How to make Phytoplankton

✅ Buy Phytoplankton starter culture here: amzn.to/3KUSiFp
🔥 How to Culture Copepods - • How to Culture Copepods
In this episode I will show you How to make Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is easy to culture and can be done with a few items you have around your house. Phytoplankton is food for copepods such as tisbe pods, tiger pods, rotifers, mysid and even used to protect clownfish fry when breeding clownfish. Phytoplankton is a live food at the base of the food chain right above zoo plankton. It only takes 5 days to culture phytoplankton and very little effort on your part. Phytoplankton can be dosed in small amounts to your saltwater aquarium to promote the growth of corals and microfauna. Be careful not to add to much as phytoplankton is very high in nutrients such as nitrate or NO3 and phosphate or PO4. Typically I would only add 5-10 ml daily to a 100 gallon reef aquarium for best results.
Items you will need to make Phytoplankton:
Phytoplankton - amzn.to/3KUSiFp
F/2 (phyto food) - amzn.to/3mgDPcD
1 gallon glass container - amzn.to/41HothP
2 gallon plastic ontainer - amzn.to/3mtpoCj
Air Pump - amzn.to/2PIkO01
Air Line - amzn.to/2ZhekbQ
Rigid Airline Tubing - amzn.to/3KX4Hsw
Clamp Light Fixture - amzn.to/2Mk555d
Par38 bulb: amzn.to/3ZoS2ms
The LED panel I use: amzn.to/3ZlCRud
Salt - amzn.to/3SSiSkL
Tig Copepods - amzn.to/3KTKdkt
Tisbe Copepods - amzn.to/3JeJ6ug
Apocalypse Pods - amzn.to/41KD8Zx
*These are affiliate links which means if you click and/or buy anything using these links I will receive a small amount of compensation. This does not affect the price of the item and you do not pay any extra just for clicking on these links. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!*
🔴Clownfish Breeding
• How to Breed Clownfish
✅ Let's connect:
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Twitter - / weavbrian
✅ Music used in this video
All songs in this video are properly licensed through Epidemic Sound or were copyright free and free to use.

[@SCReefer]

That is a great update Brian!!! Thanks you for sharing the the info.

[@BriansAquariums]

SC Reefer Anytime. Thanks!

[@Abreezeducttesting]

Very cool, great info

[@laminar_flow]

Nice description and detailed process. May have to give this a try...

[@BriansAquariums]

laminar flow Thanks.

[@melaniesimpson6322]

Wow...that's easier than I thought. nice vid Brian!

[@BriansAquariums]

Melanie Simpson yes! Super easy. If you want to culture pods, you just toss the pods in saltwater, add phyto and do weekly water changes. It's even more simple than making phyto!

[@melaniesimpson6322]

awesome! I'm gonna try that too! Really want a mandarin one of these days

[@BriansAquariums]

Melanie Simpson I really want mandarins too....one day

[@Will-ly8cc]

Great video! Thanks alot and Happy reefing!

[@BriansAquariums]

William Maupin TYpu are very welcome! Thanks

[@dvrsify1]

Thanks

[@Bhodges9582]

Nice informative video

[@BriansAquariums]

Bob's Reef Tank Glad you liked it! Thanks

[@ReeferDave]

Great video! You make it look so easy.

[@BriansAquariums]

Reefer Dave it IS easy 🤣 As long as you start out with good phyto & dont use miracle gro!

[@BriansAquariums]

Reefer Dave subbed to you!

[@ReeferDave]

Thanks!

[@BriansAquariums]

Reefer Dave your welcome!

[@ugoplanktonShop]

cool i like your way

[@BriansAquariums]

Thank you!

[@koaleighhomestead2606]

That's interesting to know that phytoplankton will last that long in the refrigerator and can still be cultured, great info and video.

[@BriansAquariums]

Koaleigh Aquaria I did not think it would last that long honestly. I guess if you get and keep a good strain it will last quite a while. What strain do you have if I may ask?

[@koaleighhomestead2606]

Brian's Aquariums The strain I am using is Nannochloropsis phytoplankton that I got from a seller on ebay. I had used this phyto before from this seller and are happy with it so far.

[@BriansAquariums]

Koaleigh Aquaria cool

[@Reefkpr1]

Awesome video Brian. Thanks for answering my questions on the live stream the other day about pods. Can't wait to see that video. Quick question on the Phyto. I bought a bottle of the Reef Nutrition Live Phytoplankton (Black cap) and was wondering if I can use that along with the F2 to make more phyto or should I start with something like the Sin City? Is there a difference??

[@BriansAquariums]

Reefkpr there are different types of phytoplankton. You cant culture any phyto from Reef Nutrition. They put something in there that prevents it from being cultured once they bottle it up. You need Nannochloropsis phytoplankton. That is what this is.

[@spencerherrick9392]

Thanks for the tutorial. What is the best method of sanitizing equipment?

[@BriansAquariums]

I use scalding hot tap water to rinse everything off first. Then I use vinegar and paper towels to sanitize everything. Rubbing alcohol will work as well, although I have not tried that yet.

[@sirspends-a-lot2861]

Do you think if you used a small fountain pump/ power head that it would work better to basically keep the water spinning? Or is that too vigorous? Great video! Thanks for sharing

[@BriansAquariums]

I'm not sure, but that is a great idea!

[@BeeRich33]

tip: move your stone off to one side for some convection mixing.

[@shemsnow3711]

11:00 drinking water. Nice

[@gabrielzavala8524]

Do you have a video on when and how to take out plankton to feed you copepods?

[@BriansAquariums]

I sort of go over it in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKmwnqCtosSMac0. Once the phyto is ready i filter it then I will bottle it up. I feed the copepods about twice a week. But the amount depends on how many pods you have.

[@dannyrivas4025]

How can I buy a bottle from you?

[@bjhubbard3922]

Can I use a strip light for lighting or would something over head be better

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes you can. The morr par the light has the better.

[@BriansAquariums]

Do you culture your own Phytoplankton?

[@amirl3583]

Hi there

[@gabrielcaballero484]

I'm about to, thanks for the video Brian :) Did you did the video to culture copepods?

[@ericcrow7140]

I would like some 5 bucks what's shipping

[@gokuthetypeofningen1688]

I couldn’t find f2 for my photo tell me will seachem flourish suffice

[@BriansAquariums]

I have f/2 on my website. www.briansaquariums.com.

[@MsPaulopacheco]

should I use the wavemaker to culture this phyto, and how much I should dose in my tank daily? my tank is 530 gallons system all together

[@MsPaulopacheco]

How much my friend I should dose?

[@BriansAquariums]

You can use a small wave make. I use an air pump and air stone. I based my dosage on 1ml per 10 gal...but in your case I would dose 25-50ml every 2-3 days. Watch your nutrient level, if they rise too high reduce your dosage. Dump it all in your fuge where your pods live so they can eat it before it gets too diluted. I would even turn off your return pump for 15 minutes so the pods can eat.

[@MsPaulopacheco]

@@BriansAquariums thank you very much brian. So what you said, this can cause nitrate gets high if I dose too much?

[@BriansAquariums]

@@MsPaulopacheco yes no3 & po4.

[@dvrsify1]

What kind of phytoplankton are you using. What would you recommend for diatoms?

[@BriansAquariums]

I forget the name of the phyto I was using. I've only ran into diatoms during the cycle and just waited it out.

[@dominus6224]

Diatoms feed on phosphate and nitrate. Don’t keep it at 0 (unless you have nothing in the tank). Just keep it very low. Also, it’ll eventually die off because their cells are made of silicate.

[@mogtrader8]

So when it's darker forest green 8:30, it's ready to be fed to the rotifiers or harvested for feeding?

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes

[@mogtrader8]

@@BriansAquariums Thanks. I'm mostly trynna grow and sustain rotifiers. But worry about how the waste? Do I strain the rotifiers out and just put in new water kind of thing? If so, how and what do I do to maintain my rotifier culture? Do u have a vid?

[@BriansAquariums]

@@mogtrader8 I do not have a video on it but what I used to do was: 1. Add phyto to rotifers 2. Every 2-3 days feed half culture to clownfish fry. (If you have no fry you will still need to dump 1/2 culture down drain or strain the rotifers out and add to reef tank) 3. Add fresh saltwater back to rotifer culture. 4. Add in more phyto to rotifer culture. 5. Repeat in 2-3 days. amzn.to/2TMhkdT - this company is great for supplies. I use this strainer to strain all the rotifers (every 1-2 weeks) out and add to clean bucket of saltwater..(then topped off with phyto)

[@juansanchez-kb4ij]

How often do You fertilize your culture?

[@jacbuc1]

Do you ever turn the light off? Or do you let it run 24/7?

[@BriansAquariums]

I run the light for 16 hours

[@luisaguilar6085]

I'd like to drink it for its overall benefits... but how can I seperate it from all that salty water? I'd like to turn it into a powder. Thanks man

[@BriansAquariums]

You can get phytoplankton for humans at any health store. The phyto for reef tanks are not the same kind for humans.

[@stumy10]

How do you know how much salt to add to the water ?

[@BriansAquariums]

stumy10 I make up a 5 gallon bucket of saltwater and only pour in 3 gallons or so in the container. I use a refractometer to determine the salinity.

[@Mythrays1]

What is the link for the copapods?

[@BriansAquariums]

The guy I normally buy them from has been out of stock for months. I use these from amazon. amzn.to/2PzrtcF

[@RakshatSharmaOG]

Is this stuff alive? I mean, I want to start mutating, experimenting and seeing their lifestyle and basically creating life. So is it good for that? If it isn’t, I’ll have to use sea monkeys cause shrimp is little bit easier to handle.

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes it is alive but they are microscopic. You cannot see them with the naked eye.

[@RakshatSharmaOG]

Thanks! I figured it out though. Zooplankton is what I was looking to experiment on, but since they are so hard to see without a professional microscope, sea monkeys are good enough.

[@mogtrader8]

Sorry about the questions, but for the remaining stock. Do you just add new salt water to remaining batch and then add fertilizer to get it dark forest green again? I guess my question is, how do you sustain the main stock? Thanks.

[@BriansAquariums]

Once the phyto is 7 days old and done. I put it in 2 liter bottles and store it in the fridge. Once I get pretty low I start up a new 5 gallon batch all over again.

[@mogtrader8]

@@BriansAquariums thanks, so u actually keep.some strains in prior batches to start fresh ones to repopulate right? thanks

[@BriansAquariums]

@@mogtrader8 Yep. I keep the last batch I made in my fridge. I will also keep an extra batch just in case the culture crashes. It will happen if you do not sanitize your equipment properly.

[@mogtrader8]

@@BriansAquariums i see. thank you so much for ur vids and replies. hope u can do updates and more vids in detail.

[@BriansAquariums]

@@mogtrader8 I appreciate the support and thank you for watching my vids. What kind of videos would you like to see more in depth? Im always ready to help out!

[@fakhrizaldimuftidzikriya6973]

Is it okay if we store the cultured phyto without any aeration?

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes

[@fakhrizaldimuftidzikriya6973]

@@BriansAquariums Thanks! Nice vid!!

[@BriansAquariums]

@@fakhrizaldimuftidzikriya6973 Thanks!!

[@hasan24253]

Dose Phytoplankton filter the salt water to fresh water.?

[@BriansAquariums]

Im not sure what you are asking I'm sorry.

[@pramirez476]

So you only feed with f12 one time?

[@BriansAquariums]

I do it two different ways. 1st way is I only feed f/2 at the beginning of the culture. Let the culture run for 7 days then harvest 100% of the phytoplankton . 2nd way is I feed f/2 one time per culture. After 7 days I harvest half of the culture. Fill the container up with freshly made saltwater and add f/2 again, then start the process over for another 7 days. After the 3rd time doing this I start with a 100% fresh culture.

[@travisgraham8378]

Where is the video on making the copepods?

[@PhD-JWT]

I guess he forgot to make that 🤣😂

[@BriansAquariums]

lol. I spoke too soon in the video. The copepods crashed a couple days later after uploading this video and I never got a chance to make the copepod video unfortunately 😕

[@Uncle_Diesel]

How many hours a day do you keep the light on for or do you keep it's on for 24hrs

[@BriansAquariums]

I run my lights on my cultures for 16 hours a day. But yon really only need to keep the lights on for 10-12 hours a day.

[@Uncle_Diesel]

@@BriansAquariums also how many gallons of salt do you use for every 16oz of green

[@BriansAquariums]

@@Uncle_Diesel i mix my water to 1.024-1.026. That comes out to roughly 2.5 cups of salt per 5 gallons. Make sure you check your salinity with a refractometer and do not go just by measurements or weight when mixing saltwater.

[@Uncle_Diesel]

@@BriansAquariums sorry I mean how many gallons of salt water do you use for 16oz of Plankton

[@Uncle_Diesel]

Thank you

[@alexvids9232]

fyi never use an airstone. you increase the possibility of a crash. use solid airline.

[@BriansAquariums]

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it!

[@emilyaustralis]

Do you drink it . . what do you do with it ...

[@BriansAquariums]

You add it to your aquarium for the microscopic inverts to consume.

[@buddybonbutt7510]

So basically, you just refill with fresh saltwater and referilize? How many times do you fertilize during the growth process? Just at the start?

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes I just refill with new saltwater. I only add f/2 once during the entire process. After 7 days are up, I harvest, then add new saltwater again.

[@BriansAquariums]

Here is an updated video I made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/boTQgoBjq5uFftE

[@buddybonbutt7510]

@@BriansAquariums oh you don't add fert per batch? Interesting

[@BriansAquariums]

@@buddybonbutt7510 yes I do add per batch.

[@buddybonbutt7510]

@@BriansAquariums ah ok.

[@MsPaulopacheco]

where is you video of cop pods?

[@BriansAquariums]

I never got around to it unfortunately

[@MsPaulopacheco]

@@BriansAquariums oh that's ok man, thanks anyway for your tips, I loved your video, I learned lot about and I will share my tank with you after one year, many mistakes, almost gave up, but I did. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpfLeIdrYs1-iq8

[@buddybonbutt7510]

You're the only person I can think to ask, do you ever have a buildup at the bottom of your cultures? Does that mean my culture is dying off? It's pretty green and looks healthy but there are clumps at the bottom

[@BriansAquariums]

It's normal. The buildup is dead phytoplankton cells. I usually stir my cultures with a dedicated new and clean wooden spoon daily. The air bubbles are just not enough to keep everything suspended, so some phyto cells will settle. When I harvest my phyto I leave the bottom inch or two behind to avoid putting these dead cells in my tank. I do not think it would hurt, but I dont want to take a chance. You will also see this buildup happening in your bottles in the refrigerator if you do not shake your bottles daily. I hope that answered your question. If you have anymore feel free to ask away!

[@nature_bboy5997]

I can't buy this algae in india any help with this?

[@BriansAquariums]

You can look on ebay. As long as its Nannochloropsis phytoplankton it should work. The other strains you cannot culture as easily.

[@ArunKumar-xt6fl]

Soon it's gonna be available in microworms.in and shipping will be available all over India

[@johnpoulson384]

How do you know if it dies?

[@BriansAquariums]

It will stink like it's rotten.

[@bharathianu7]

How to prepare slurry for phytoplankton growth

[@BriansAquariums]

I am not sure how. I'm sorry.

[@bharathianu7]

Then how you implement in pond

[@BriansAquariums]

@@bharathianu7 I have only used the phytoplankton I culture in a saltwater aquarium. I do not know much about using phytoplankton in a pond. I'm sorry.

[@teamginate3400]

Doesn’t this creat H20?

[@BriansAquariums]

No it does not.

[@BriansAquariums]

Looking to buy an affordable Phytoplankton Culture kit? amzn.to/3yYDkoO

[@apdroidgeek1737]

Why phytoplankton doesn’t exist jn reef tank?

[@BriansAquariums]

I'm not sure.

[@gymgeneticsofficial5661]

Isnt is better to put them in glas bottles..

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes it is the preferred method.

[@hamzakhairi4765]

Just read foo fighters death so i have to make some of my own

[@Bob-ce5nc]

Is this a Jojo Reference!?

[@rounaksingh0]

What is the indication of black water with a rotten smell ❓❓

[@BriansAquariums]

I am not sure. I've never experienced this. I'm sorry.

[@gerardogomez5343]

Means it has died and to not put in your tank.

[@Drill1775]

Looks like kelp juice from SpongeBob

[@BriansAquariums]

🤣🤣

[@monicaababio6162]

22:045

[@subscribetotrapblox118]

How to make zooplankton

[@BriansAquariums]

I made a video on it. You can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmTVlat4gtibY8U

[@elizabethwatson71]

Do NOT use wooden spoons/utensils to stir. Way dirty. Bits for food and oil and dirt are in them. I would STRONGLY suggest plastic rods (do-hickeys you use on your mini blinds) or re-useable plastic chopsticks. Best is a stainless spoon. The metal will clean the best. Sorry for the ‘shouty’ words but I wanted your attention brought to it.

[@BriansAquariums]

I get what you are saying. I purchase new wodden spoons just for stiring my cultures but you are right wood can absorb a lot of things. A plastic spoon or metal spoon would be a better option. Thank you for bring this to my attention!

[@murtonmuffley6724]

Purchased your product then cancelled when I seen it said Not for human Consumption on it

[@BriansAquariums]

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[@monicaababio6162]

12:24

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

First of all, I pressed thumb down on the first seconds of the video: the opening, the music is terrible. 😈😠😈😠😈 Second, I very liked the info and your presentation. 💚

[@BriansAquariums]

I could not have agreed with you more. I was still pretty new to KZbin and making videos when I made this one. The music is too loud and not the best. I do appreciate your feedback and agree with you 100%. I have made another video about How to Culture phytoplankton since then. I've gotten a little better a KZbin. If you want to watch it you can watch it here, also let me know your feedback as well if you wish. Again, Thank you for your honest feedback! kzbin.info/www/bejne/boTQgoBjq5uFftE and kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppvOmoFqna-fapY.

[@richishere82]

Bit sad tho 😂

[@vidaripollen]

Nice video, horrible music

[@mr.nolols3818]

They will be half of oxygen in earth