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View Full Version : Phyto/Rotifer Help


Reefer4ever
Mon, 11th Oct 2010, 06:55 PM
So I am going to give it a go at culturing phytoplankton and rotifers. I am going to culture phytoplankton to feed my tank with a clam in it and to feed the rotifers. I do not think I am going to culture rotifers just yet, but I have a couple of smore clowns that are about 7.5 months old that I plan to breed. Can the clowns, the male being an inch long and the female being 1.5 inches, eat rotifers? Can any fish, no matter how big, eat rotifers?

I was thinking of using reef nutrition's phyto-feast live as a starter culture. What do y'all think? Would I be better off going with another brand or borrowing some phytoplankton from a MAAST member? Does anybody have some rotifers I can use to use as a starter culture once I get some phytoplankton up and running?

Thanks for any help and input! :D
Europhyllia
Mon, 11th Oct 2010, 06:57 PM
it might be easier to culture a single type of phyto rather than a mix (the way I understand it there could be some competition between the different kinds)
Nannochloropsis is an easy one and usually easily available
Reefer4ever
Mon, 11th Oct 2010, 07:16 PM
Where can I find it? Are there any stores in San Antonio that carry this product or do I have to order it online? It would be a lot more convenient to just borrow a sample culture from someone here in town or get nannochloropsis from a LFS rather than order online because I have not ordered anything online before.
Reefer4ever
Tue, 12th Oct 2010, 06:04 PM
BUMP

Anyone?
Europhyllia
Tue, 12th Oct 2010, 06:15 PM
I actually purchased mine from Ebay but I think Ace (hobogato) used to grow some too and give it away periodically - haven't seen him post about it in awhile though.
I don't have any anymore
BSJF
Tue, 12th Oct 2010, 06:49 PM
Florida Aqua Farms is a reliable source for cultures. Online.
tiger_eyed1
Wed, 13th Oct 2010, 11:19 AM
I just orderd the "Rotifer Starter Kit - Basic" from reeds. This weekend I plan to built my growout station in the garage for rotifers and phyto. If you can get the phyto going, we can swap a harvest or exchange via $.
tiger_eyed1
Tue, 26th Oct 2010, 04:44 PM
Going on 2 weeks of having my rotifer culture going. These little buggers really eat. I'm harvesting a gallon daily and feeding my tank. You have your phyto culture going yet? We can trade a harvest. I plan to split the culture this weekend in case one crashes.
Reefer4ever
Tue, 26th Oct 2010, 04:54 PM
Hey. I'm sorry. I've been meaning to start the culture, but I never got around to doing it. I'm going to try and start the culture this weekend. Maybe if my phytoplankton is doing well, then I might contact you next weekend? Also, what do you mean "trade a harvest"?
tiger_eyed1
Tue, 26th Oct 2010, 09:17 PM
I went by Alamo today. They are checking to see if they can order a single strain culture along with some rotifer diet. I'd rather support local if I can. Surprisingly every store that I have visited says that the demand for live phyto is very low here. We need to change that.
hobogato
Wed, 27th Oct 2010, 06:28 AM
this is where i always order my starter disks.
Florida Aqua Farms is a reliable source for cultures. Online.
neogenix
Tue, 14th Dec 2010, 12:36 AM
I went by Alamo today. They are checking to see if they can order a single strain culture along with some rotifer diet. I'd rather support local if I can. Surprisingly every store that I have visited says that the demand for live phyto is very low here. We need to change that.

I'm sure either Gabes, or one of the other stores could probably source it for you if they don't manage it ;)


I just orderd the "Rotifer Starter Kit - Basic" from reeds. This weekend I plan to built my growout station in the garage for rotifers and phyto. If you can get the phyto going, we can swap a harvest or exchange via $.

Any pics of this? It'd be awesome to see how you got it all up and going?
ramsey
Tue, 14th Dec 2010, 04:31 PM
I just orderd the "Rotifer Starter Kit - Basic" from reeds. This weekend I plan to built my growout station in the garage for rotifers and phyto. If you can get the phyto going, we can swap a harvest or exchange via $.

Are you going to run a chiller in your garage or is it cooled? Will they survive the Texas heat during the summer months?
tiger_eyed1
Mon, 3rd Jan 2011, 08:19 AM
Just got back in town. Here are the pics from a previous post.
http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9934&stc=1


http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9935&stc=1
Started everything up and let it go. By day two I could really notice the phyto being consumed. On like day 7 they started eating even more. I two times a day to make sure I don't over feed, while making sure they don't run out.

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9936&stc=1
This is why I started the culture. Yes, the male b/w australians fertilized the perc eggs and they are hatching every two weeks. Have the coffee cup trained.

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9933&stc=1

Yes, once it gets super hot i'll probably move them into the house from the garage. I have space under my 30 for two 5g buckets. As of right now I have a heater on them to keep the temp around 80. The reproduce faster when warmer. I'm slowly making my way around to all the stores. I've found that A.D. is the only LFS that keeps or will/can order Rotifer Diet. The other brands are to big and the rotifers can not consume the larger micron sized blends. They said to give them maybe a week notice. Super nice crew. I orderd a 16oz bottle so I'm good for a few weeks.