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/2Uj0JiX
Airline Tubing: amzn.to/2UiV6RE
Rigid Airline Tubing: amzn.to/2UmPDJB
Adjustable Airline Valve: amzn.to/2UBbvBl
Airline Check valve: amzn.to/2ASrwLR
Air Stone: amzn.to/30p9a01
Clamp Light Fixture - amzn.to/2Mk555d
Par38 bulb: amzn.to/3ZoS2ms
The LED panel I use: amzn.to/3ZlCRud
Salt - amzn.to/3SSiSkL
Plastic Pipettes: amzn.to/2Y8QFtX
Wall Timer: amzn.to/3fcBmHF
🔥 Watch my videos about Phytoplankton here:
bit.ly/3uqWEtG
🔥 Watch my videos on Clownfish Breeding here:
bit.ly/2YbkE8o
➡️ Let's connect:
Instagram - bit.ly/3CUFnfs
Facebook - bit.ly/3imeyZH
Twitter - bit.ly/39PNWeX
⚡️ Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I will receive a small commission. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds.

[@BriansAquariums]

Do you add phytoplankton to your aquarium currently?

[@randomdutchguy]

Yes, home grown

[@billfrater1948]

Superb! One question... which is better for Tube Worms ? Thanks Bill

[@RAPOtheLLAMA]

Hello, I love your videos! Did you ever try growing Chlorella?

[@BriansAquariums]

I am so sorry for the delay in responding to you. I just noticed I missed this. No I have not tried to grow it yet, It is on my list to grow at some point though. Have you tried it since this comment?

[@dinalranasinghe4345]

Hi, what’s the best temperature for the culture

[@mariachristina9029]

Also is sea kelp fertilizer safe to use with marine phytoplankton cultures?

[@nicholaswilliams7258]

When you split your phyto, the part that you put in your tank do you have to do anything to? Do you test to make sure there is nothing that could cause issues with your coral? Someone once recommended to me to centrifuge the phyto before placing in tank? Why would this need to be done?

[@mariachristina9029]

Sea forest, sea farm is the one i bought . Its made in Canada sea kelp fertilizer to put in the tank. Pls let me know. If not i can send back and buy the correct one😊

[@Sneaksmcdoogle]

Doing my first batch now, I have the same bottle you used in your first video. I’m curious you use one kind per container. Can you/we order a bottle of ocean magic and grow all four kinds in one grow out?

[@BriansAquariums]

You can culture it, but only one strain will end up outcompeting the others. If you want the 4 strains in their bottle, you will have to culture them separately.

[@mariachristina9029]

Can you grow both together?

[@fadiyosef4452]

Welcome . What is the alternative to f2 fertilizer if it cannot be obtained in the country?? Thank you

[@BriansAquariums]

I am not sure how you would get it. You could possibly get the raw ingredients and make it your self, but I am unsure which of the ingredients may be banned in your country. I know people do use miracle grow plant food but I do not feel safe recommending it to anyone. It has been used in the hobby for many years though buy some people who culture phyto.

[@erichott223]

Question, so I have followed your videos. I was going to order through you but you were out a few weeks ago so I had to go through a company in FL. I have created my setup and sterilized with 3% peroxide and rinsed with rodi. My culture has been split three times so far. Each time I start it the culture gets settling. It will still continue to grow and get super dark green by day seven but it has so much dark dark green settling…. Any ideas?

[@BriansAquariums]

It's normal. I stir my cultures daily to help minimize it, but it is still there. I just filter it out. I appreciate you wanting to buy from me. I kind of just moved over from this project. I've been busy at work and life.

[@marcusbernknopf4145]

Do you need to feed the culture more then once?

[@eudaora]

hey brazil here, i watch your video from the first culture, you do it very well can i do the f2 at home or at the pharmacy? and what would be the components and their proportions? here I use sodium phosphate (10g), sodium nitrate (80g) and ferric chloride (40g) in 1L Tnkss 👊👊

[@BriansAquariums]

Here is the recipe - algaeresearchsupply.com/pages/f-2-media

[@AdrianPerez-th5sy]

What do you do after you cultured? Do you remove a percentage and top off with more fresh saltwater to keep it going? I would also like to know how you extract your copepods and keep that culture going. Awesome information you have on setting up both copepod and phytoplankton cultures.

[@BriansAquariums]

For the phytoplankton answer I made a video here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKmwnqCtosSMac0

[@BriansAquariums]

On the copepods I just take a solo cup or two out each week depending on how dense the population is and add it to my tanks. To do a water change I use this 53 micron sieve amzn.to/39uMQIU and drain the container through it. Add the new saltwater back in and dunk the sieve back in the container with new saltwater.

[@AdrianPerez-th5sy]

@@BriansAquariums Totally missed that video. Thanks a bunch! Just ordered all the stuff to get my own culture going.

[@BriansAquariums]

@@AdrianPerez-th5sy Awesome man! Good luck culturing. If you need and help let me know. 👍

[@user-ko9cj6oi9q]

Hi! can you leave a small amount in your culture to use for the next batch? if you choose not to immediately make a batch, can you use the refrigerated phyto you made within the 60 days for a new culture? just making sure!

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes you can leave some phyto behind to start a new batch. However, I prefer to clean the container Im using to prevent the build up of algae and other contaminants, then add the phyto back into the container. As long as the phyto smells good and not rotten it will be safe to use. The longer you keep live phyto it in the fridge it will become less valuable to the animals you are feeding it to as a live source of phyto. It's fine to use it as dead phyto though too.

[@OHardBodyO]

Trying this now as we speak. Let's see how it goes!

[@BriansAquariums]

Good luck!

[@Burnwarcrimetemple]

should i do water change to phytoplankton jar?

[@BriansAquariums]

No. I would only harvest the phyto once you are ready. Typically around day 7.

[@Burnwarcrimetemple]

@@BriansAquariums but i should add saltwater if the water in phyto jar is decrease because i harvest it ?

[@coolvader8]

After the seven days how much of the solution do i add to a 10gallon tank of clown fish fry?

[@BriansAquariums]

It really depends on the color you get. I can't tell ypu a specific amount because it is something you will have to judge by eye. I would assume somewhere around 16 ozs or so. It also depends on how quick the rotifers consume the phyto. I add roughly one 16 oz bottle daily to my 5 gallon rotifer culture. I wish I could give you a better answer but it's just something you have to figure out by doing it.

[@nicholaswilliams7258]

How many vessels do you have for your phyto or do you ever change which type you culture in the same container?

[@BriansAquariums]

I have 1 vessel for each strain. This prevents cross contamination.

[@nicholaswilliams7258]

@@BriansAquariums is there a strand that is more needed in the others?

[@BriansAquariums]

@@nicholaswilliams7258 No.

[@nicholaswilliams7258]

@@BriansAquariums which strand of phyto do you recommend starting with?

[@BriansAquariums]

@Nicholas Williams Nannochloropsis or Tetraselmis is the easier ones to grow.

[@BeeRich33]

So a single pump could suffice both propagators.

[@BriansAquariums]

Yes. As long as it's strong enough. I use this pump and it will easily work for two cultures. amzn.to/3RbFiuT

[@BeeRich33]

@@BriansAquariums Your O2 exposure is fine.

[@scholageemusic9373]

Are you creating photoplankton or creating Natural Oxygen from plankton

[@BriansAquariums]

I am growing phytoplankton from existing phytoplankton using f/2 media.

[@scholageemusic9373]

@@BriansAquariums interesting

[@supergriefer]

modified phytoplankton from Entropy: Zero 2

[@user-uc8nn9oq3p]

check valves are not needed, place your pumps above the vessels

[@BriansAquariums]

Agreed.

[@bensimpson4091]

yeah not every setup is the same and that piece of info is for those who might not have that option. they aren't going to harm your culture. some people will bitch about anything