How to Start Your Own Phytoplankton Culture Using Sunlight | Blue Reef Tank

[@dannycastaneda1974]

I've had phyto refrigerated for well over a year, probably closer to 2. And it is still very viable for culturing. Sometimes I go weeks without shaking it.

[@jordynt1841]

In a few weeks I am starting my phyto and copepod culture because of your easy to follow videos! Thank you!

[@bravoalpha64]

Best Regards from Belgium. Very clean video and instructive too.

[@leilan5038]

Can’t wait for the copepod culture video 😁

[@BlueReefTank]

Coming soon! In the meantime, you can get the phytoplankton culture ready because the copepods culture consumes A LOT of phytoplankton :D

[@leilan5038]

@@BlueReefTank I sure will! 😋

[@joseluisrodriguez2900]

Thank you for show us, best regards from México 😃

[@carlosolmos3836]

Esperando el video de copepodos. Gracias.

[@BlueReefTank]

Coming soon! 😃 Sorry for the delay

[@carlosolmos3836]

@@BlueReefTank thanks

[@parientedehannamontana5067]

i enjoyed your video, it is easier explained than others

[@leilan5038]

WOOHOO!! 🤩 Been waiting for this video! Thank youu! Always love when you upload

[@BlueReefTank]

Thank you! :D

[@PotooBurd]

This is so informative!!! Fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝

[@tedblack2163]

Thank you for this video, really simple and easy setup guide. Now I'm ready to try this.

[@BlueReefTank]

Good luck with your culture 🙂 If you have any questions just let me know!

[@hatzinwondering]

You earned my subscribe. Please post the next video on how to culture copepods.

[@conraddemilia]

You're amazing man. Thanks. Im gonna be less worried about my mandarins now

[@BlueReefTank]

No problem man! I'm going to do the pods culture video next 😁

[@conraddemilia]

@@BlueReefTank great I cant wait

[@jgttivette]

Great video! Much better than my set up. I culture phytoplankton to feed my copepods. I then feed the copepods to my mandarin. My daughter named him, "Tie-dye."

[@BlueReefTank]

Thanks Joey! 😁 That's a pretty cool name. He must be a very lucky mandarin to have constant supply of copepods

[@jgttivette]

@@BlueReefTank we like to think so! 🙂

[@adamschaafsma5839]

Really excellent! Thanks I have to start doing this!

[@NinjaSushi2]

Amazing.

[@chewy7062]

I do the same but for my brine shrimp I use a freshwater algae tho

[@utekevin]

Hello, amazing videos. Where did you buy that grey plastic part which connects the 2 tube and distribute it in 90 degrees to the jar? What is the name? Or do you have an URL? 😊

[@garrycole9187]

Awesome video, extremely helpful !!

[@BlueReefTank]

Glad it was helpful!

[@zadokmathew]

Top notch 👌

[@uuncebret]

Thanks.. i need this, 👍🏻

[@BlueReefTank]

Any questions just let me know :)

[@LayneWilson]

I love growing phyto and pods best food you can feed a tank. Nice containers where did you get them ikea?

[@BlueReefTank]

Totally agree! It's especially important when you have picky eaters like mandarin fish, seahorse, etc. Yeah man, just from Ikea :) It's the perfect size I reckon

[@davidlicht5685]

Love your video and started my own culture. I was wondering where you got that siphon from? The glass or plastic curved siphon you used when harvesting.

[@NinjaSushi2]

Badass!!

[@NinjaSushi2]

Going to try it soon

[@danielisaacs3380]

love your vids man, ive got the same tank gonna try ad a sump and drill and plumb it, i used previously with seahorses. I LOVE what youre doing with yours.

[@BlueReefTank]

Thank you Daniel 😎

[@taylor4tails]

Thankyou so much!!! love this

[@BlueReefTank]

🙂 No worries Taylor

[@chengz]

Hi mate, absolutely love all these how-tos! Located here in Melb too, just curious where to get the f2 fertilizer tho... (You can even point me to a lfs lol) Thanks in advance!

[@kerryt.6193]

When you harvest do you filter out the particles before starting next culture?

[@BlueReefTank]

Yeah! I usually run them through a baby brine shrimp sieve to filter out any dust etc. :)

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

*How do you sure that you don't feed your aquarium by the fertilizer ?!!!*

[@thenbenagcz3931]

What whould happen if we produce more photo plankton and dump it into ocean

[@007reefer3]

Great videos! Have you tried making your own F/2? I have read that it's miracle grow + something else?

[@BlueReefTank]

No I haven't but I will check it out 😁

[@dannycastaneda1974]

I've heard miracle grow is not good for phyto that will be used in a reef.

[@danielisaacs3380]

inspiring!

[@finn.wessemius2653]

What's the salinity of the phyto? Thanks for the helpful video! Keep it up :)

[@BlueReefTank]

It's 1.019 SG :)

[@ceecee8274]

Plz show the copepods!!!!!

[@BlueReefTank]

👍👍👍

[@754welive5]

Can you do one on copepods

[@BlueReefTank]

I will do one soon 🙂

[@fvxkthatdudedaniel8125]

how do you catch the pods to feed them to your fish?

[@BlueReefTank]

I just suck them using a turkey baster and run them through a 50 micron meter sieve 😁

[@LivetoExplore]

nice video ! what's the drill set kit called ? and which store can i find it ? thanks

[@BlueReefTank]

It's called the Rockwell Shop series and I got mine from Supercheap Auto but any hardware store should have one 😁

[@epic6005]

I done the first steps and my room reeks of eggs is it normal?

[@Moreysreef]

Nice video! Any temp for the phyto when incubating?

[@BlueReefTank]

Thanks Jose! I try to keep them in room temperature (23-25C) :)

[@007reefer3]

Love this!!

[@BlueReefTank]

Thanks mate

[@dustinbogart9161]

Is it okay to use an airstone to keep the air hose at the bottom?

[@007reefer3]

Any link on where you get the F/2? Thx

[@BlueReefTank]

if you're in Australia, you can get it from frag-mate.com

[@jasonkelsey3868]

Question. Do you make your own F2? If not, what are the ingredients as you will be adding it to your reef. Ive read it contains copper and other metals. Could these build up in your reef over time?

[@jasonkelsey3868]

I do like the way you use it to culture your copepods. I assumed this was why you only added the pods after straining them out vs pouring the whole harvest (phyto, pods, and all) to your DT

[@SteHughes90]

Freshwater aquarium fertiliser works. It's very similar, the tropica brand in a squirty bottle actually contains a better P to N ratio for Phyto than F2.

[@yapyh2872]

what's the use of making Phytoplankton?

[@parientedehannamontana5067]

but also, then, the cultives dont need light in the night?

[@BlueReefTank]

Nope :)

[@theguitarist1977]

So you culture at which specific gravity? 1.020? Thx

[@Trousers-cz5hr]

How do you sterilise your containers?

[@MrDeepakphilip85]

Is there any alternatives to f2 fertilizer?

[@alissa4815]

Will plastic containers work too?

[@viniciusvalentin7015]

How much is the daily dosage of phytoplankton in the aquarium?

[@BlueReefTank]

You can start by dosing 5ml a day and work your way up 1-5ml at a time depending on the size of your tank 😁

[@fathershelby]

Do you avoid direct sunlight on the tanks? I've tried leaving some plain water bubbling on my North facing window (I live in the southern hemisphere), and the temperature got up to 35°C with direct sun.

[@NicolasMazo]

Thanks for the video ! In most of the tutorial to culture plankton they advice to adjust the air rate to one bubble per second, you seems to use a much higher rate. May I ask if you are still happy to go with this rate or if you decreased it ?

[@BlueReefTank]

I am still going with a high flow rate on the bubbles. Only for copepods culture that I go slow on the bubble (1-2 bubble per second)

[@NicolasMazo]

@@BlueReefTank Thanks!

[@dominus6224]

@@BlueReefTankMust the sun be shining? If yes, how do you compensate when there is no sun?

[@buddybonbutt7510]

Why do I need to shake it each day?

[@anasuddin6425]

Can we start phyto culture without fertilizer?

[@silentlistening]

where do I get these containers?

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

IKEA

[@vpannava]

Does the temperature have any effect?

[@BlueReefTank]

It might affect slightly but as long as you keep it in room temperature (24-25C), you should get good results every time.

[@dougyanus6731]

Why not skip the RODI water and just add lower salt content

[@fulkdebulk2494]

Hi , i would like to know witch phyto do you use for your culture and pods ? 😁 i'll start mine next week 😋 thks from geneva

[@Kagnaska]

Can I do it without the fertilizer? even if it takes more time to harvest

[@BlueReefTank]

I haven't tried it without the fertilizer yet but I reckon it won't work because usually after 10 days (once the F2 fertilizer has been consumed completely), the phyto starts to die (turning yellow)

[@billyd0214]

I'm not sure how MUCH phyto you start with. I want your blessing on my calcs. looking for the % phyto to water ratio? 250 ml of phyto to 4.5 cups of water? One is metric and one is std. I live in the USA. 250 ml = about 1 cup? so it's about 4:1 ratio? (Water:phyto)? is that right? I keep seeing 1:1... and that's a LOT of starting phyto. thank you

[@ccn5065]

Hello, can i just use the RO water or i have to go with RODI ? And can i use any other phytoplankton ?

[@BlueReefTank]

I would suggest to go with the purest water whenever you can meaning RODI. Try to get your phytoplankton culture from a reputable seller and you'll have a higher chance of success that way :)

[@ccn5065]

@@BlueReefTank Thanks !

[@phuongtruong100]

Hi Im in the US. How do i get the fertilizer and starter? How much sunlights does the culture need daily? Thanks

[@BlueReefTank]

I got mine from ebay and it was shipped from US! Try searching for F2 Fertilizer and there should be a lot of people in the US that are selling it 🙂 I let mine sit 24/7 next to my window and just let the nature do the work. Ideally you need to harvest every 7-10 days otherwise the culture will turn yellow and go bad.

[@Silentfartz]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. I have two questions: 1. Where can I get hold of the F2 fertilizer? 2. Once you have harvested 1L of the phytoplankton, how much water did you add on top of the left over phytoplankton? Thank you

[@BlueReefTank]

No problem Michael. 1. With the F2 fertilizer, if you're in Australia, you can get it from frag-mate.com (That's where I got mine from). Where are you based at? 2. I usually top off with another 1L of the culture media (the saltwater mixtures) and add the F2 fertilizer again. Rinse and repeat over and over again! :)

[@rhb30001]

Can you drink it?

[@user-fu6df1we6y]

Сulturе banan?

[@ChandraShekar-bf9ry]

Im from india , i dont get this here ,any other thing can be used rather then f2 fertilizer

[@BlueReefTank]

As far as I know, F2 fertilizer is the only fertilizer that's safe for aquarium use. Other fertilizer might contain heavy metal etc that's not good for the marine tank