OK, so, this is my rough guide on phytoplankton. Most of it is coming direct from brain to keyboard, checking some references as I go to ensure my memory is correct and I wasn’t delusional at the time, which is rare. Use at own risk. References and a number of great links provided at end.
What are phytoplankton?
From the Greek phyto (plant) and plankton (drifting). Some are bacteria, some are single celled plants that live in water and include diatoms, cyanobacterria, green algae, and more. They survive by photosynthesis and, depending on their composition and light absorbtion, can be blue, green, brown or red in color. The microscopic green and brown varieties are the most beneficial to home aquariasts.
What do they do?
They are arguably one of the, if not the, most important organism in the food chain. They are the primary food source of the ocean feeding everything from zooplankton and amphipods to whales. As they use and absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis they collectively function as the largest carbon dioxide scrubber on the planet.
What is their use to aquarists?
Fish will eat it, as you know fish will eat anything. If they don’t like it they’ll spit it out, then try to eat it again, spit it out, and another fish will eat it… ad infinitum. As for coal, most corals are hermatypic (autotrophic and heterotrophic), meaning they can use light or food as a fuel source, with the exception of the gorgonians, which require food.
As reefkeepers, we feed our fish directly and occasionally feed our corals and clams directly - and there is a large array of products out there trying to grab our attention. With phytoplankton dosing we're indirectly feeding fish, directly feeding corals and clams, and we're also adding a very important factor into that food chain - Omega 3 high usaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) which are essential to the development and growth of sea life and are often low in quantity, or even non-existant in the home aquarium.
As an added benefits phyo feeds fish fry, brine shrimp, amphipods, and copepods in your tank or ‘farms’, allowing their populations to bloom and become more nutritious food sources.
What are the disadvantages?
Phytoplankton is microalgae and outside its ‘farm’ will die in your tank if unused. Too much will have the same effect as any other food, increased phosphates followed by algae growth. A good place to start is at 5ml per 10 gallons 2 or 3 times a week. I’m running a 90 gallon reef and I dose 50ml every few days.
Choosing your phytoplankton
There are thousands of types of phytoplankton. Most are impossible to grow in home conditions, but a few have the capability to grow well given the proper environment and husbandry techniques.
It’s important to realize that each type of phyto differs in size, amino acids, HUFAs, and growth conditons such as temperature, salinity, pH, etc… As such, it is a good idea to cultivate a number of types of phyto and blend them together before introduction to your tank.
Most of the home grown or purchased phytos are Nanochloropsus, a simple to grow species of phyto which, well nutritious, does not cover a full spectrum of requirements for all species in your tank. I’d advise doing some research and talking to a number of people in the know (that’s what the internet is for, find places, call them) but, to be honest, if you want to be lazy I’ve done the work for you.
Here is what I use in Dr. C’s Phytoblend. Note three diffent sizes, omega profiles, and purposful amino profiles:
Nannochloropsis oculata
A 2-6 micrometer size, 16-43% HUFA, with an amino profile leaning towards B-12 to promote improved immunity in your tank.
Requires 60-86 degrees, 5,000 LUX (illumination), salinity 22-25 (1.017- 1.019)
Chlorella vulgaris
A 5-10 micrometer size, 25-60% HUFA, amino profile towards improved growth.
Requires 65-80 degrees, 4,000 - 5,000 LUX, salinity 26 (1.020)
Tetraselmis tetrahele
A 9-14 micrometer size, 5% HUFA, amino profile towards antibiotic properties.
Requires 70-80 degrees, 2,000 - 18,000 LUX, salinity 30 - 38 (1.023 - 1.029)
Do your research and choose phyto that will grow well in the environment you’re going to provide while providing the most benefit to your stock.
Feeding your phytoplankton
So, though food, your phytoplankton has to eat and, as usual there are arguments all over the net on the topic of feeding phyto. Here’s the facts, you need 3 things:
Water
Many claim you can use basic tap water, many claim you should only use RODI, many claim you should quarantine the water for… sorry, wandered into a different site for a moment.
Anyways, yes, you can use tap water but keep in mind that any impurities may get transferred to your tank. Granted it will only be a few milliters every few days with nearly no repercussions, but for peace of mind it’s best to use RODI or distilled water for your base.
Light
Any grow light should do. The two big stores have nice compact grow flourescents (T5) for about $50. Hook your grow light into a simple timer. You want bright light for 16 hours a day and total darkness for 8 hours per day.
Here’s a funny story about grow lights. When I went to pick mine up at one of the two big home stores, I asked an employee, a tiny woman of about 70 years of age, very grandmotherly in appearance, where the grow lights were. She told me and I thanked her. As I was turning to walk away she said, ‘Oh, and if you’re growing pot don’t forget to ventilate the room with a few fans’. It was one of the few times in my life where my brain actually stopped working for a few seconds.
Food
Again the arguments abound. There are two primary options.
The first and simplest, as suggested on Melev’s Reef, is liquid Miracle Grow. A few drops per gallon directly into the culture. Easy, cheap, fast, and it works well. The concern is that the composition of the product contains trace metals, including copper, and though it will be present in such a minor concentration that it shouldn’t have any effect on your tank, if you’re a purist you’ll probably want to avoid it.
The second option is for a product called f/2 which is a blend of nutrients and trace minerals specific to phytoplankton and most often free of preservatives and trace metals. This is the option I use.
Equipment
You should now have:
Phytoplankton cultures
A water source
Grow lights
Food
You need:
An air pump
An air line splitter if growing more than 1 culture
Flexible and rigid tubing
A grow container for each culture - 2L soda bottles or gallon milk jugs will do fine
The day before starting your farm
Get 1 gallon of water for each of your cultures and get it to proper salinity for each culture.
Add your food source to the water, 5ml if using Miracle Grow, 1.5ml (or 40 drops) if using f/2.
Let it sit overnight to stew together.
Vinegar bath your container(s) of choice (you can also prep the cap to accept a rigid airline by drilling a 1/4” hole in it).
PART 2 FOLLOWS (I cant post more than 1,000 words apparently)
What are phytoplankton?
From the Greek phyto (plant) and plankton (drifting). Some are bacteria, some are single celled plants that live in water and include diatoms, cyanobacterria, green algae, and more. They survive by photosynthesis and, depending on their composition and light absorbtion, can be blue, green, brown or red in color. The microscopic green and brown varieties are the most beneficial to home aquariasts.
What do they do?
They are arguably one of the, if not the, most important organism in the food chain. They are the primary food source of the ocean feeding everything from zooplankton and amphipods to whales. As they use and absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis they collectively function as the largest carbon dioxide scrubber on the planet.
What is their use to aquarists?
Fish will eat it, as you know fish will eat anything. If they don’t like it they’ll spit it out, then try to eat it again, spit it out, and another fish will eat it… ad infinitum. As for coal, most corals are hermatypic (autotrophic and heterotrophic), meaning they can use light or food as a fuel source, with the exception of the gorgonians, which require food.
As reefkeepers, we feed our fish directly and occasionally feed our corals and clams directly - and there is a large array of products out there trying to grab our attention. With phytoplankton dosing we're indirectly feeding fish, directly feeding corals and clams, and we're also adding a very important factor into that food chain - Omega 3 high usaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) which are essential to the development and growth of sea life and are often low in quantity, or even non-existant in the home aquarium.
As an added benefits phyo feeds fish fry, brine shrimp, amphipods, and copepods in your tank or ‘farms’, allowing their populations to bloom and become more nutritious food sources.
What are the disadvantages?
Phytoplankton is microalgae and outside its ‘farm’ will die in your tank if unused. Too much will have the same effect as any other food, increased phosphates followed by algae growth. A good place to start is at 5ml per 10 gallons 2 or 3 times a week. I’m running a 90 gallon reef and I dose 50ml every few days.
Choosing your phytoplankton
There are thousands of types of phytoplankton. Most are impossible to grow in home conditions, but a few have the capability to grow well given the proper environment and husbandry techniques.
It’s important to realize that each type of phyto differs in size, amino acids, HUFAs, and growth conditons such as temperature, salinity, pH, etc… As such, it is a good idea to cultivate a number of types of phyto and blend them together before introduction to your tank.
Most of the home grown or purchased phytos are Nanochloropsus, a simple to grow species of phyto which, well nutritious, does not cover a full spectrum of requirements for all species in your tank. I’d advise doing some research and talking to a number of people in the know (that’s what the internet is for, find places, call them) but, to be honest, if you want to be lazy I’ve done the work for you.
Here is what I use in Dr. C’s Phytoblend. Note three diffent sizes, omega profiles, and purposful amino profiles:
Nannochloropsis oculata
A 2-6 micrometer size, 16-43% HUFA, with an amino profile leaning towards B-12 to promote improved immunity in your tank.
Requires 60-86 degrees, 5,000 LUX (illumination), salinity 22-25 (1.017- 1.019)
Chlorella vulgaris
A 5-10 micrometer size, 25-60% HUFA, amino profile towards improved growth.
Requires 65-80 degrees, 4,000 - 5,000 LUX, salinity 26 (1.020)
Tetraselmis tetrahele
A 9-14 micrometer size, 5% HUFA, amino profile towards antibiotic properties.
Requires 70-80 degrees, 2,000 - 18,000 LUX, salinity 30 - 38 (1.023 - 1.029)
Do your research and choose phyto that will grow well in the environment you’re going to provide while providing the most benefit to your stock.
Feeding your phytoplankton
So, though food, your phytoplankton has to eat and, as usual there are arguments all over the net on the topic of feeding phyto. Here’s the facts, you need 3 things:
Water
Many claim you can use basic tap water, many claim you should only use RODI, many claim you should quarantine the water for… sorry, wandered into a different site for a moment.
Anyways, yes, you can use tap water but keep in mind that any impurities may get transferred to your tank. Granted it will only be a few milliters every few days with nearly no repercussions, but for peace of mind it’s best to use RODI or distilled water for your base.
Light
Any grow light should do. The two big stores have nice compact grow flourescents (T5) for about $50. Hook your grow light into a simple timer. You want bright light for 16 hours a day and total darkness for 8 hours per day.
Here’s a funny story about grow lights. When I went to pick mine up at one of the two big home stores, I asked an employee, a tiny woman of about 70 years of age, very grandmotherly in appearance, where the grow lights were. She told me and I thanked her. As I was turning to walk away she said, ‘Oh, and if you’re growing pot don’t forget to ventilate the room with a few fans’. It was one of the few times in my life where my brain actually stopped working for a few seconds.
Food
Again the arguments abound. There are two primary options.
The first and simplest, as suggested on Melev’s Reef, is liquid Miracle Grow. A few drops per gallon directly into the culture. Easy, cheap, fast, and it works well. The concern is that the composition of the product contains trace metals, including copper, and though it will be present in such a minor concentration that it shouldn’t have any effect on your tank, if you’re a purist you’ll probably want to avoid it.
The second option is for a product called f/2 which is a blend of nutrients and trace minerals specific to phytoplankton and most often free of preservatives and trace metals. This is the option I use.
Equipment
You should now have:
Phytoplankton cultures
A water source
Grow lights
Food
You need:
An air pump
An air line splitter if growing more than 1 culture
Flexible and rigid tubing
A grow container for each culture - 2L soda bottles or gallon milk jugs will do fine
The day before starting your farm
Get 1 gallon of water for each of your cultures and get it to proper salinity for each culture.
Add your food source to the water, 5ml if using Miracle Grow, 1.5ml (or 40 drops) if using f/2.
Let it sit overnight to stew together.
Vinegar bath your container(s) of choice (you can also prep the cap to accept a rigid airline by drilling a 1/4” hole in it).
PART 2 FOLLOWS (I cant post more than 1,000 words apparently)
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