Phytoplankton Feeding....
- Thread starter rhodan
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I would imagine so...
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Yea, if you do it will contribute to algae growth.
Using Ro water?
Trying feeding less and reducing your photo period..How old are your bulbs
New Phoenix 14K MH Bulbs....Right now I'm in doing a 3day no lights to cut back my GHA issue and to try to kick start my Cheato I have in my sump. I'm trying to find the source of my phosphates and nitrates....Fish feeding is cut back to once a day maybe twice on some days. So I'm thinking the only other thing I really add is phytoplankton which is in RO but I also add Miracle Grow...I used the same recipe from Melevsreef.com, but I do not add it to my tank until the phyto bottle has had 2 weeks to mature.
Whats your stocklist like?
Can you clarify:
Are you adding phyto and then adding Miracle Grow to your tank directly?
Are you growing your phyto in RO water with salt or storing phyto in RO water?
You can overdose phyto, but since you're growing it yourself, it's live (mostly) when it hits the tank and should last longer in the water column with much less polution. You don't have any primary livestock that will consume phyto so you shouldn't really need to dose it much at all. A little bit will go a long way in a pod poplulation. Overdosing will potentially cause buildup problems, but as most will stay in the column, your skimmer should remove the excess unless you're dosing faster than it can remove.
You can help remove any remaing urea and chlorine by using prime on phyto batches you plan to feed with (don't put it in with the stuff you plan to continue growing). Also, you could let it grow even longer (say 3-4 weeks) per batch since you don't need it that much and that will deplete the fertilizer more.
Are you adding phyto and then adding Miracle Grow to your tank directly?
Are you growing your phyto in RO water with salt or storing phyto in RO water?
You can overdose phyto, but since you're growing it yourself, it's live (mostly) when it hits the tank and should last longer in the water column with much less polution. You don't have any primary livestock that will consume phyto so you shouldn't really need to dose it much at all. A little bit will go a long way in a pod poplulation. Overdosing will potentially cause buildup problems, but as most will stay in the column, your skimmer should remove the excess unless you're dosing faster than it can remove.
You can help remove any remaing urea and chlorine by using prime on phyto batches you plan to feed with (don't put it in with the stuff you plan to continue growing). Also, you could let it grow even longer (say 3-4 weeks) per batch since you don't need it that much and that will deplete the fertilizer more.
I can try clarify: 
At least I hope.
I have a single 2-liter bottle that is half full of phyto culture...I then topped that off with my RO saltwater mix. (Same barrell I use for water changes)...Once the 2-liter bottle is full I then add 3 drops of Mircle Grow plant food to the 2-liter bottle. I then place that in front of a light with an air hose with slow bubbles for a few days with daily shakes. Twice a week I use a turkey baster and pull out a bulb full and spot squirt some of my SPS and LPS corals. Once the 2-liter bottle is half empty (about 3 weeks) I move it contents to a new bottle and start the process over again. When I get home tonight I can post a pic of the phyto....VERY DEEP GREEN!!
I hope that clarifies some....In a nutshell though... Miracle Grow only goes in the 2-Liter bottle, never in the tank directly. Live Phyto is growing in RO with salt.
At least I hope.I have a single 2-liter bottle that is half full of phyto culture...I then topped that off with my RO saltwater mix. (Same barrell I use for water changes)...Once the 2-liter bottle is full I then add 3 drops of Mircle Grow plant food to the 2-liter bottle. I then place that in front of a light with an air hose with slow bubbles for a few days with daily shakes. Twice a week I use a turkey baster and pull out a bulb full and spot squirt some of my SPS and LPS corals. Once the 2-liter bottle is half empty (about 3 weeks) I move it contents to a new bottle and start the process over again. When I get home tonight I can post a pic of the phyto....VERY DEEP GREEN!!
I hope that clarifies some....In a nutshell though... Miracle Grow only goes in the 2-Liter bottle, never in the tank directly. Live Phyto is growing in RO with salt.
That little Miracle Grow in 2 liters of water growing phyto for a week isn't putting Miracle Grow in your tank with any concentration to worry about.
However none of your corals are eating it Corals don't consume phytoplankton unless you have a few certain species such as non-photosynthetic Gorgonians. If you have a refugium, you'd do better to put a tablespoon in each day (or every couple days depending on the size of the fuge).
However none of your corals are eating it Corals don't consume phytoplankton unless you have a few certain species such as non-photosynthetic Gorgonians. If you have a refugium, you'd do better to put a tablespoon in each day (or every couple days depending on the size of the fuge).
Thanks....When I started the tank little over a year ago I added phyto to my fuge and saw a huge population growth in my pods....They were all over the display tank but I thought that was because I didn't have anything eating them. (Tank was empty at the time) But I guess between the skimmer and the amount of phyto I'm actually adding I'm not sure how much if any phyto gets to my fuge now.
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