LF: Live Phyto Culture and F2 Fertilizer. Richmond

[Whuggles]

I'm looking to start culturing live phytoplankton to feed some pods and was thinking of starting off with Nannochloropsis, but I'm interested in Tetraselmis and possibly Isochrysis as well. I'm looking for a relatively small amount, maybe a cup to start my culture with if that is enough. I'll also need some F2 fertilizer to keep things going. Let me know what you have and where you're at, thanks!

[Guy]

I too am looking for some Phytoplankton starter culture. Tried with Live Phyto Feast with 0 results. Not so sure that it's live...

[Frogger]

Live Phyto feast is sterilized phytoplankton so you can't grow it out. Not sure why either of you are interested in culturing phytoplankton. I did it for about 5 years, enormous amount of work keeping the containers and the saltwater sterilized and having to harvest everyday. The phytofeast from Reef Nutrition is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have been able to keep my rotifer/copepod culture alive for over 3 years hassle free 2 minutes of work each day.
Don't waste you time trying to culture Tigerpods, tried multiple times and had no luck, they are a cold water species. If you actually want different types of pure phytoplankton cultures you will likely need to go to Florida Aqua Farms supply. That is where I got all my supplies 20 years ago. Trying to raise anything but nannochloropsis is going to be a nightmare. You could try Canada Copepods, great guy in the Maritimes. He might sell you a pure culture. His copepods and rotifers are top notch.

I made my own F2 formula, there are lots of recipes on the web.

[Guy]

Thank you very much for all that info!

[kyl]

Tiggers are easy to raise in a vessel; be it a bucket, tank, jar. They're from tidal pools where temperatures range from "colder" water to hot during the day. There is nothing stopping someone from breeding tigger pods (like the ones available locally from Reef Nutrition) other than letting their feed and upkeep lapse.

Probably the easiest copepod to raise stand alone.

[Frogger]

Been keeping a mixture of Tisbe copepods and rotifers going for over 3 years. Easiest copepod I have ever kept. If I go away, I bottle them up put them in the fridge, Once home they start up like a charm. Keep them in two large jars with an airstone and the water a light brown colour from the phyto feast. I syphon off the stuff that collects at the bottom every day and feed that to my tank and add fresh salt water.

I tried Tigger pods (Tigriopus) twice and both times had trouble keeping their numbers up and after a month or two they crashed. I ran them at the same time as my other culture and tried to keep them the same way. I found I couldn't keep the population high enough to eat the food and it was likely the food (phyto feast) that went rancid and polluted the water. I also tried them with rotifers but the rotifers outcompeted them and they just eventually died off. I might have had more success using live phytoplankton, some suggest you will have better luck if you have some macro algae in their container, however I am not going to put that level of work into it, if I want tigger pods I will just buy them. I am not the only one who has had problems with Tigger Pods.