phytoplankton culture help

[donkey77]

ok i got a setup from a member on here, its the whole setup, 3 gallon set up my ? is do i fill it up all the way with saltwater leaving enough to put 500ml of phytoplankton in and the f2 fert, and when i split do i leave half in and put new salt water in and the fert to keep the culture going, and do i have to put the split cultures in the fridge, sorry guys a lot of ?? i just don't wanna mess things up
thanks

[Ross]

I'm assuming that you are talking of the mamaroo phytoplankton kit.

Originally Posted by donkey77

my ? is do i fill it up all the way with saltwater leaving enough to put 500ml of phytoplankton in and the f2 fert

and the air line and light.

I wouldn't fill it to the brim.
Leave a few inches for the bubbles to pop against other wise it will leak unless you fully tape the lid on to it. If you do that, you will end up with a sludge that forms behind the tape and has to be cleaned everytime you open it up.

Originally Posted by donkey77

when i split do i leave half in and put new salt water in and the fert to keep the culture going,

yeah pretty much
read up on the amount of f2 required. It's not a lot.
http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html

Originally Posted by donkey77

do i have to put the split cultures in the fridge

I always have, not too sure if you must.

[donkey77]

is it going to be ok if i have it in my fish room or does it need complete darkness, cause my sump light is on 18hrs a day

[donkey77]

yes it is the mamaroo kit

[Jakegr]

Originally Posted by donkey77

is it going to be ok if i have it in my fish room or does it need complete darkness, cause my sump light is on 18hrs a day

To maximize growth rate, light the phytoplankton 24/7. It does not need a period with the lights off. The phytoplankton gets its "dark" time as the cell circulates in and out of the inner parts of the culture. I'm not sure what species you have, but typically 100 umol (PAR) is a conservative light intensity for microalgae.

Also, this website details the F/2 medium and gives some information about general algae culture.

https://ncma.bigelow.org/node/79

F/2 can be purchased in bulk from aquatic ecosystems. The 1 gallon jugs of part A/B would last most hobbyists a very long time. To make it easy measuring-wise, you can make pre-mixed "stock-solutions" and keep them in your fridge. This would allow you to add (for example) 1 mL of stock solution per L of culture to achieve the appropriate concentration.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategor...F-2-Algae-Feed

[donkey77]

so i have to keep my f2 in the fridge , and why does everybody say 16hrs light and 8 h darkness iam confuzed

[Myka]

Originally Posted by donkey77

why does everybody say 16hrs light and 8 h darkness iam confuzed

I always get best results 16 hours on, 8 hours off.

[mameroo2000]

Originally Posted by donkey77

ok i got a setup from a member on here, its the whole setup, 3 gallon set up my ? is do i fill it up all the way with saltwater leaving enough to put 500ml of phytoplankton in and the f2 fert, and when i split do i leave half in and put new salt water in and the fert to keep the culture going, and do i have to put the split cultures in the fridge, sorry guys a lot of ?? i just don't wanna mess things up
thanks

Yes you fill the reactor with fresh saltwater mix
Then you add the 500ml included and fertilizer

When is time to harvest you can split the half
The rest you can keep it in fridge or sell it

[Jakegr]

I apologize Donkey. I thought I'd answer your question and provide some background on the scientific reasoning behind my answer, but some took offense to the manner in which I did it. If you have any other questions, I'd love to help. I find phytoplankton culture and plant physiology fascinating, and truly enjoy talking about it and helping others learn.

I doubt Mameroo and I would disagree about much other than photoperiod anyhow. Phytoplankton culture on a hobbyist level is very simple once you get the hang of it.