Oh boy i love threads like this. Okay, now i have some questions regarding storage. Rob, you said on your copie show that you have nanno plankton right? And I remember from your rotifer and plankton show that you said you kept old phyto in the fridge for up to a month (or was it longer?). So, if nanno keeps in the fridge for a month (or more or less), will T. iso as well? From what i gather, phyto grows pretty darn fast and storage becomes quite usefull. Also, what happens if these bottles of goo are kept too long. I assume the stuff dies, but will filter feeders eat the dead phyto? And finally, if they will eat dead phyto, is it okay to freeze the phyto into little cubes and store long term?
okay i am done
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Oh boy i love threads like this. Okay, now i have some questions regarding storage. Rob, you said on your copie show that you have nanno plankton right?
Correct
Quote:
And I remember from your rotifer and plankton show that you said you kept old phyto in the fridge for up to a month (or was it longer?).
that is correct, usually about a month, i have kept it a bit longer but i try and avoid that
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So, if nanno keeps in the fridge for a month (or more or less), will T. ISO as well?
i dont believe ISO can be kept as long, but i will need to defer to Erik for this one.
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From what i gather, phyto grows pretty darn fast and storage becomes quite useful. Also, what happens if these bottles of goo are kept too long. I assume the stuff dies, but will filter feeders eat the dead phyto? And finally, if they will eat dead phyto, is it okay to freeze the phyto into little cubes and store long term?
dead phyto is not something you want to add, i dont think it will cause huge problems, but i dont think it would be consumed as well if at all
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So just to make sure of this before I order, Isocrysis is the Phyto to use if you can only use 1 type correct?
Also is Florida Aqua Farms the place to order from or is there somewhere else?
Rob sorry if I missed something but I have never seen cultures started from a tube. How much do u add to a 2 qt container to start the culture? Does this stuff come with instructions?
There are a number of people (fish breeders, people growing clams, and copepods) that prefer the hi-nutrtion offered by the T. Isochyrsis. T. iso has a fatty acid called DHA that is critical for the development of many marine organisms. Many organisms can not synthesize this fatty acid by themselves and obtain it from microalgae. Nanno has a fatty acid called EPA, also an important one but it does not have DHA. Whereas some animals can synthesize EPA from DHA it does not always work the other way. For optimum health a certain ratio is thought to exist where there is greater DHA to EPA. This ratio ( whatever it is exactly) is a target that many people making feeds and raising fish especially try to hit.
Yeah, T.Iso does not store well. We have had cultures last 8-12 weeks in storage but nursing them back was difficult and not always successful. There is a company in Spain, I think, that spray dries microalgae for use in aquaculture. You just rehydrate it and are in business. I have never tested the product so I can not say anything about it. The added benefit of live microalgae is that it has the ability to positively effect water quality. Microalgae are very efficient (or can be) at taking up nutrients and trace metals in water.
Regarding our starter product...it comes in a pouch (250mL), and can be added directly to the culture container. The densities are very high-so a little goes a long way. We typically recommend tinging the water a lite to medium tea color, keeping it slightly away from the light for 1-2 days then moving into(2 inches away-depends on the lighting used) the light over the next 1-2 days. It is usually best to inoculate 2-3 containers as insurance that something will take and grow. In our lab this 250mL inoculates an 80L system solidly. IN aquaculture, in general, a rule of thumb is to inoculate 1:10 by volume (1 liter is used to inoculate 10L). In this case 0.25L inoculating 80L indicates a hi-cell density.
Inoculating from liquid culture is fairly straight forward, just take your time to think through each step...What steps? Is the grow container(and utensils) as clean as it can be..from a practical perspective? Has the media been prepared correctly (any chlorine left if even used at all)? Is the air source fairly clean (an aquarium pump is fine)? Clean your hands. Make sure most air flow in the surrounding environment is at a minimal, open up the culture container and pour the liquid culture in. Immediately seal all containers and turn on the air when finished. In previous discussions I might have outlined the steps more precisely, or can, but if anyone sees something I overlooked please add.
well guys, i started my first culture pretty much following the video step by step, and i must say rob, you are the MAN!!! it was soooo easy after watching the video. i don't know if you know how much you are doing for the hobby, but i must say, this site and the podcasts are the only way i have gotten this far in the hobby. i really appreciate all that you guys have done to help the reefing community.
that said, here are 2 pics of my phyto cultures. i bought a 1 liter bottle of phyto off a guy on ebay, it said that it contained all 3 strains.... i guess that is good anyways it was only 8 bucks, and when i split the cultures, it was a very yellow color, well i came back from the holiday break and it was nice and green. here are 2 pics:
Great job Russell!! Thanks for sharing. Looks like it works for you!
From what I understand, though, you will probably only end up with one strain (the most dominant), because the strains will out-compete each other.
awesome job Russell.
Yes, RB is right, having a mixture like that will likely lead to only having one strain.. not a big deal though, it shouldn't cause you any grief though.
Erik, Thanks for jumping in and answering Aaron's question.
Aaron, if you have further question, please just ask we would be more than happy to elaborate further if needed
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Thanks all.... I ordered everything from seahorse source today and should be here Friday. I have tryed a small culture from DT's and will see how far that goes. Since I just started it is a yellow tint since yesterday but is still suspended. When I get the new Stuff from Alagen I will keep you updated.
ok, i know this has been asked before, but i can't find a definate answer. right now i have a 29 gallon tank with about 15 xenia corals, and a large shroom. it has a damsel and a clown fish, how much phyto should i be adding if any?
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anyways it was only 8 bucks, and when i split the cultures, it was a very yellow color, well i came back from the holiday break and it was nice and green. here are 2 pics:
