How often do you shake the Phyto?

[dakota9]

This morning, my phyto had settled, so I shook it vigorously a few seconds.

Came home from work today, it had settled again, so I shook it vigorously again.

Should I shake it again before I go to bed tonight?

Is this too much shaking even though it has settled?

Do you do a vigorous shake or a gentle upside down twist/shake?

Have I Shaken it too much?

Is it still alive?

Thanks

 

[seedless reefer]

Every time he pees on the rug?

 

[linda lee]

Every single impulse response I had to this thread had to be erased because I knew it would be *inappropriate*... Methinks you posed your inquiry this way on purpose!!!

But the real answer can be found http://www.atlantareefclub.org/wiki/Growing_Phytoplankton">here</a>.

Scroll down the bottom of George's terrific step-by-step and find:

[I]<span style="color: darkred;">"The resultant phytoplankton-rich water can be stored in the refrigerator in 2 liter soda bottles. Be sure to thoroughly shake stored bottles every couple days to keep the phyto moving and alive."</span></em>

 

[krb]

Linda Lee;68885 wrote: <span style="color: darkred;"> Be sure to thoroughly shake stored bottles every couple days to keep the phyto moving and alive."</span></em>

I agree, but I dose every couple of days so it works out to whenever I dose.

 

[dakota9]

Thanks guys, I just wanted to make sure all the excessive shaking hadn't made the Phyto go bad.......

Thanks

 

[george]

Excessive shaking won't do anything to it. You can use it as a wrist exerciser if you want. It will start to settle in a matter of hours, but that's not bad as long as it doesn't sit for days.

It'll keep for at least a couple months if you shake it every few days.

 

[flyingarmy]

I do the shake every morning, even with a slight twisting action!

 

[lorenk]

That must hurt Mark.

 

[haninja]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I do the Hokey-Pokey&#8230;</span>

 

[dakota9]

Well, after reading all the thoughts in this thread, I have cut back on shaking the phyto although now I know I cannot damage it by shaking it too much, I still probably shake it more than I should.......


.......The skimmate in my skimmer this morning is the EXACT same color as the phyto I poured in the tank Tuesday night. Coincedense? I think not!

 

[flyingarmy]

I guess someone forgot to mention to you to turn off the skimmer for a few hours after you dose the phyto!

 

[dakota9]

Yes, live and learn! I'll know to turn the skimmer off next time!

 

[linda lee]

flyingarmy;69006 wrote: I guess someone forgot to mention to you to turn off the skimmer for a few hours after you dose the phyto!

Ouch... I didn't know about this part?

Also... any idea on how much and how often to dose a 33 gal?

Which critters are actually eating this stuff (besides, apparently, my skimmer)?

And, George? You mentioned adding some Prime along with the phyto due to the amonia. Do I use the per gal dose of Prime on the Prime bottle (which I think is something like 1 cap/50 gals)? Or a lesser or greater amount?

 

[flyingarmy]

Linda..

I dose my 30 Cube with about 1/4 cup every 2 days. Depending how much microfauna you have(hard to estimate) will give you a good idea of your dosing amounts. My 30 refug goes absolutely crazy when I pour the phyto. I have copeds that are 1/4' and a ton of serpant stars and other microfauna. Just start out slow and increae as needed.

 

[linda lee]

so... with no fuge, I shouldn't be using this?

 

[flyingarmy]

No..you can dose you tank directly also. You have microfauna living in your LR and sand bed. Its the basic building block in the food chain!

 

[flyingarmy]

Copied from a "known" Phyto Grower:

The direct consumption of phytoplankton provides an important source of nutrition for clams, soft corals, tunicates, sponges and feather-dusters, as well as, zooplankton such as invertebrate larvae and copepods.
Many stony corals do consume phytoplankton as well. However, this does not necessarily lead to the digestion and direct benefit of phytoplankton. There are conflicting results from research regarding this topic. More research needs to be done before the importance or unimportance of phytoplankton consumption by stony corals can be determined. The most compelling evidence showing the direct consumption of phytoplankton by stony corals as being significant is found with Goniopora</em> and Alveopora</em>.
Though stony corals may not benefit from direct feeding, they and many other reef dwelling animals will benefit from the increased availability and enhanced nutritional value of the zooplankton that they prey upon. A deep sand bed and Refugia provide a habitat for zooplankton to populate and provide your corals with an excellent and needed source of nutrition. Another benefit to feeding phytoplankton is that the increased population of small fauna are themselves quite interesting.

For animals that consume phytoplankton to benefit, the cellular density of phytoplankton in the water must be high enough so that they receive more nutritional benefit from the food than energy used to consume it. It is not realistically feasible to maintain a constant level of phytoplankton in a reef aquarium.

 

[linda lee]

flyingarmy;69073 wrote: No..you can dose you tank directly also. You have microfauna living in your LR and sand bed. Its the basic building block in the food chain!

No... here's the REAL food chain:

Phase 1 (household = humans only):
food supply:
steak, chicken, seafood
fresh vegetables and fruits
Pepperidge Farm breads
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Bailey's & Fosters in the 'fridge
Dinner out = 2-3 times/week

Phase 2 (household = humans + dogs):
food supply for dogs:
NutroMax Dog food ($$$$$/week)
food supply for humans:
ground chuck, chuck roast, chicken nuggets, frozen fish filets
canned vegetables and fruits
canned crescent rolls
McDonalds Hot Apple Pies
Bud Lite and $2.99 wine in the 'fridge
Dinner out = 1/month

Phase 3 (household = humans + dogs + reeftanks):
food supply for dogs:
NutroMax Dog food ($$$$$/week)
food supply for fish:
live foods
fresh foods
frozen prepared foods
freeze-dried flakes
supplements
($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)
food supply for humans:
Mac & Cheese
Jello
Ice Tea and R/O water in the 'fridge
Dinner out? (get the door ... it's Domino's)


::: sigh :::

It's bedtime... g'nite all

... there's a bowl of generic corn flakes waiting to greet me @ 6:00 a.m.

 

[seedless reefer]

Actually those are Tetra-Min.

 

[linda lee]

I thought my tank looked *okay* when I went to work yesterday a.m. after giving it a dose of phyto.

But... when I got home (and I know I'm not imagining this) I saw a Tank-On-Steroids. Everything looked so much bigger and brighter.

Could the phyto make THAT big a difference?

Also... I never see copepods in my tank, although I think it's pretty healthy and fully cycled. For some reason, I thought these guys would just *appear*. Do I need to seed my tank? It's only 33 gals and I have no refugium. Would it make that big a difference if I got a HOB fuge?

flyingarmy;69075 wrote: Copied from a "known" Phyto Grower:

The direct consumption of phytoplankton provides an important source of nutrition for clams, soft corals, tunicates, sponges and feather-dusters, as well as, zooplankton such as invertebrate larvae and copepods.
Many stony corals do consume phytoplankton as well. However, this does not necessarily lead to the digestion and direct benefit of phytoplankton. There are conflicting results from research regarding this topic. More research needs to be done before the importance or unimportance of phytoplankton consumption by stony corals can be determined. The most compelling evidence showing the direct consumption of phytoplankton by stony corals as being significant is found with Goniopora</em> and Alveopora</em>.
Though stony corals may not benefit from direct feeding, they and many other reef dwelling animals will benefit from the increased availability and enhanced nutritional value of the zooplankton that they prey upon. A deep sand bed and Refugia provide a habitat for zooplankton to populate and provide your corals with an excellent and needed source of nutrition. Another benefit to feeding phytoplankton is that the increased population of small fauna are themselves quite interesting.

For animals that consume phytoplankton to benefit, the cellular density of phytoplankton in the water must be high enough so that they receive more nutritional benefit from the food than energy used to consume it. It is not realistically feasible to maintain a constant level of phytoplankton in a reef aquarium.