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Unread 11/04/2011, 10:10 AM   #276
lazidog
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Phyto crashes

Keep a backup in fridge, replace periodically. It is easier than starting from a disk. I reuse old tank water, bleach and then treat with amquel. Algae paste is the way to go for ease of use.


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Unread 02/20/2013, 09:44 AM   #277
hypnoj
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I know this thread hasn't been active for a while, but I wanted to post my question about Miracle Grow. If the miracle grow is not fully consumed in your 2L bottles by the phyto will it cause an algae bloom in your DT when dripped/added daily?
Has there been any changes to your regimen over the last couple of years; ie tips or pearls to help me get started over what's been said in these thread pages?
Happy Growing!


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Unread 02/20/2013, 11:02 AM   #278
billsreef
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If it's not fully consumed, it will boost the nutrient content of your tank...and yes, that could lead to a bloom. Also, keep in mind, Miracle Grow has a high zinc and copper content (not really good for a reef tank), and lacks the vitamins to grow a properly nutritious phyto. I wouldn't add Miracle Grow to reef tank, so I wouldn't use it to grow phyto Especially considering the proper Guillards f/2 media is readily available and economical, and isn't overloaded with zinc and copper.


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Unread 02/20/2013, 11:26 AM   #279
hypnoj
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I'm assuming that Guillards f/2 media will also boost the nutrient content of my tank? Are there any recommended ways to minimize this?


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Unread 02/21/2013, 06:27 AM   #280
billsreef
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Yes, it will also boost the nutrient content of the tank. Best way to minimize this is to wait till the culture hits peaks density so that the nutrient content is at it's lowest, while the phyto's nutritional value and density is at it's best.


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Unread 02/24/2013, 08:51 PM   #281
hypnoj
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Bill,
is there any way to strain out the phyto from the F2 solution once it has been growing for 1 week?


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Unread 02/25/2013, 06:03 AM   #282
billsreef
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The commercial guys selling concentrated bottles of phyto use a centrifuge to concentrate it. Filters would clog far too fast to be practical. IME, just getting it to that point of max growth is good enough for most of us. No worse of a nutrient addition at that point than feeding dry foods to the fish


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Unread 02/25/2013, 06:30 AM   #283
hypnoj
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hmmm. I even have a spare centrifuge hanging about somewhere, I'll have to try it out!
Thanks for the info man.


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Unread 02/26/2013, 01:59 AM   #284
JakeGr
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F/2 sold commercially only has 0.88 mM NaNO3 and 0.0362 mM NaH2PO4*H2O in the final medium. The exact recipe is given on the NCMA website.This means the medium contains 56.45 mg/L nitrate. Dosing 100 mL of that solution directly into a 50 gallon/189.271 L tank would add 5.645 mg nitrate to the tank, which over 50 gal would increase the nitrate concentration by about 0.03 ppm.

That isn't a a big dose, and those calculations do not even account for the fact that the microalgae will consume a large proportion of the nitrate.

My calculations are below in case I made a mistake. I don't do stoic often.

[NO3] = 0. 882 mM
NO3 moar mass = 64.0049 g/mol

64.0047 g/mol * 0.882 mM = 0.05645 g NO3 per L of F/2.

0.1 L * 0.05645 g/L = 5.645 mg NO3

5.645 mg / 189.271 L = 0.0298 mg/L increase.



Last edited by JakeGr; 02/26/2013 at 02:07 AM.
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Unread 09/16/2018, 08:15 AM   #285
tom g
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phyto crash

my phyto keeps crashing
not sure why ..I was told to not use air stone just the tube of rigid tubing
when I split culture am I topping up with salt water or ro water


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Unread 09/16/2018, 08:44 AM   #286
rayjay
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When replacing evaporated water volume, use RO.
When splitting a culture, use salt water.
I found that taking out no more than about 50% of the phyto to use and then adding the new salt water and fertilizer gave me fewer crashes than any other way.
Pretty hard to NEVER have crashes unless you have a sterile room and equipment as ever-present bacteria can play havoc with your cultures. For that reason, the more culture containers you use, the better the odds are of always having enough when you need it. I maintain ten 2 litre bottles of nanno in constant culture and probably have 1 or two of those bottles crash each month or two.


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Unread 09/16/2018, 08:53 AM   #287
tom g
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phyto crash

ok thank u that's how I have been doing it .. I think I have been doing less then the 50 percent ..
do u use a air stone or just the tubing In a rolling boil


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Unread 09/16/2018, 11:31 AM   #288
rayjay
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I use open ended rigid airline tubing and for two litre bottles I have a low flow, just enough to keep the culture in some motion.
When I was doing large scale production, the larger the container, the more the flow rate to be able to keep the nanno in suspension as nanno is a non-motile algae.
I used to use 5g pails as well as 26g Rubbermaid containers when my needs were greater, and, I was selling to others.
Now, it's hard to use the 26g containers anymore because I cannot buy SPOT LIGHTS that were critical for light to reach depths of the container. Flood lights just don't have the penetration power of the old spots.

http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/phyto.html


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Unread 09/18/2018, 11:09 AM   #289
Akram
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16 hours of light daily seems excessive, phyto splits and multiplies quickly, you need to harvest it daily if you want to give it 16 hours light. If you don’t need to harvest it everyday, then you should adjust your food source for phyto to grow slower. Maybe 8 hours of sun. As little nitrogen...


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Unread 09/18/2018, 11:45 AM   #290
rayjay
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FWIW, I light the cultures 24/7 and I definitely don't harvest daily or even close to it these days with sometimes two weeks or more before getting back to a replenished bottle. I have had in the past, times when a culture continued over a month before being used.
My cultures can be split many times and still have the same dark appearance as the original. Customers thought I had a centrifuge to concentrate the nanno but all it takes is more time and fertilizer.
In over 24 yrs now I've never had a culture ready for harvest in even a couple of days, at least to get the same intensity on the density stick which I consider ready when it reads 2.5 cm or less.


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Unread 09/18/2018, 05:21 PM   #291
Akram
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Good for you, you got it all figured out!


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Unread 09/18/2018, 06:30 PM   #292
tom g
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phyto crash

I cant seem to get past 4 days without phyto getting progressively lighter …
so discouraged …. gonna start a new culture and try to get diff lights


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Unread 09/18/2018, 06:36 PM   #293
Akram
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This might help you
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/Phytopl...gaeCulture.pdf

It’s basic plant keeping, just make it simple.


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Unread 09/27/2018, 06:51 PM   #294
tom g
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phyto

thanks for the read ….

next batch will use glass instead of plastic , and have a full set of sterilized plastic tubing for circulation …. only thing I can think of is somehow I cross contaminated ….


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Unread 09/29/2018, 07:33 AM   #295
tom g
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splitting phyto

started a new batch , its been 4 days , green as hell and dark , can I split early or do I have to wait the 7 to 10 days


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Unread 09/29/2018, 08:00 AM   #296
rayjay
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That's hard to say when I don't know what the starting density is, and what it is now. Appearances are deceiving when going by sight.
I much prefer using a density stick so I actually know what I have at any time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FAVUfYrV0g
http://floridaaquafarms.com/shop/mic...sity-measurer/
As I say, this is my preference, but many others do well WITHOUT a density stick so Akram could advise on that method.
One that video, the segment showing the comparison of left and right cultures and their related densities shows how hard it can be to know the darker cultures which for me is nannochloropsis.


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Unread 09/29/2018, 08:09 AM   #297
tom g
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density stick

yes I agree and have ordered and are sitting at a friends house , I understand the perception of what dark is , im going by what went clear to how green they are deff a nice green with lights off


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