Live Marine Phytoplankton

[Frogspawn]

any one know how to produce live marine phytoplankton?
i cant belive i am such a noob lol i got my clam and acro and i dont have anything for them to eat. i need to get them somthing and quick. i here Live Marine Phytoplankton is best for both of them and i was wondering if any one else out there does it their self? and would share how to do it.
thanks

 

[severum mama]

The reefers I know all swear by DT's Phytoplankton- although I'm not sure how easy it is to find.

I don't know what others think of this product, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. I know it should be sold refrigerated.

 

[Frogspawn]

i dont know if u can reproduce the stuff your self? like i know some people hatch thier own brine shrimp. can u do the same thing with Live Marine Phytoplankton ?

 

[Devilishturtles]

You can... but it's mucho work. You'd be better off spending the $10-$15 for some DT's phytoplankton or oyster eggs. Just my opinion. Most LFS's sell it, if you can't find it near you...Aquarium Depot in Baltimore sells it.

 

[Frogspawn]

any ideas how?

 

[melosu58]

I use DT`s phyto and I also use the oyster eggs made by them also. I dont know how to raise your own but I do know someone who did and as Lindsay said it was very much work that he gave up on it.

 

[tecwzrd]

www.melevsreef.com has an excellent article on making your own Phytoplankton but as mentioned before it's time consuming and unless you have a very large tank with a lot of corals that are consuming a ton of the stuff DT is the way to go.

 

[Steven Pro]

You can grow your own phytoplankton, but besides being time consuming, it is a very easy way to put a lot of fertilizer in your aquarium. For phytoplankton, DT's get my vote.

As to your Acropora, it is not likely to eat phytoplankton, although the clam will. Better foods for the Acropora would be the DT's oyster eggs or Argent's Cyclop-Eeze.

 

[macman7010]

I agree with Steven, DT's is a great supplement/food.

 

[MT79]

I agree w/ Steven, regarding zooplankton foods being more appropriate for acros. The clam will enjoy phyto. Feeding phyto may boost the naturally occurring zooplankton in the tank by feeding the pods, etc. Be careful when feeding these types of foods. They can quickly cause water quality to decline if overfed or used to often. I'd recommend starting w/ approx. 1/2 of the recommended amount and increase from there.

 

[Frogspawn]

well i dont have a bunch of corals. i have anout 4 or 5 different types of shrooms and 4 different types of polyps 1 toch coral 1 pulsing zina. 1 huge toad stool leather 1 purple acro. and soon i will be purchsing a frogspawn in a month.
i also have 1 clam 2 clown fish and a stubern crab that wont come out of the acro lol and i forgot to mention about 1 dozen mix of hermits and snails.
i am about done with my reef tank and i think what i have now suits this small 30g tank. all i have to feed at this point in time is flake food, ora glown marine pellets and also frozen mysis shrimp. i have no food for my clams or corals. and i am kinda confused on what to buy them. some people say zooplankton and others say DT's is there a difference? i am heading to the fish store today and i hope by then i know what to get. i found a dealer around here that sells DT's and if i should buy them i will. i think some one said its a great suplement food but what do i feed while not feeding DT's
i hope this makes sence. i dont understand this kinda food at all

 

[MT79]

say zooplankton and others say DT's is there a difference?

DT's is the name brand. They make phytoplankton (DT's phyto) and zooplankton (DT's oyster eggs). Cyclop-eeze is also a name brand/type of zooplankton. Oyster eggs are much, much smaller than cylop-eeze. Besides coral, fish such as anthias, chromis, clowns, etc. will appreciate cyclop-eeze. The other two foods, phyto and oyster eggs, are for coral and pods only. They are too small for fish.
FWIW your tank/coral will do just fine w/ only good lighting and fish feedings(If the clam is under 3" it will NEED target feedings of phyto- over 3" light alone is enough). I would actually stay away from or be very cautious w/ feeding phyto or zooplankton w/ such a new tank. Nutrients are usually an issue w/ newer tanks to begin w/. If you notice algae or other issues discontinue feeding for a few days and then cut back on the amount in the future. I would recommend you start w/ cyclop-eeze first if you can.

 

[MT79]

and a stubern crab that wont come out of the acro

Probably not necessary. Check your "Hitcher" thread in the getting started forum

 

[Frogspawn]

ok i got the DT's too see what comes from it. on the bottle it says feed every other day 2tsp but i will cut that in half and see how that goes. when i feed this do i pour it in the main tank or in the refuge? and OMG this stuff smells.

 

[severum mama]

Have you checked the expiration date? I was under the impression that it didn't smell bad until it had expired. Was it refrigerated when you bought it?

As a noob, I might be wrong about that... but I seem to remember that's how it goes from working at the LFS...

 

[Frogspawn]

on the bottom it say best if used by Aug.2007 and ys it was cold when i bought it.
is that ok? or should i have bought one that had a later date on the bottle?

 

[MT79]

If it was not shaken once a week as stated on the bottle it will go bad. It says to squeeze the trapped air out of the bottle before giving it a smell test. Sulphur will build up in the bottle and produce a foul odor. Shake it, squeeze the trapped air out, and it should smell like the ocean basically. A little smell, but not a rotting, sulphur smell.
I feed phyto only once or twice a week and less than the amount recommended. I mix it w/ a cup of tank water and squirt it into the tank w/ turkey baster. More than that and I start seeing algae and cyano popping up. I do see more pods w/ more frequent feedings though.

 

[Frogspawn]

well this stuff smells and i got off the phone with the fish store and they said they take care of it how the place sas to do it.. they were vary rude and i wont be going back to them. they tryed to sell me a rodi unit that i think they knew had some kinda recall on it. not shure but i was not going to spend 180$ on a unit that u had to hit on the table to losen up the stuff inside the cartages. owell i guess i will have to start to buy it off line. might cost more but atleat i know what i am getting.

 

[MT79]

The only equipment I've bought from a LFS in the last 3-4 years is airline. You can get one heck of an RO/DI online for $180 and not have to beat it on a table
Oh and if the pyhto smells real bad toss it, don't use it.

 

[severum mama]

Mike, can you please post a link? I am interested for future reference.