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Anonymous

Guest
Exactly, you can make your own green water, even keep the same culture going by just topping off. Cryopreserved paste or the sprayed dried stuff from ESV is also a decent substitute but the live stuff is usually preferred.

Tom
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I've been using ESV's Phytoplankton and have been having good results with it.


Ken
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Is there a good, less expensive, replacement for DT's phytoplankton? I'm new to reefkeeping so have'nt had much experience with other foods.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Greetings,

I use DT's Phytoplankton and find it quite economical to use.. Just refill with tapwater and place it in a window for sunlight.. Have the same gallon culture going for close to 4 mos now
smile.gif


------------------
-- Tom Phillips
..Creative Reefs.. www.intltradeinstitute.com/reef.html
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I'm presently not using any photoplankton supplements, I've always been afraid to add them. I understand the benefits; but does anyone notice there skimmer over skimming during times of addition? Also when does everyone add this stuff? Do you shut down your pumps for alittle while? How much does everyone add? I'm very open to the topic but I don't know much about its use and application.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Greetings,

I add 1 cup per 50 gal twice weekly.. I leave my pumps and powerheads going.. My skimmer is not really affected by the addition of the live Phytoplankton but my corals sure seem to like the stuff
smile.gif



------------------
-- Tom Phillips
..Creative Reefs.. www.intltradeinstitute.com/reef.html
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I add ESV every other day. ESV has some type of additive which causes the protein skimmer to temporarily stop skimming for about 3 hours.

Ken
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
HI:
brineshrimpdirect.com sells reed maricultures phytoplankton mixtures as cyropastes...these are much more ecomnomical alternative to DT's as according to another post it takes about 5 gal/DT to equal 1-tube of cryopaste, additionally the phyto mixtures contain 2 or 3 phyto each w/ higher concentrations of certain HUFAs, and nutrients, so you get a full balanced meal -compared to DT's just being nanno.
Yes you should turn off your skimmer as it will pull out this stuff as quickly as you put it in, don't worry about the power heads, as phytos being so small, the powerheads are nothing but carnival rides...but do turn off your skimmer for an hour or so...
my opinion
frank
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Tom - I like that thought...sitting it in a sunny window. Now thats even cheaper than the cryopastes (which I use). You having no problems keeping up with what you take out?

I havnt heard if they have changed their recipe yet... I believe they were going to add tetraselmis to the mix? Would make this an even more attractive option. Cryopastes are good, but yes they're dead as a doorknob.

-S
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Greetings,

At the rate of 2 cups being used per week and topping off with regular tapwater (for nutrients) it's the same color as it was when I bought it (maybe a shade lighter) but it's definately alive and doing well
smile.gif



------------------
-- Tom Phillips
..Creative Reefs.. www.intltradeinstitute.com/reef.html
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Cryopaste is more economical but it's no where near as beneficial as LIVE phyto. In fact up until VERY recently even Reed Mariculture was acknowledging that on their website. I guess in the interest of marketing they took it down. I distinctly remember reading that statement on their website awhile back.

Tom


------------------
Visit Tom's Reef
http://www.bit-net.com/~tjotoole/

proud to be an associate of

Inland Reef Aquaria, Nashua, NH
http://www.inlandreef.com/
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Do you add during the day or night? Anyone seen any adverse affects?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Anyone tried dosing a dilute solution of DT's via IVdrip/dosing pump? I have considered it, but worry that my superduper overkill Euroreef F4 skimmer will blowup all the time, as opposed to only once a week.

Just curious if anyone has attempted it.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I'd be interested in having some more info. on culturing DT's phytoplankton. I use the stuff, and it def. benefits my corals and filter feeders.

What do you top it off with? Do you need to add anything else, or just put in in sunlight? How long should it be left in the "sunny window"?

Thanks for the info.

Scott
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Okee spoke with Dennis today about it. Here's the deal. In August he began to specify that it was Nannochloropsis, and since then he has been adding Isochrysis to the mix(Both have the highest concentrations of HUFA's DHA and EPA). The target mix which should be reached next week is 66/33 percent of Nannochloropsis and Isochrysis respectively(currently it's 80/20). I believe(can't remember exactly) that he's toying with the idea of adding tetraselmis to the mix but because it has little nutritional value, he's probably not going to.

We talked at length about the various microalgae products on the market and keeping in mind that this is him marketing his own product, he did have some valid points.

Spray Dried phyto:
No where near as good as the paste product and can't touch the live stuff. Why? Too big. It clumps and rarely is below 70 microns, Rob Toonen says he's tried various methods of breaking it up including ultrasound and it won't get smaller. This is an issue with clams, as they are selective filter feeders and won't uptake phytoplankton larger than about 40 microns. This is stuff is great for sponge growth as it almost immediately deteriorates into dissolved organics. The spray dried stuff is commercially known as Algamac and is used mainly for shrimp farming.

Cryopaste products are good substitutes for live phyto, as it's easier to dose in larger quantities which is why the main users are aquaculture facilities. For the hobbiest, its fairly easy to overdose this stuff because it's so highly concentrated and it begins to rot almost immediately(within hours). Overdosing can cause fairly severe cyanobacteria and other algae blooms. (Seen this myself). Does contribute to DOC's thus can help sponge growth.

The Live Phyto, is much harder to overdose(I've seen it done <g> ). Live is always better than dead, but you won't see as much sponge growth with live because they are competing with the sponge for dissolved organic compounds(DOC's). But Rob Toonen points out and it's a valid statement, that even though the Phyto is competing for the DOC's they will eventually be consumed by something else, and be converted to waste which will become DOC's again, thus you really aren't robbing the tank of food by adding Live Phyto, you just aren't contributing to the overall DOC concentration by having dead phyto rotting in the system.

Tom


------------------
Visit Tom's Reef
http://www.bit-net.com/~tjotoole/

proud to be an associate of

Inland Reef Aquaria, Nashua, NH
http://www.inlandreef.com/




[This message has been edited by MickAv8r (edited 23 November 1999).]
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Greetings,

Yes I am reculturing the DT's Phytoplankton.. It's freshwater algae so top-off with normal tapwater for the added nutrients.. The phytoplankton needs something to feed on and will grow best with tapwater rather than ro/di water.. I have not seen any change in Phosphate or Nitrate in my set-up (after 4 mos) because the phytoplankton seems to be using these nutrients between top-offs
smile.gif


This gallon should have been empty 2-3 months ago but by placing the bottle in a sunny window (all day long) and topping off with freshwater, it's still alive and growing .. and the gallon bottle is still full
smile.gif


I'm shooting for 6 months on this gallon but am convinced it would last much longer.. But since the recipe is being changed for the better, I will use this batch up at the 6 month point and get a gallon of the new batch and begin a new
smile.gif


------------------
-- Tom Phillips
..Creative Reefs.. www.intltradeinstitute.com/reef.html
 

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