.. just have to do final production
there is also a video on DIY kalk dosing.. that too is waiting final production

[Albatros]

Originally Posted by Rob

thanks.. the video is already done.. just have to do final production
there is also a video on DIY kalk dosing.. that too is waiting final production

sweet cant wait

[Kevin McG]

Originally Posted by gwen_o_lyn

And Kevin- I wasn't being mean- I was just saying that I'd love to have more videos of Rob!! I was saying that in a good way

Everytime somebody says "Kevin" I am like what??? Huh?? Me??


And Rob, I hope you don't get any "reefing stalkers" LOL

[Rob]

i really want to get them out.. but im tryign to gauge bandwidth usage becuase these videos are HUGE...lol

so i will get them out as soon as i can..

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Kevin McG

Everytime somebody says "Kevin" I am like what??? Huh?? Me??


And Rob, I hope you don't get any "reefing stalkers" LOL

i know there are like 4 kevins, 2 or 3 johns.. a couple daves...
at least there only one "host"...

[Kevin McG]

Originally Posted by Rob

i really want to get them out.. but im tryign to gauge bandwidth usage becuase these videos are HUGE...lol

so i will get them out as soon as i can..

Take your time with them, Quality is better than Quanity