Growing phytoplankton?

[Crazycajun]

Do any of you grow your own coral food? I have been looking into doing this. It would also help me in getting the plankton that I could use to raise copepods and rotifiers. Any info would be great.

 

[Gregcoyote]

It is pretty straight forwards. Cleanliness is a must as the cultures you will be working with can crash as a result of contamination. It all starts by producing "green water." this plankton source is then used to grow Rotifers. The Rotifers and vitamins are fed to brine shrimp or pods. It takes some plastic water jugs, air stones, a few florescent lights and you are good to go.

 

[Crazycajun]

Yes thanks. I read all of that. Where did you get your starter cultures as I would like two or three different kinds. I am looking at Florida aqua farms.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I think they would be a good source.

 

[ccCapt]

Just to clarify, phytoplankton is not coral food. Phyto is a plant and corals are meat eaters...they eat zooplankton.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Of course. But it is the beginning of the food chain for what he was asking to do.

 

[Crazycajun]

What do you feed your lps? I have a aussie prism brain coral goniastrea, aussie blastomussa, and a frog spawn.

 

[jsmith]

Nothing. I used to use coral frenzy twice a week but I don't use anything now. My corals do great. My frogspawn now has 7-8 heads and I started with 3 , 8 months ago

 

[Gregcoyote]

I don't feed mine either. They get enough from fish food waste and the light. I do occasionally feed my SPS corals at night.

 

[Jason M]

Corals do need to eat though. U couldn't have a coral tank with nothing else but corals without suoplimenting food. They will get some phyto on their tenicals and they would eat that but they do need meaty items as well. Phyto is just by accident