Phytoplankton for control of Phophates and Nitrate in the Reef

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Phytoplankton Nutritional Value
Phytoplankton is impressively loaded with life-promoting nutrients, including:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids (both EPA and DHA)
• Protein
• Amino acids
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Antioxidants
• Carotenoids
• Phytonutrients
• Phytochemicals
• Trace minerals
• Chlorophyll

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Phytoplankton Nutritional Value
Phytoplankton is impressively loaded with life-promoting nutrients, including:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids (both EPA and DHA)
• Protein
• Amino acids
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Antioxidants
• Carotenoids
• Phytonutrients
• Phytochemicals
• Trace minerals
• Chlorophyll

That list is clearly put together by someone pushing the "benefits" of eating phyto. lol

To list these identical things as different benefits is just, well, intended to mislead.

1. amino acids and proteins
2. minerals and trace minerals
3. phytonutrients, phytochemicals, chlorophyll, carotenoids

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Thats why I am here to learn from the best.

Does phytoplankton have strontium in it?

Got a complete nutritional info on nannochloropsis culture ?
what is it missing to be a complete nutritional diet?

 

[sundog101]

Bacterialplankton would be smaller then phyto right? And would get traped onto the Celia hair of the coral on the outside and absorbed by sponges ?

For sponges, most phyto is too large. I think bacterial plankton would be a better bet. I don't know if it's available though.

From Aquarium Invertebrates: Sponges, Phylum Porifera:
"The flagellum waves back and forth from base to tip, pushing water ahead of them as they do. Each cell beats at it's own pace, and pulls water from very tiny openings (ostia) all over the surface of the sponge (the largest of which are about 1/10th of a millimeter) into the sponge, along the cell body, through the collar which captures food particles from 0.1-1.5 μm (that's less than 1/600th of a millimeter -- about the size of a bacterium)"

Most phyto is around 2-12μm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/inverts
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

For sponges, most phyto is too large. I think bacterial plankton would be a better bet. I don't know if it's available though.

From Aquarium Invertebrates: Sponges, Phylum Porifera:
"The flagellum waves back and forth from base to tip, pushing water ahead of them as they do. Each cell beats at it's own pace, and pulls water from very tiny openings (ostia) all over the surface of the sponge (the largest of which are about 1/10th of a millimeter) into the sponge, along the cell body, through the collar which captures food particles from 0.1-1.5 μm (that's less than 1/600th of a millimeter -- about the size of a bacterium)"

Most phyto is around 2-12μm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/inverts
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2

Going to read those links later, for now can the bacterioplankton possibly be present in nannochloropsis oculata culture and can they be less in size to where sponges may consume them. boy you should of seen my sponges when i fed my 20G 1 cup a day of phyto. could it be that i was culturing at the same time without knowing the phyto and bacterioplankton?

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Or was it the algae on the glass that when sliced off with the razor blade released small pores @ the right size for sponges? and that the extra f2 fertilizer inwhich was left in the phyto helped with that?

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

For sponges, most phyto is too large. I think bacterial plankton would be a better bet. I don't know if it's available though.

From Aquarium Invertebrates: Sponges, Phylum Porifera:
"The flagellum waves back and forth from base to tip, pushing water ahead of them as they do. Each cell beats at it's own pace, and pulls water from very tiny openings (ostia) all over the surface of the sponge (the largest of which are about 1/10th of a millimeter) into the sponge, along the cell body, through the collar which captures food particles from 0.1-1.5 μm (that's less than 1/600th of a millimeter -- about the size of a bacterium)"

Most phyto is around 2-12μm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/inverts
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2

From the links you provided.

Some free cells (ameobocytes) cruise around through these water channels and ingest small algal cells, protozoans, detritus and other organic particles in the range of 2-5 μm. Other freely moving cells (archeocytes) take these captured particles and complete the digestion of them before passing nutrients along to the rest of the body.

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

size:

http://chloroplast.ocean.washington.edu/organisms/nannochloropsis.

 

[sundog101]

size:

http://chloroplast.ocean.washington.edu/organisms/nannochloropsis.

Hmm. I didn't know nanno was that small. It seems to be in the right range.

What sponges did you keep in your 20G?

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Here are ssome of the types of sponges I had:




They were all over my tank like an infestation but they looked sexy unlike aipstasia. Pink,red,white,blue,orange etc

These arms were sticking out every square inch:



Among other mini clean up crew.

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Will the increase in sponges and coral caused by the addition of phytoplankton reduce the amount of inoganics and organics in the water? And if this does not work will the increase in mini clean up crew from the phyto eat the organics before it turn into inorganics reducing inorganics?

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Bacterioplankon I will assume comes from phyto and copepods for the most part and they are smaller then 2 um? making them a perfect size organic? for coral and sponges?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does phytoplankton have strontium in it?

I don't consider strontium useful, but in general it won't be accumulating in any organism that is not depositing a skeleton.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Bacterioplankon I will assume comes from phyto and copepods for the most part and they are smaller then 2 um? making them a perfect size organic? for coral and sponges?

Bacteria come in many sizes, and when carbon dosing, the clumps of bacteria in the water column can be large enough to see and make the water hazy. I think they are fed on by many organisms, but I cannot say which do and which do not consume any given species.

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

I read that phytoplankton can suvive for 5 plus days with out inorganics does this sound true? If so and I have to check my notes but lets say I put 5 ml of f2 ferilizer per 1 G of new saltwater then I culture for several days and this hypothetically used up the 5 ml of ferilizer. if I went 12 days would this not ensure that all of the added ferilzer was used up and that I am not dumping in my tank inorgaincs but organics (phytoplankton)?

Now if I can dump a tad bit extra phytoplankton then what my biological load consumes, then would there be a slight chance that photosynthesis from my lights may work with the extra phyto to consume inorganics P/N in my tank?

Is this worth looking into? it will be a fine balancing act of phytoplankton.

Same facts about phytoplankton:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/phyto.html

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Bacteria come in many sizes, and when carbon dosing, the clumps of bacteria in the water column can be large enough to see and make the water hazy. I think they are fed on by many organisms, but I cannot say which do and which do not consume any given species.

Bacterioplankton is pretty much bacteria that drifts or floats in the water column? Do you think that it is more then likely bacteria in phytoplankton culture are aboundant or does the phyto usually win over the bacteria and compete with it for food? what does bacteria eat?

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

Here is my old phytoplankton culture:








I will be resuming my research shortly

 

[Tajaba]

Following this thread. I had an idea like this a while back as well but ended up going with a sandbed reactor which worked remarkably well. I would like to do something like this as well if possible, although I still don't know how much organic carbon the Phytoplanktons are able to uptake (compared to bacterioplankton that many of us use).

 

[teller]

Amazing information in this thread, no matter if the title is feasible or not, I have been learning a lot with the pictures, explanations and links!
Keep up coming....

Thanks.

 

[Dr Blue Thumb]

I use a phosban reactor and fill it with argonite the large size this I think increases pods and bacteria, I heard that bacteria are so powerful that they can decompose a blue whale all by themselves.

A little hard to read but does this seem accurate for nutritional composition of Phyto:




I have autism and what I like to do in order to understand things better is that I use pictures and diagrams like this:

Bacteria:



I use forums like this to educate myself at the same time that I may be able to hopefully educate others. If I use bad links or bad theories or give bad info then please correct me? I may be off a bit in my hypothesis and grammar, but if I am off in my grammar please to not throw away everything else based on that. I also like to prove that inwhich I think might be possible and I am willing to be the person to try it out and risk my tank, to hopefully one day prove what is and not possible. Please take everything with a grain of salt inwhich i say, because what works for me is extremely difficult for te average Reef enthusiast.