having phyto /rotifer problem

L

lizardlady58

Guest
I have been growing my own nano microalgae for a few months now, I follow directions on the algae grow bottle so I know I am providing the proper amount of nutrients, I use four forty eight inch flouresecents set horizontally and I harvest once a week. I am scrupulous in keeping my jars clean, and the algae seems to be doing well. I had some problems with rotifer cultures crashing so I tried an experiment. I used got two rotifer cultures, one I fed phytofeast, (sparingly of course) and the other have been receiving my nano. I also put in a drop of ammo lock every day just to be sure there is no ammonia in the bottles, ( I use four litre water bottles) I also add one third of a bottle of fresh water ever day (sg 17). The culture that has been receiving the phytofeast is doing great but the cultrure receiving my algae is now almost non existant and the water has become cloudy. It is not the same type of cloudy you get from a bottle full of rotifers, but more of a milky tone whereas my healthy rotifer culture bottle looks like it is filled with green tea and lots of moving dust balls. Any thoughts on what could be going wrong with my algae?
 
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lizardlady58

Guest
yep. Should I have clarified that it is nanochloropsis?
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by lizardlady58
http:///forum/post/3188821
yep. Should I have clarified that it is nanochloropsis?

I give up whould you have?

sounds to me like you got a datum stating the phytofeast is better then the nano.
My rots are not doing well so perhaps I need to try your method.
 
bigalulrich

bigalulrich

New Member
clarifying question: the phyto is growing well/getting dark green prior to being used as food for the rotifers, but once it is added to the rotifer culture, it crashes and gets milky white?
Can you get a new bottle. Next time you're harvesting the rotifers from the rotifeast culture, take what you harvest and innoculate a fresh 2nd culture, then feed that 2nd culture with phyto and see if you duplicate the results?
 
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lizardlady58

Guest
The microalgae got a nice dark green color but shortly after it was added to the rotifers it got cloudy. Over the last week or so I have set up four more rotifer cultures (all from the same batch and only filling the culture vessels about one half full) and have fed two with phyto feast and two with my own microalgae. The clouding problem is gone but I have noticed a distinct difference in the reproductive rate of the rotifers. The rotifers fed with my algae are growing quite a bit slower then the ones fed the store bought brand of algae. One of the main reasons for growing my own algae was to use it to help keep the larval tank water quality up as apposed to the phyto feast which wouldn't metabolize the pollutants in the water. But I am wondering if there is a big advantage to the green water method or if careful feeding of the phyto feast would work just as well. I don't mind the extra work involved in growing the nanochloropsis but I would like culturing the rotifers to be as efficient as possible.
 
clintjj

clintjj

Member
Have never had this problem but curious. Try adding carbonate water to the phyto before feeding it to the rotifers, about a capful and shake it, This will help lower the ph and might solve your cloudy problem just a guess though don't really have a clue. I do add the carbonated water to mine before I feed it to my rots. Can you get TLC ( the stuff for aquariums) I also add a cap of this to my rotifers everyother day. I did a little test with this stuff on a tank of rotifers, My lfs swears by this stuff, I took a ten gallon aquarium full of rots. stopped doing water changes and cleaning only adding TLC everyday, They lasted two weeks before crashing. I did add greenwater everyday and feed baby clownfish with them. I have a 300 gallon tank that i keep with rotifers outside (i live in texas 1 hr from the beach doesn't get cold here that often) I never feed them and never clean the tank only what fall in there they eat, This has been going for two years now.
 
clintjj

clintjj

Member
just thought about what you said and relized you put amonia lock in your water. That is the problem! the sides get cloudy and slimy? If so quit with the amo. lock and see what happens. The bottles ,tank and all need to be cleaned or the resindue will still be there and it will happen again if not cleaned off very well.
 
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lizardlady58

Guest
Well, still no idea what is going on, all I do know is that the nanochloropsis that I am producing is poisining the rotifers, I got this algae culture from a friend of mine and apparently he has had the same problem for quite awhile. I wonder if the algae culture has been contaminated in some way. My rotifers do fine on the other diets I have tried and I have had good luck raising brine shrimp which are producing lots of babies. So I am sure it's not my water. I have been unable to figure this out so although it may be a bit more expensive, I will be feeding products designed for rotifer food. Thank you for all your help
 
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