Microfood culture: phytoplanktons, Rotifers, ciliates, Artemia, and copepods

[kakalakasha]

Okay that sounds right. But for culturing my copepods ill need an endless supply of phyto, correct? The setup with 4 2-liter bottles should suffice, right? Take 2/3 of each culter per day and when you finish with the last one, the first should be replenished? Thanks zack

 

[Andrew17030]

That depends on what species of copepod you want to culture. How prepared are you to produce the species you select? What do you want to achieve with your culture? I am reading about culturing live food for larval fish. Copepods and amphipods stand out to me as the most practical because of papers I have read showing that diet has little impact on the fatty acid profiles of the studied animals. Suggesting that these animals have the ability to synthesize these acids and can be fed foods that save time and money. The real constrains are their life cycle and optimal stocking densities. With that said the harpacticoida copepods are better suited for alternative feeds. Regardless of what you culture at some point you will need to either split your culture or separate adults from subadults from ... or you will be feeding a culture that can longer yield proportionately to what you are feeding it.

 

[Photobug]

Having read all 14 pages

Having read all 14 pages

Having read this entire thread I am ready to start and now have the following questions.

First my plan is to use 1L Voss bottles as my growing chamber. I have a 18" T5 growing light. I am planning on using my Phyto2 bottles to start my phyto farms. Growing 2 different types of Phyto(Nano and Tetra). I will start with one bottle of each type then grow it out to 4 bottles of each.

What should I use for fertilizer? I know of locals using Miracle Gro but have read about Guilards F2 which seems out of production now. What is my better than Miracle Gro option nowadays?

I am a home brewer and the process of growing microfoods seems very similar to growing yeast. I do not want to wipe out my bottles of the Phyto2 so can i start with a small culture like 1/4 liter in the Voss bottle and add the appropriate fertilizer and a sample of the Nano and Tetra then grow that for a week, then add more 1,019 salt water and fertilzer to create 1/2 Liter, then later step it up to a full liter once that is green?

We have had a healthy population of copepods from our sump before but am not sure if the wrasse ate them all or our lack of feeding has lessened the population. I would like to add some Pods soon would Tigre be best?

Is it possible to order some rotifers when I order the other items and wait to start the batch until my Phyto farm is producing?

 

[billsreef]

Guillards or a modified Guillards are still readily available. I use the modified Guillards f/2 from Florida Aqua Farms, which is also sold through Aquatic Ecostyems (who also sells other brands of Guillards). It is the way to go. Forget the Miracle grow nonsense. As for ordering Rots at the same time, get the resting rotifers (sort of like brine shrimp cysts) and you'll be able to wait till the phyto is going well to start them. All supplies and starter cultures you could want are available from either the two places I mention, with FAF usually being slightly cheaper.

BTW, the same dedication to sanitation you need for brewing will serve phyto culturing very well :beer:

 

[SantaMonica]

I wish someone would make a plug-n-play HOB culturing device or the like. One that was almost crash proof somehow. Supplying exclusively huge amounts of live pods and even live phyto to a reef tank would probably change the whole business.

 

[DrPat]

algagen has pure starter cultures for nano and isochrysis galbana .I use 3 liter soda bottles they cost a dollar each. F2 [kent] from aquatic ecosystems 1 ml per liter, havest 75% of the culture on day 5 to 6 for maximun nutitional value. I then refill with fresh sea water made with ro/di H2O SG 1.020. Illuminate for 16 hrs/day I USE A 6500K CFL WITH A CLEAR LENS.

 

[quicktater]

Can someone tip me off to what a good source for buying small affordable hobbiest quantities of an amonia nutralizing compund? One of the Aqua culture places sells a 5 gallon bucket of the powder for $40 plus shipping. I'd like to buy a smaller supply. This would be for supporting concentrated rotifer cultures in order to reduce the likelyhood of a crash.

Thanks

 

[kissman]

Nice thread

 

[GreshamH]

Can someone tip me off to what a good source for buying small affordable hobbiest quantities of an amonia nutralizing compund? One of the Aqua culture places sells a 5 gallon bucket of the powder for $40 plus shipping. I'd like to buy a smaller supply. This would be for supporting concentrated rotifer cultures in order to reduce the likelyhood of a crash.

Thanks

There are rotifer feeds with it in it already, but I am unaware of ClorAm-X powder being sold in anything less then 5lb. You can get it in liquid form from Hikari, but you'll be spending a lot more on that then the 5 lb container. It really doesn't go bad though so its just one purchase and your set for loooong time.

 

[sunny d polyp]

Phyto culturing in 5/gal cardboys...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey all, just a heads up about larger culture containers, I grow 3 types of phyto, tet, iso and nano (30/gals) and I've had cultures last for 2 1/2 months until the density starts to lower and I'll start them over (usually compete with bacteria). It takes about three weeks for the densities to increase enough to split (2 1/2 gals) and I replace the phyto with 2 1/2 gals of sterilized culture water @ 1.020. I light them 24/7 and built a station that holds the lights and frames out of pvc that holds the carboys. This is a change from when I was culturing phyto with 3mil 17 liter bags from FAF but this was extremely time consuming. I feed 10/gals of Rot's (plicatilis) and my tank 120/gal mixed reef. If you can start out with a sterile culture, filtered air (.03 micron) and clean you containers when you start your new cultures (1qt of sodium hypo per 5/gals and then rinse and add 2 pints of muriatic acid each for 24 hours) you'll get the jump on bacteria and your culture will have a better chance at surviving for longer. This culturing technic has proven to be the easiest way yet (started with ½ gal rubber made containers) and lots of less work involved for me. I start with 4ml of FAF Algro per gal and the only time I will add anymore is when I split and add the sterilized culture water that replaces the phyto I remove to feed the rot’s, this averages around 1.5 to 2 ml of fertilizer per gal per 7 days in the long run.
Just thought I would throw my two cents in and this is a great thread and a lot of experience and good points.

 

[Mpek]

This is what I've been looking for...Thanks FMar!

 

[SantaMonica]

I wish someone would make a plug-n-play HOB culturing device or the like.

Someone had answered this before, but I can't find it now.

 

[Wilrok]

I saw a rotifer starter kit , that came with a bucket on reeds mariculture , would anyone recommend using or buying this ?

 

[ohad shimon]

Hello
My name is Ohad, and i am part of a team that cultures ciliated protozoa (Conc. of 10k for ml) for fish larvae feeding. our main focus was food fish, such as groupers and bluefin tuna. Recently we decided to test our product on ornamental fish larvae.
My questions to you, who know this world better then me.
What fishes are good to start with (with problems in the larval stage) ?
Do you think larval feeding is a major obsticale in culturing ornamental fishes ?

Best regards
Ohad

 

[billsreef]

Hi Ohad,

Yes, larval feeding is the stumbling block in a number of ornamental marine finfish species. I'd probably start looking at Centropyge species. High market demand, easy enough to breed, very limited success, and larval feeding seems to be the bottle neck. Simularly some of the basslets like the Swiss Guard, and also a number of wrasses would be good candidates.

 

[bok]

I have a question , and I guess this is the right place for it :
- can I use in my green algae bottles a CO2 scrubber ?
I am thinking that a lot of algae should need a lot of oxygen , as the culture matures and it gets greener.
Could a air with no CO2 do any good ?
Thank you!

 

[billsreef]

Can an algae culture be used as a scrubber, sure. There are people looking at using power plant exhaust in conjunction with algae culture to help scrub the CO2 from the power plant emissions and utilize the CO2 to boost culture production in order to produce algae for biofuels.

As for algae needing O2, they produce plenty of it themselves while the lights are on. No need to supplment it. Added CO2 on the other hand will benifit the algae and lead to increased production via denser faster growing cultures.

Air without CO2 would greatly hinder algae production. After the algae pulls CO2 out because it is needed

 

[bok]

Thank you!
It all makes sense now....

 

[Dresd3n]

refugium

refugium

This is a silly question but, how do the copepods from the refugium get to the main tank? Do you have to suck them up and put them in the main tank? The return pump seems to kill them before they get to the main tank.

 

[smb2415]

your question brings a debate by many. Most feel that pods will make it through the return pump back to the DT. Some will die but many will survive the journey. If you choose you could also use pod condos, songs, etc in the fugue then selectively put into DT.