Phytoplankton on the menu ?

[FugeTown]

Anybody have good luck feeding corals phytoplankton? I have read corals love the stuff but just wanted to see if the reef2reef community has noticed good response from the corals when feeding it to them?

 

[djd3mon]

following.

 

[Acro maniac]

Me3

 

[httorihanzo]

quattro! I know a guy who grows? it locally and would like to know if I should get me some of that.

 

[bif24701]

When I was in Phoenix a LFS cultures and sold phytoplankton and zooplankton by the ml. They couldn't keep it in stock because it always sold quickly. The trouble is making and keeping the cultures thriving.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Well I have a mussel that I've had for about five years. I also have four more of those My scallop is almost two.
I have a hitchhiker bubble coral that's about the same age and was a snot ball on rubble and now is a softball. My cloves are almost out of control. Ummm. My cyphasyetia is almost a nucance. I now hate gsp it grows too much. I have one gorg I don't seem to be able to kill even though the first owner tried real hard. I have two plate corals that were hitchikers one was a millimeter and one I couldn't see till eight months or more after I got the frag. One frag rock five corals and a sponge there.
Umm I have mandarins pods bugs sponges ruby reds a couple blenny bug pickers live mysis shrimp that bloom and clearly breed and bloom in the system copepods too.
Yea I think it works.

Like everything. There is too much of a good thing. And buy Samller quantity and buy quality. You can make phyto with miracle gro. Just Sayin.

 

[Garia666]

We have a steady supplier of phyo at our LFS.
I dose everyday.. I have a relativly small Clam which i direct feed since they need it besides light.
I also use it for the animals which come out of the live sand.
All kinds of micro organisms eat it. I mostly have lps or zoa`s so its not realy for the corals.

 

[FugeTown]

Well I have a mussel that I've had for about five years. I also have four more of those My scallop is almost two.
I have a hitchhiker bubble coral that's about the same age and was a snot ball on rubble and now is a softball. My cloves are almost out of control. Ummm. My cyphasyetia is almost a nucance. I now hate gsp it grows too much. I have one gorg I don't seem to be able to kill even though the first owner tried real hard. I have two plate corals that were hitchikers one was a millimeter and one I couldn't see till eight months or more after I got the frag. One frag rock five corals and a sponge there.
Umm I have mandarins pods bugs sponges ruby reds a couple blenny bug pickers live mysis shrimp that bloom and clearly breed and bloom in the system copepods too.
Yea I think it works.

Like everything. There is too much of a good thing. And buy Samller quantity and buy quality. You can make phyto with miracle gro. Just Sayin.

Sounds like the phytoplankton is working very well for you, have you ever heard of Marine Snow? One of the main ingredients is Phytoplankton.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Sounds like the phytoplankton is working very well for you, have you ever heard of Marine Snow? One of the main ingredients is Phytoplankton.

Oh yes I def have some on the shelf. The vitamin c and amino combo in that makes the cyano in my main tanks pop up if I use it daily. my lil tank takes it fine. So I rotate what I use during the week. Phyto an zoo both. IMO rotifers at a zoo to.
Makes it easier too so I don't fell like I'm dosing or actually working on a sched.
I only have on picky fish that doesn't like it if I mix all of it in one cup.

An interesting trick I like is to mix my "plankton blend" and dump it in. There some flake and one mysis pellets so some of the fish like it and the lps and my dendros and a sun coralnopens up. Then I'll feed the meats

 

[Acro maniac]

My lfs has it from algagen for 10 bucks a portion. Based on system volume i would need at least that per week. Seems a bit much id have to do more research before pulling the trigger

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My lfs has it from algagen for 10 bucks a portion. Based on system volume i would need at least that per week. Seems a bit much id have to do more research before pulling the trigger

I don't feed much. And Alagen ROCKS!!!!
!!!!!
!

Is that a whole bottle ? Or like a shot. Seems steep. I'd just buy it from them in the smallest bottle and dose my own portions until it expires
Oh. That's what I do.
Algae barn is another good one too
I think we can tag them here or visit them in their forum with questions
I met both of them them at macna. Good folks.

 

[Acro maniac]

I don't feed much. And Alagen ROCKS!!!!
!!!!!
!

Is that a whole bottle ? Or like a shot. Seems steep. I'd just buy it from them in the smallest bottle and dose my own portions until it expires
Oh. That's what I do.
Algae barn is another good one too
I think we can tag them here or visit them in their forum with questions
I met both of them them at macna. Good folks.

10 bucks for a bag about 3 cups of liquid

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

10 bucks for a bag about 3 cups of liquid

That's prob not bad. I thing it's twenty or a lil more for the small bottle. I usually don't use a whole bottle befor it expires honestly.

If it's the good stuff and there not culturingbit with miracle grow it sounds pretty good.

 

[Acro maniac]

This the bag it comes in

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I wish I could get that here.

 

[rushbattle]

Reed Mariculture makes the most economical sense. The highest density for the least cost per cell count. In a reef environment I use their SD Aquarist blend. It has a good nutrient profile and diverse sizes. Would be good for clams, etc. Not sure if we really know that the common reef tank inhabitants use phyto directly. But it certainly feeds "pods" that help feed coral.

Does anyone else consistently feed phyto? Run the skimmer during and after?

 

[Kvinal]

I use Mike'sPhyto.com

 

[Rick.45cal]

If you decide to culture it yourself actually use the Guillard's F2 fertilizer. Using miracle grow to grow phytoplankton has been shown to produce nutrient poor phyto.

That being said, I've used the AlgaeBarn Phyto, and it seemed pretty good. Reed Mariculture makes a concentrated phyto for feeding rotifers and stuff that I would like to give a go. (I'd also like to culture some rotifers too.).

I'll have to try the Algagen phyto soon too.

 

[SantaMonica]

Keep in mind that for corals, it mostly gorg's that consume phyto. Not the corals most people keep. Most corals need animal/waste based foods. The phyto does feed the animals though, but you might just decide to put animals in directly. That's the purpose of big fuge's, or big display fuges, or the biggest live-food-generator macro tanks that feed everything automatically.

 

[FugeTown]

Keep in mind that for corals, it mostly gorg's that consume phyto. Not the corals most people keep. Most corals need animal/waste based foods. The phyto does feed the animals though, but you might just decide to put animals in directly. That's the purpose of big fuge's, or big display fuges, or the biggest live-food-generator macro tanks that feed everything automatically.

Thanks, Good info