Live phytoplankton and why you should add it to your reef tank!

[@littlecreaturesau2124]

A hole in one, great video and product by CC

[@ParkersReef]

Right on

[@LautBiru878]

am new in these reef tank things...love ur advice...clear and easy to understand...

[@ParkersReef]

Glad to hear, hope you enjoy the channel!

[@joeassi7090]

Been struggling with low PH. Def worth a shot, thanks for the tip👌

[@ParkersReef]

Anytime man!

[@noahmccallum5289]

Another really good video. Was talking to a guy who grows it and he doses 500mL-1L on his Reefer 250 a week!

[@ParkersReef]

yeah dont be afraid to be pretty heavy handed with the stuff!!!

[@martijnvanbeek4387]

Very good point Parker; I totally agree. I breed my own phytoplankton every now and then and it's very easy. Most important is to work cleanly in the containers and keep them clean.

[@ParkersReef]

nicely done!

[@garethphillips4226]

Another great video I feed live brine shrimp sometimes and I always gut load them with phyto , gareth in the UK

[@ParkersReef]

that is good thinking Gareth, the more diversity we can get into our closed ecosystems the better!

[@MrPdice]

Hi Parker. Do you have a video that shows your dosing setup? I would like to see how you are keeping the phyto at refrigerated temps while dosing. Thanks.

[@ParkersReef]

I am just manually dosing this, I have a beer fridge outside that holds all my fish refrigerated and frozen products, so I just keep them there then tip in by hand when needed :)

[@captivebredcanada]

Good video, I'm going to give you a rather long comment and I know you typically read / reply to them, hopefully it won't bore you! I have been breeding clownfish for the past 10 months so obviously produce my own (nannochloropsis). I produce several gallons a week and I have been adding to my reef tanks now that I do have extra available. Doing some experiments in my 10 gallon nano, I could turn the water green, to the point where I no longer needed to top off and worried about salinity changes and saw zero ill effects. Despite this being just a 10 gallon tank, it contains tons of micro fauna, sponge, ect. The entire glass was just covered in every kind of critter you could imagine. All the corals responded well. In my larger reef I simply pour extra in when I have. I would guess a few hundred ml in a 110 gallon system almost every day. I've never noticed the ph increase but I'll watch for it. I feel like we are just touching the surface on the benefits and longer term more controlled studies are needed. Your source of phytoplankton and species can very greatly! I typically will filter any crud out of mine with a 53 micron filter and occasionally look at it under a microscope to make sure it still looks clean. Cross contamination / crashes are very common in at home cultures that are not made in sterile environments. It's very common to give up on phyto because you don't see any immediate benefits, particularly if you are under dosing. This was part of the reason I overdosed my nano just to get a feel of what it would do over a few weeks vs a few months or longer. You really need to stick with it if you want to see any kind of improvement. That's true for many things in the reef, but I feel it's especially true here. Your tank size has ZERO barring or almost zero barring on how much you should dose. If you have a new reef with dead rock there simply won't be enough micro fauna to take advantage of it, and that's when you may have problems. While it is of course adding nutrients in most cases you are far more likely to get filtration benefits from excess phyto then other types of algae blooms. Again going back to the clownfish larvae in their tanks phyto is the sole means of filtration other than water changes. Finally if you are anyone else is still reading, different phytoplankton species are very different. They aren't all green, and very greatly in size. I only work with nannochloropsis but I am hoping to start culturing a few other species soon. By feeding various species that are various sizes different creatures or polyp sizes will take advantage of them.

[@ParkersReef]

Fantastic information, thank you for taking the time to share it - greatly appreciated!

[@RSmarza]

Thanks for sharing. I am considering auto dosing phyto on my 160G main tank. It's a mixed tank with lps and sps. My concern is about the "bad" nutrients, like phosphate. Do you think dosing pytho will increase phosphate? Thanks in advance for your time.

[@KlemmetsmoReefing]

Says “Our little eco system in our living room” while standing in front of a MOSTER tank 😂

[@ParkersReef]

Hahaha I know right 😅

[@LayneWilson]

Im a big pro phyto guy myself. The results while using it vs not are are obvious. I also agree it greatly helps the biodiversity of your reef not just helping corals.

[@ParkersReef]

Absolutely!

[@djknight7599]

I just got my live Phyto to start dosing! Great video as always! Thanks for sharing your journey. Cheers from Kansas City!

[@ParkersReef]

Thanks for watching!

[@madhavrajkumarg2261]

Saturday and Sunday it's Parker's time baby.

[@ParkersReef]

Hells yeah!

[@michelleconabere7063]

It's great stuff. I have been using it for a few months now. I feed it directly into main tank. Even the fish love it. Skimmer can go crazy lol

[@ParkersReef]

Good stuff Michelle!

[@madhavrajkumarg2261]

This vid was amazing sam.

[@ParkersReef]

Cheers!

[@umar]

Things are getting nerdier.. Some marine biology stuff Good information about the diverse requirements and marine life needs.

[@ParkersReef]

Hard not to nerd out now and then 😅

[@umar]

@@ParkersReef 🤣🤣

[@DKLordByron]

Just the info i needed 👍 thanks

[@ParkersReef]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nanocube6689]

Love the video! Phytoplankton is - in my humble opinion - one of the most interesting und underappreciated things in reefing. Even though I can get phyto for free from a friend of mine I'm tempted to start my own culture and experiment with higher dosages...

[@nanocube6689]

I'd have one thing to add. I've dosed phytoplankton (specifically against Cyanos) in much higher doses around 100ml/100l a day without any ill effects, some might even argue it helped grow my four polyps micromussa, which has been in the tank for a month, grow 6 new baby heads...

[@ParkersReef]

Sensational stuff, thanks for watching and providing that info 👍🏻

[@nanocube6689]

@@ParkersReefIm not sure, did you mention to shut off the skimmer/uv/ozone before adding large batches of phyto?

[@sleepinggiant807]

Great video, thanks. These are my thoughts on phyto also, it's a win win situation.

[@ParkersReef]

Bloody oath!

[@sallyostling]

I got a scallop as a hitchhiker from some live rock. I started dosing phytoplankton to help feed it. It's been about 2 weeks. No negative side effects.

[@ParkersReef]

Awesome addition!

[@coralreefexplorer]

i dose 1l Phyto to my 1000l tank every day 0,5l in the morning and 0,5l in the evening, i grow it myself in an Grotech breeder 18l i never had any problems i buy one time and i had it for over one year, very simple to breed on low energy and you have the phosphate under your own control.

[@ParkersReef]

nicely done!

[@Arborpress]

I dose 30mL per day in my 20 gallon cube and my tank does not experience algae blooms. However my tank is 5 years old and loaded with big sponges, feather dusters and other inverts that I hear consume it greatly.

[@ParkersReef]

Lovely!!

[@cristobalbarraza3795]

Great video again. For some reason at the middle of the video picture went black🤔, sound was going still😏, that was enough for me😉.

[@ParkersReef]

Hmmm odd! Bloody KZbin!!

[@cristobalbarraza3795]

No worries, just listening to you was enough. Thank you for your videos. Have been a lot of help.

[@ParkersReef]

Appreciate it mate!

[@brettgallagher2894]

Another great informative video!

[@ParkersReef]

Thanks for watching!

[@teemer1282]

Great video. Perhaps I was the only one waiting for you to show us a tutorial on how to make our own by the end of this video ... 😂

[@ParkersReef]

Plenty of other videos out there that can show you those tips!

[@ikanMarine]

good explanation! i really like your vdo..

[@ParkersReef]

Thank you!

[@MintPixelStudio]

Nice informative video Sam . I've just started dosing phyto this week. I was told to store it in the fridge and dose after lights out . I'm surprised to see that you auto dose it with no ill effects. Something I would like to try after seeing you successfully do it. Thanks for sharing.

[@ParkersReef]

I remove small weekly bottles at a time from the fridge to set on the auto doser, keep the rest in the fridge.

[@ryanshackleton2174]

Great video Sam just recent starting dosing this and the colour on my torches is of the chart

[@ParkersReef]

sensational!!!

[@ryanshackleton2174]

videos like this that can help corals achieve there true colours so thanks again keep the good videos coming

[@ParkersReef]

@@ryanshackleton2174 no trouble at all!

[@freddy-b]

Thanks for the video Sam, i will try it, see what it does for my tank

[@ParkersReef]

Good stuff, see how you go!

[@logansreef3079]

Another interesting fact on Phyto is the different types you can get Nannochlropsis, tetraselmis, dunaliella some have larger cell sizes others smaller some are motile and others are non motile… I agree tho only positives from dosing this stuff

[@ParkersReef]

yeah for sure - lots of variety out there! And yes, it is all good outcomes - diversity in reef tanks is king!

[@nanoreefer1622]

It will also help in the battle with dinoflagellates along with pods. The more biodiversity in your tank the better!

[@nanocube6689]

It helps against Cyanos too!

[@ParkersReef]

It truly is the miracle liquid!!

[@briankavanagh7191]

Didn't know that thanks👍 will nopox affect it's performance?

[@ParkersReef]

I don’t believe no pox will affect it

[@Neilturbo]

Thanks for this, I have been dosing it at lights out along with my other coral foods. Mainly because this is when my skimmer shuts down for a couple of hours. Will give the morning dosing a go 👍

[@ParkersReef]

Give it a crack in the light period and see what it can do for you :)

[@tukanxx]

@@ParkersReef In terms of your question, the best time to feed the tank anything (such as zooplankton additives, cyclopeeze, etc) would be in the middle of the night when feeders are extended on corals.

[@LightSearch]

In my experience, it doesn't remove nutrients, quite the opposite. I saw an explosion in sponges, which was a good thing.

[@ParkersReef]

It added nutrients? I wonder what was in it...

[@LightSearch]

@@ParkersReef I culture my own phyto and to avoid introducing fertilizer, I decant the phyto in the fridge for 48 hours, throw 95% of the water away and add new saltwater. It has an impact mainly on phosphates. I haven't dosed in a few months because I was treating the tank with Vibrant (dangerous stuff!) for valonia, but I'm about to start very slowly again.

[@freakygoblin3068]

Store in fridge or attached to dosing pump permanently? Never dosed it but one thing I was thinking of is a 0.5l Milk Fridge which acually has a hole for a tube built in. Problem then is tube length and amount of time "in tube".

[@ParkersReef]

I store my spare in the fridge, but no need to refrigerate the bottle on the doser :)

[@smokeandkippers]

Subbed! Very interesting and informative! I’ve just started a 10g nano with some softies and LPS frags of Goni plus a few small Zoa rocks. If I dose 1ml every other day do you reckon that would be enough and how long do you think I could keep a small pouch in the fridge without it going bad? Thanks for any advice!

[@ParkersReef]

Thanks for joining the Parkers reef family!!

[@shaunbigdog7192]

I’ve recently been adding copopods to my reef tank and in turn add phytoplankton within the past week and last couple days I’ve had a huge outbreak of what I think is Dyno or some sort of algae bloom, should I just stop or ease off with phytoplankton. Also would you know if there’s any issues with copopods and phytoplankton while running a uv steriliser. Thanks.

[@ParkersReef]

they certainly should not create Dino in your tank, if anything should help fix it. I'd check the source of your phyto and pods, make sure they are coming from a reputable source. Then I'd get a sample of the suspected Dino under a microscope to identify it properly and go about treating the specific species from there

[@jacobcline3580]

Where do you get your sulfur media? I’m excited to give this a shot been struggling with my nitrates.

[@ParkersReef]

My local fish store, deer park aquarium carries it

[@franklinwest2090]

Do you run your skimmer while dosing final planting? Do you leave the skimmer off for 12 hours after dosing or something like that?

[@ParkersReef]

I leave everything running as per normal

[@franklinwest2090]

@@ParkersReefthank you!

[@ParkersReef]

Pleasure!

[@foxchase725]

I culture 4 different strains of Phyto and sell as a mix to reefers in my state. (or give away to my local reef club). I end up with so much that i give it away to my LFS and they sell it and i get discounts

[@ParkersReef]

Bloody awesome man, nice work!!

[@saltyparent9428]

Do you add fertiliser

[@foxchase725]

@@saltyparent9428 yes i do

[@jianzhao8391]

I saw someone use the greenwater with fishfood and i wonder what it is ? I want to try it right now! But phytoplankton is how to transalte in chinese?

[@ParkersReef]

not sure what it translates to I am sorry

[@briankavanagh7191]

Parker nice to see all your additives in the fridge, just quick Q: how often do you dose the milk?🤣 🤣 🤣

[@ParkersReef]

Hahahaha I have an ice coffee every morning!

[@sunnygoold9449]

I hear ya - milk probably has all the aminos in it ;)

[@andy2798100]

Great video. The only problem I have is my tanks upstairs and the fridge is downstairs so I keep forgetting to dose it. I wish I didn’t have to keep it in the fridge. Should you turn the protein skimmer off when you dose it?

[@ParkersReef]

no need to keep in the fridge whilst dosing, just for storage if not dosing. No need to turn the protein skimmer off, but if you can - it wouldn't hurt!

[@andy2798100]

@@ParkersReef thanks for the advice. I will put it on a doser.

[@TheofficialEsmvids]

I've used in past and only kept in fridge. If I want to be lazy on a doser how long do you think it will last out of the fridge?

[@ParkersReef]

Good week or two out of the fridge without any issues

[@kuyaspanky.]

Will mechanical filtration take this out of your system? I know skimmers will. How about carbon?

[@ParkersReef]

I wouldn't think mechanical filtration will take it out, but it's really a pretty short term dosage

[@paularamos5752]

Cool vid thx for info…

[@ParkersReef]

My pleasure :)

[@Younotus455]

Dont overdose it tho. With anything go slow. I had accidentally double dosed and had a diatom bloom for a few days. I dose green and brown, thalassiosira wessflogii, isochrysis sp, nonnochloropsis. Corals seem to love it when it enter the water column

[@ParkersReef]

wonder how/why it would cause a diatom bloom?

[@Younotus455]

@@ParkersReef me too, I can replicate this bloom if I add 10ml a week instead of 5 ml per week. Maybe the abundance of them die off and produce some sort of silica? Causing the bloom? Or possibly it gets in via the bottle I store the phyto in? Never really looked into it

[@ParkersReef]

@@Younotus455 I wonder how you would go with a different supply of live phyto?

[@Younotus455]

@@ParkersReef I'll have to try it. I get most of my phyto from algae barn. As I order pods every month from there for my mandarin goby

[@bobkerr2559]

Hello Sam, do you switch off your UV and or Skimmer for any period of time after adding the phytoplankton

[@ParkersReef]

I don’t, but I know others do. I would if dosing to eradicate dinos though

[@jarede2708]

you can make a never ending supply of phyto with only a bubbler and and a tiny amount of phyto fertilizer! Just add phyto, fresh saltwater, and fertilizer to a sterilized gallon container and wait 7 days. Bam you now have 1 gallon of phyto that you can dose to the tank and start your next batch with.

[@ParkersReef]

Sure can!

[@AbrahamBilly]

Is this can replace big 3 nutrients?

[@ParkersReef]

not sure what you mean sorry?

[@AbrahamBilly]

@@ParkersReef if have used phytoplankton, is we still need other dose like big 3 (Kh, Ca, Mg)?

[@ParkersReef]

@@AbrahamBilly yes absolutely. Phyto won't help with those at all

[@coralreef909]

Corals will love it

[@ParkersReef]

You bet!

[@9jfd1]

How do you auto dose without refrigerating it? Is it because you have such a small bottle and replace bottle before it goes bad ?

[@ParkersReef]

I store it in the fridge and manually dose it.

[@9jfd1]

@@ParkersReef Got it. Its harder than Kalkwasser to automate since it needs to be stirred and chilled. Not worth drilling a hole in my mini fridge for this purpose. Manual dose is the way to go thanks for your input!

[@lkapitan8232]

What does that massive UV you have do to those little critters?

[@ParkersReef]

It will sterilise them to stop them Multiplying, that’s why I dose to the display :)

[@lkapitan8232]

@@ParkersReef On a system without a UV, would they create a self sustaining colony?

[@brandoneaker7183]

Now do these live phytoplankton multiply once in the aquarium? If so, wouldn’t this be a one and done kind of thing?

[@ParkersReef]

It will, but will be taken out by skimmer, UV, lack of nutrient and lack of light.

[@ChristosD]

Can we use phytoplankton and have the UV on ?

[@ParkersReef]

You can, the uv will kill some of it though

[@jreffjeff7909]

Do u only have to dose it once and they reproduce from there?

[@ParkersReef]

No, it is something that you will need to dose occasionally

[@jjj14]

While running UV will kill phytoplankton, do you then run UV on the reserve cycle at night?

[@ParkersReef]

it wont kill it, but will stop it reproducing. I leave my UV on 24/7

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

New reefer here in 2024, are you still adding phyto to your tank? If so, are you seeing an improvement? Do you still feel its worth it?

[@ParkersReef]

yes I sure am! Phyto is the lowest part of the food chain, in a closed ecosystem, I find it is super beneficial. I like to pop a bottle in my tank every couple of weeks

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

@@ParkersReef Outstanding, going to start this on my reef tank. Thanks Sam.

[@ParkersReef]

My pleasure!

[@Mcappo]

Do you turn off your skimmer when you dose or just toss it and forget it? Thanks for the videos!

[@ParkersReef]

I don't turn it off, although it probably wouldn't hurt for the first 30mins or so :)

[@andycx2]

Surly it will just get filtered out by the skimmer and roller filter?

[@ParkersReef]

Yes, it can and will. But not after going through the display

[@aquatic413]

How does this affects the skimmer? Will the skimmer remove it?

[@ParkersReef]

Skimmer will remove over time yes

[@ryanm784]

@@ParkersReef Hi great vid, do you switch your skimmer off during the first few hours of dosing?

[@jules2545]

It is the oceans that supply most of the oxygen. The tree thing is a bit of a myth.

[@ParkersReef]

Absolutely

[@Michael_k_DK]

Now In 2022 do you still use phyto ?

[@ParkersReef]

certainly do! Key part of the ecosystem

[@iwobbly9374]

You talk about it increasing your PH, but has it done anything discernible to your PH level, or is that your belief?

[@ParkersReef]

It is my belief and the belief of others I have spoken with. Of course, results will vary depending on what is the limiting factor of PH in your tank.

[@sunnygoold9449]

Love live phyto - but it's tough to get so when I don't have it I dose dead phyto - along with 4 types of aminos, bacto balance (carbon), bacterial plankton (the most important), 2 types of nitrifying bacteria, waste / phosphate eating bacteria, 2 types of probiotics, reef energy AB+ and... probably dried coral food, spores etc probably doesn't count - yeah it's a lot but then I just run a skimmer 8 hours overnight that's it -biological diversity is what I love ;)

[@ParkersReef]

That’s what it’s all about!!!

[@markmckinnell2204]

Lazy reefers need the grotech phytobreeder and either their own controller or a couple of Versa’s to add tank water which gravity feeds phyto into your tank and food to the phyto in the breeder. - all automatically 😏

[@ParkersReef]

Yes, yes I do!!

[@markmckinnell2204]

@@ParkersReef It even does a two on two off light cycle which is supposed to be the most productive and stirs the stuff for you 🕺🕺

[@ParkersReef]

Very impressive!!!

[@fatdamon4167]

Why can't you dump the whole bottle in so you can have a self sustaining population of phytos along with a bottle of zooplankton to balance each other out? I'd prefer to create a self sustaining phyto population in my tank than add it every day so my tank can have all parts of the food chain.

[@ParkersReef]

because our filtration removes it. If you didn't have a skimmer (or UV) in the system, you likely could. Would just need to ensure you had enough nitrogren and light

[@coralreef909]

Marine snow

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah kinda!

[@TheDarthloki]

Wow 10$ per bottle ... It's sooo easy to produce it yourself man - look it up :)

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah I know, but I’m lazy! I know this is a quality product and $10aussie isn’t anything to bork at in this hobby :)

[@paularamos5752]

Just joined …johnny 5

[@ParkersReef]

Thanks for joining!

[@s.leemccauley7302]

Tiny bits of plastic are legion in the phytoplankton. Those that eat phytoplankton like whales are the ones it hurts.

[@ParkersReef]

Can you explain that to me again? Lost me... Are you saying there is plastic in phyto?

[@s.leemccauley7302]

Floating around with it it is not inside the phyto itself that I know of.

[@deepreef210]

You are great youtuber, but you should stay away from talking about marine biology. Clearly not your expertise. O2 production does nothing for ph.

[@ParkersReef]

Fair enough, thanks for the feedback!

[@faridafandi6806]

Your speak to fast!!!

[@ParkersReef]

you can always play the video back at a slower speed :D