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•  Phytoplankton Culture

  Change Page: 1234 > | Showing page 1 of 4, messages 1 to 20 of 67 - powered by ASPPlayground.NET Forum Trial Version Author Message Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Phytoplankton Culture Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:45 PM (permalink) 5 Culturing Live Phytoplankton   Microalgae is the base of the food chain and crucial to the captive breeding process.     This is a simple guide to culturing your own live phytoplankton.  Live phytoplankton is useful if you are using the "Greenwater" technique for raising larval fishes.  It can also be used to feed rotifer cultures.   Things you'll need:   Live Phytoplankton Starter culture (You can get starter cultures from various sources such as Florida Aqua Farms, Reed Mariculture or even a local hobbyist)  Flexible Airline tubing  Rigid Airline tubing  Air pump  Culture containers (2L soda bottles work great. Drill a hole in the cap to accommodate the rigid airline tubing.  Collect some extra caps that remain undrilled.)  Fertilizer (Some people use Miracle-Gro but I prefer Guillards F/2 solution from Florida Aqua Farms.)  Clean culture medium (Saltwater with a specfic gravity of 1.015 with fertilizer added as per instructions.) Light (a simple shop light or aquarium fixture is fine.) Airline gang valves Ordinary, household, 5.5% bleach Dechlorinator (Some people use sodium thiosulfate for this, I use AquaSafe and it works fine.)  Funnel Plastic Bottle "crate" (The type that the soda bottles arrive at the store in.  I got mine from a local party store for free by simply asking.  These work great for holding the bottles... I've seen many people make elaborate contraptions to hold the bottles, these are perfect since that is what they were made for.)        Getting Started:    Sterilize the 2L bottles with bleach and dechlorinate.    If you are using a commercially available starter culture simply follow the directions provided.    If you are starting with a culture from a local hobbyist pour the culture into a 2L bottle and add culture medium until you achieve a light green color. Insert a rigid airline through the hole in the cap, attach to a pump via flex airline and a valve, and start the air  flow, not too much.  Leave the cap on loosely so air can escape from the bottle. Set in front of the light and wait a week. The culture will get darker, and in about a week's time, you will have a nice dense culture that can then be propagated by pouring a third of it into a prepared bottle as above.  The two thirds remaining can be used to feed your pods, clams, filter feeders, brine shrimp, rotifers, or fish larvae (via the rotifers).  More often, I split the dense culture in half by pouring half of the dense culture into a fresh bottle and refilling both bottles with the culture medium and starting over.  I do this because I can't use 2/3 of the concentrate fast enough and it also makes for a shorter time for the culture to mature.                 About non-live phytoplankton preparations: Concentrated, "non-live" phytoplankton or Instant Algae, can be purchased economically, and has many advantages over home grown live phytoplankton in some applications. For some breeders, live phyto is completely unnecessary, and they rely on purchased concentrated microalgae.  For more details on both types of phytoplankton, see the next page.    Suppliers of live cultures, culturing supplies, and concentrated phytoplankton: www.florida-aqua-farms.com  www.brineshrimpdirect.com <message edited by Fishtal on Saturday, November 17, 2012 12:01 PM> http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #1 Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 5, 2009 6:48 PM (permalink) 0 Edit:  I had these vids in the wrong thread. <message edited by Fishtal on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:13 PM> http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #2 Evgen Total Posts : 2 Scores: 0 Reward points : 29 Joined: 11/24/2009 Location: , NV, US Status: offline MBI: 0 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, November 24, 2009 1:42 PM (permalink) 0 Hello Fishtal! In Your bottle is Nannochloropsis? You Use CO2 for high density of phito?   #3 Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, November 24, 2009 2:23 PM (permalink) 0 Originally Posted by Evgen Hello Fishtal! In Your bottle is Nannochloropsis? You Use CO2 for high density of phito? Yes, I am culturing Nannochloropsis. I do not use C02, only air. http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #4 Evgen Total Posts : 2 Scores: 0 Reward points : 29 Joined: 11/24/2009 Location: , NV, US Status: offline MBI: 0 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, November 24, 2009 2:37 PM (permalink) 0 only Nanno? I`m cultivated Tetraselmis, 2 week. 7 days - low green color. I use L1 medium DIY   #5 Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, November 24, 2009 2:45 PM (permalink) 0 Originally Posted by Evgen only Nanno? I`m cultivated Tetraselmis, 2 week. 7 days - low green color. I use L1 medium DIY I do also culture Tetraselmis but it is Nanno in the pics.  BTW, the rotifer videos belong in the rotifer thread, my mistake, they'll be moved.   I'm not familiar with the L1 medium. <message edited by Fishtal on Monday, November 8, 2010 9:15 PM> http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #6 Umm_fish? Total Posts : 2835 Scores: 10 Reward points : 953 Joined: 11/4/2009 Location: Boulder, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 775 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 26, 2009 10:46 PM (permalink) 0 Here's my T-Iso setup: The bags hold around 6 liters when full.   #7 THEJRC Total Posts : 1006 Scores: 4 Reward points : 555 Joined: 10/23/2009 Location: Colorado Springs, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 210 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:02 AM (permalink) 0 How are you liking those bags Andy? I use "Crystal Geyser" natural spring water bottles (though I doubt the natural alpine water contents).  These jugs are nice square 1 gallon jugs that fit nicely on my culture rack.  I run 4 across on each shelf (4 ft shelf) with three twin tube NO Flourescents mounted vertically on the wall.  Using adjustable shelving each one of these units will give me between 12 and 16 culture spaes (3 or 4 shelves).  and run pretty efficiently.  The bottles come cheaply (10 for $10) and I utilize the water in other areas.  By using the disposable bottles I pretty much avoid having to clean vessels altogether.  A bottle will be used on average 3 times before being thrown away (unless it fouls sooner).  I replace the rigid on average every 12th cycle. On the subject of medium and Co2, I've bounced between a few mediums (and dependant on algae species will change) but have settled into the Guillards available in mass packs from FAF.  It's cheap and effective.  I run Full F strength on my Tetraselmis and Isochrysis, and just below full F on my Nannochloropsis.  I have long since removed my Co2 as I found it simply wasnt necessary for my cultures.  Split Nannochloropsis every 8 days, Isochrysis every 7th and Tetraselmis every 10th.  Co2 typically raises growth rate too high in my realm and I find that splitting too often not only stresses the cultures but leaves me with a ton of unuseable culture.  My goal is to maintain direct live sources and not have bottles of algae sitting in the fridge. Cultures are strained through a 250um seive for restarts / seeds, and a 20um sieve for harvests / feeds.  Occasionally I will "pelletize" samples prior to feeding using a microcentrifuge (this allows me to separate medium from the algal cells and will most likely prove to be more useful as my larvicology runs continue.).  The algae is centrifuged for approximately 2 minutes (or until visible separation occurs) the medium poured off, and the cells re-constituted using fresh saltwater.  I'm still working on this method to reduce cell damage but so far it's been an effective means of concentrating the cells in a cleaner culture (removal of the nutrients from the original medium). and thus ends my nifty brain dump! my racks look pretty much like this one (which sits behind my main system) Pelagically yours, ~J         #8 Umm_fish? Total Posts : 2835 Scores: 10 Reward points : 953 Joined: 11/4/2009 Location: Boulder, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 775 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:36 AM (permalink) 0 I do like the bags, though I'm not generally a fan of plastic bags. But in this case since sterility is so important (as well as flow dynamics from crud buildup inside the container), I think they're good. What do you do to minimize contamination when transferring seed stock to a new culture? I have the narrow bottle neck as you can see. I'm using a sterile funnel, but flow rate is fairly slow and pouring through a funnel creates a suction that's taking any micro-organisms from the air straight into the culture.   #9 THEJRC Total Posts : 1006 Scores: 4 Reward points : 555 Joined: 10/23/2009 Location: Colorado Springs, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 210 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:39 AM (permalink) 0 I just pour direct through my strainer, while it's not the best approach I dont seem to have too many problems.  I do turn my lighting exhaust fans and such off prior to working with cultures     Pelagically yours, ~J         #10 Umm_fish? Total Posts : 2835 Scores: 10 Reward points : 953 Joined: 11/4/2009 Location: Boulder, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 775 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado Re:Phytoplankton Culture Tuesday, January 19, 2010 10:00 AM (permalink) 0 Okay, thanks. So I won't worry too much then.   #11 Gomojoe Total Posts : 6 Scores: 0 Reward points : 45 Joined: 5/19/2010 Location: , MI, US Status: offline MBI: 0 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Wednesday, May 19, 2010 11:36 AM (permalink) 0 What size air pump do you guys use?  I have one from the skimmer to my nano that I never used.  It's got two ports and a dial, and says its rated at a pressure of .012MPa, and an output of 4.5L.min!  I'd like to get a setup that would do up to 7x 2L bottles and what I need for Rotifer cultures! My guess is I'd need alot bigger, but I just trying to get a reference.   #12 Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Wednesday, May 19, 2010 12:03 PM (permalink) 0 I originally thought I'd need a bigger air pump too but I found that the cheap little ones do just fine. A couple of gang valves and some air line and you're all set. http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #13 EasterEggs Total Posts : 1946 Scores: 19 Reward points : 735 Joined: 9/22/2011 Location: Saskatoon, SK, CA Status: offline MBI: 590 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 9:51 AM (permalink) 0 Tal, I'm looking at the algae disks and fertilizers at Florida Aqua Farms.  I'm going to order Iso and Nanno.  I want to order the dry "Mass Pack" fertilizer (shipping charges to Canada).  I notice I can order "dry or moist" and with or without silicate.  Which do I want?  I notice other things listed too like vitamin c, trace packs, plant fuel... I don't need any of that do I?   FAF Micro and Macro Nutrients   #14 Umm_fish? Total Posts : 2835 Scores: 10 Reward points : 953 Joined: 11/4/2009 Location: Boulder, CO, US Status: offline MBI: 775 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 11:49 AM (permalink) 0 Don't bother with the disks for Iso. Try to find a liquid starter elsewhere. --Andy, the bucket man. "Not to know the mandolin is to argue oneself unknown...." --Clara Lanza, 1886   #15 JimWelsh Total Posts : 1426 Scores: 14 Reward points : 1486 Joined: 1/22/2010 Location: Angwin, CA, US Status: offline MBI: 1845 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 11:58 AM (permalink) 0 Do NOT waste your money on Iso disks from FAF, in my opinion!  I know of nobody who has ever reported any success with them, and I have tried multiple times without any success, and numerous other people have also reported consistent failure with FAF Iso disks.   While it is possible to start Nanno from FAF disks, I've seen (and heard others report) that they have been contaminated with Tetraselmis.  The best starters, by far, are from Algagen via SeahorseSource.   Regarding the F/2 media, the "Mass Pack" is probably more than you will use in a lifetime.  I have a 1L bottle of the Micro Algae Grow that I have had for about 2 years now, and I still have about 1/4 of it left.  You need silicate if you are growing diatoms.  Neither Iso nor Nanno is a diatom.  If you do decide to start growing diatoms, you can just get some sodium metasilicate, or the "Liquid Silicate Solution" that FAF offers.   #16 EasterEggs Total Posts : 1946 Scores: 19 Reward points : 735 Joined: 9/22/2011 Location: Saskatoon, SK, CA Status: offline MBI: 590 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 5:23 PM (permalink) 0 Whew!  Glad I asked!  Thanks guys.    Jim, I wasn't aware AlgaGen did mono cultures.  I can't see these on their website, am I blind or is it by request only?  I realize the Mass Packs are a large amount of fert, but I also noticed that one Mass Pack is $20 and ships as 2.2 lbs where the liquid f/2 is $15 for 1L and ships 2.6 lbs.  May as well go for the mass pack.   However, I do have one pound each of Potassium nitrate, Monopotassium phosphate, Potassium sulfate, Iron chelate 10%, and Plantex CSM+B.  These are from a short dabbling with FW planted aquaria.  Any chance I could make my own fert with this stuff?   #17 JimWelsh Total Posts : 1426 Scores: 14 Reward points : 1486 Joined: 1/22/2010 Location: Angwin, CA, US Status: offline MBI: 1845 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI) Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 5:33 PM (permalink) 0 Get Algagen starters from SeahorseSource.com:  http://www.seahorsesource...;category=Foods-Algaes   You might be able to make adequate media with your chemicals, but Guillard's F/2 (Micro Algae Grow) is a proven medium that includes vitamins and trace minerals, and is very inexpensive.   #18 Fishtal Total Posts : 5467 Scores: 37 Reward points : 2908 Joined: 8/31/2006 Location: Waterford, MI, US Status: offline MBI: 585 Pnts MBI Site: MarineLife Aquarium Society of Michigan Re:Phytoplankton Culture Thursday, November 3, 2011 6:09 PM (permalink) 0 I tried both Nanno and Iso from FAF. The Nanno did fine but the Iso didn't. http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage "Making captive breeding easier."   #19 KathyL Total Posts : 2639 Scores: 13 Reward points : 1504 Joined: 6/6/2010 Location: St. Louis, MO, US Status: offline MBI: 1605 Pnts MBI Site: Marine Aquarium Societies of North America Re:Phytoplankton Culture Friday, November 4, 2011 7:56 AM (permalink) 0 nobody gets ISO to grow from a disc. I know. I tried many times.   #20 Online Bookmarks Sharing: Facebook Digg Google del.icio.us StumbleUpon Change Page: 1234 > | Showing page 1 of 4, messages 1 to 20 of 67 - powered by ASPPlayground.NET Forum Trial Version

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