plankton light reactor

[ZeRoC00l]

This is new [to me at least!] a system tt produce phytoplankton

anyone has this? Or DIY one?

Suppose to be used to feed sea fans.

[Tanzy]

That reactor is from Aqualine Buscke/Aquamedic. Looks really cool. AT might have something to add.

[ep4546]

hi ZeRoC00l

just read up an isuue on this plankton cultivation at this website

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug...002/breeder.htm

it might interest u

[Achilles Tang]

Yup... that's exactly what I have now.... my DIY plankton culturing station....

[Berham]

Hi AT,

Where do you get the algae (A liquid culture) as specified in the advanced aquarist?? <_<

[Achilles Tang]

Imported.

I am not using the live algae cells in liquid culture, I am using the agar disks and make my own culture media, basically saltwater and fertilizer.

It can be purchased from Florida Aqua Farms.

[ZeRoC00l]

Wow!! can you please share on construction details / materials on yr DIY plankton light reactor?

At the same time , can post some more pic? [detailled pic greatly appreciated]

Planning to DIY one for feeding my tank.

[Berham]

AT,

What isthe cost of importing the agar disk into Singapore? Where can I find the fertilizer?

[Achilles Tang]

Here's my friend's site here.:

Susan has a section on phytoplankton and rotifer culturing, which I roughly base my culturing on.

You can also follow the Plankton Culture Manual (which can be quite cheem) which you can purchase from FAF (link given above)... but I still recommend Flame Angel's site for simple laymen explanations.

She has a different way of starting a culture though... which utilizing 1 agar disk for 2 two-litre batches but that makes the lag phase longer, which provides contaminants a chance to establish itself.... I had 1 bottle of initial culture crash for no reason.

The Plankton Culture Manual recommends using 1 agar disk for 1 one-litre batch... of course, that means that if your this batch crashes... and you have no more algae agar disks to innoculate... then... maybe you can try straining plankton from the sea off East Coast Park!

Culturing is a very tricky process and every single step and procedures must be done carefully... sterilizing, prevent of cross-contamination etc...

or you'll find yourself culturing bacteria instead... heh!

Pix? Take a look at Flame Angel's site and what you see there is what you'll see at my place!

Berham, all the info can be found at the FAF site... freight costs I forgot... I'll have to see if I kept the invoice.

[ZeRoC00l]

Wow... chim stuff.

Thank you

[Achilles Tang]

Oh I forgot another good source of culturing info to recommend... this book called Clownfishes, a guide to their captive care, breeding and natural history by Joyce D. Wilkerson.

She also has a different method of culturing but I think it's more doeable than the rest.

Warning.... you will be using a HUGE amount of saltmix... for plankton culturing...

And you'll need to buy stuff like airpumps, metal airline control valves, airline hoses, stiff tubes that fit airline hoses (hard to find... I must have swiped it all off the market! heh heh!), a reliable salinity meter as you have to ensure your culture liquid is at the exact recommend sg level, lights, timers, separate funnels for salt, culture water, plankton water, rotifer water etc. Use the wrong one for the wrong purpose... and BOOOOOM!!!! All your effort down the drain... heh!

But I guess the payoff would be worth it... the ability to keep and prosper hard to keep corals like SPS, Dendros, Gonios, etc and sponges, sea fans, gorgonians!

[nivlac]

This is new [to me at least!] a system tt produce phytoplankton

anyone has this? Or DIY one?

Suppose to be used to feed sea fans.

Can we just buy stuff like marine snow to feed the fish and corals?

[chanbi]

AT, i am waiting eagerly to go to your tank warming party! Seem like u have a lot interesting happening at home? And it is definitely easier to appreciate and understand if we can see it "live"?

[bawater]

aquamart has the model without light, but typical aquamart- the price is abt $500. AT's model much cheaper. Phytoplankton reactor.

zero cool- Marine rotifiers. These are abt a 1/3 of the size of bbs- just the right size for feeding corals with polyps.

Had a one & only batch crash after 3mths- too costly to keep running. They have to be fed greenwater(aka phytoplankton) & usually enriched before feeding to the tank.

i was thinking of ordering some algae based paste(like the kind from reefworld previously) from brineshrimp direct- a 8oz pack & freight is abt SGD$45.i'm still thinkin!!. If i'm not wrong this is the stuff underwater-world is using.

[pacificbetta]

Actually I m using the alga paste to run my plankton cultures. Once tried to culture micro algae myself but the running costs (electricity + salt water) turned me off. Besides I had my hands full with culturing

Bawater, last time I spoke to you, you complain my alga paste is too ex to run at $30/litre, now you are thinking $45 for 8 oz, which has lesser alga count, don't make much sense???

EL

[chanbi]

Bawater, if u are really going to order from brineshrimp direct do let me know. Maybe we can share the shipping cost. Intend to get some bs decap eggs, golden pearls etc..

[bawater]

u got PM-

will put in an order by 1st week Dec.

Already contacted them & freight to SG not a problem.

[Hon]

AT,

Can use the "Green Paste" from reefworld for the light reactor?

[bawater]

Hon, that's dead stuff.

i hoped there were a few live cells in it so tried culturing it & it just settles.

Even tried leaving some in a small tank on the window to no avail.

Which strain of algae- we will never know, but i know its the smaller strain cause its too small for brineshrimp instar I to feed on-usually spurilina size cells 20-50microns if i'm not wrong.

i used it to feed rotifiers,who needs food 10microns and below & because its already dead it does tend to pollute the tank- which was why i kept getting crashes to BBS(cause they were starving)then ultimately my rotifiers(when i didn't change water weekly).

[Hon]

Geez.... then i asking for trouble. My light reactor is on the way to me liao.

And I don't have photocell to start!!!!

[bawater]

could "Borrow" 100-500ml of current culture from AT

maybe u can also try the reefworld stuff? maybe we got diff batches?

i tried it 6 times.

Honestly- by the packing i scared dodgy & it was just sludge off the side of some tub left in the sun! hopefully i'm wrong. Was told phytoplankton & went home,checked up on numerous phytoplankton strains........& there was no way of knowing what i bought.

At least from brineshrimpdirect i get to choose from 4 strains.

could be me but before this he had live zooplankton for sale & now come to think of it they looked like rotifiers!

- recently they have combisan for sale in 250ml & not cheap. what is this may i ask anyone ?

[Hon]

Sound like a good idea to burrow. AT, i need to burrow plankton hor...thank you in advance....

Combisan has been around for a while liao. There are many toks abt it in reefcentral. Some says it purely crap as the content listed do not match the content in the bottle. I used before, dun see any different if I dun use it. So might as well save the money for calcium solution..

[Achilles Tang]

Couldn't help but was wondering about the algae paste that pacificbetta claims he used for algae culturing.

Live plankton cells usually come in agar disks or in liquid cultures.

If it's frozen... I doubt if it's in suspended animation, but considered dead.

BTW guys, I have golden pearls in different micron sizes and even decapsulated BB cysts. It won't be finished for the longest time... and I would rather have it finished asap... so I am thinking of selling them in small packs, if anyone is interested... let me know.

Hon, as for some plankton you want to borrow... you have to do something first that you should have done a long long time ago... after all it was your idea... HINT!!! After that, then I'll give you a cup!

AT

[Hon]

hey AT,

geez...what I need to do?? My head is filled with house renovation now.

Remind me will you....

[pacificbetta]

The algae paste I used are similar strains as those sold be brineshrimp direct, I premix them (the differect strains) before feeding to the rotifers. All the algae are centrifugally killed, meaning they will not reproduce when introduced (directly or otherwise) to a reef tank. Added in the right amount, zooplankton cultures can be mantained well. At least that is my personal opinion/experience.

As for costs, I personally find the "dead" algae a more cost efficient deal compared to mantaining live microalgae cultures. Calculate the cost of "seawater" + lighting (electricity) + risk of algae crash + labour cost (to work the cultures), and you will know how much your microalgae actually cost you.

I only mantained microalgae cultures twice. Once was 1-2 years back in Thailand, when I operated a ornamental fish farm. Then I had a outdoor culture to "harness" sunlight. The microalgae is used to raise daphnia and freshwater strains of rotifers to feed small fries. If not for the premium of the fish that I was producing, I will never be able to justify the costs, and that is using unskilled thai labour far from cities.

When I started my marine hobby, I tried doing the same thing, but using marine strains and working within the confines of a HDB flat, and things and $$ did not work out right. Of course this is very subjective.

As for the nutritional value of the "dead" algae, I sent samples of the algae (packed differently) for clinincal tests for nutritional values, and the results are relatively close to what the manufacturer claims. Which means there is a very slight drop in nutrional value, but definitely not significant enough to justify the costs n risks of mantaining seperate algae cultures.

Enough said, you guys have fun with mantaining your cultures.

Edwin Lam