shockwave00
Member
What do you guys put in? Is marine snow any good?
What do you put in your reef tank ( CHEMICALS )
- Thread starter shockwave00
- Start date
mtennant
Member
ok this is what I got.... But what is the easy way to do it? :thinking:
Plankton is composed of microscopic plant-like organisms (phytoplankton) and animal-like organisms (zooplankton). While phytoplankton are invisible to the
[hr]
eye, their work is essential. By using nutrients from the breakdown of organic wastes and using energy in the form of light, these microscopic plants create their own food for growth and food for zooplankton living in surface waters. As a result they are at the base of the food chain. Phytoplankton are abundant in coastal ecosystems and provide direct and indirect sources of energy for all that lives in the sea.
PROCEDURES:
A. To culture marine algae (phytoplankton)
Prepare a nutrient solution by putting 0.5 kg of potting soil or garden soil in a 1 litre jar and covering it with 500 ml of sea-water. Steam heat (do not boil) the water in a vegetable steamer for two hours on two consecutive days. Allow soil to settle then pour off water. Heat water to 73oC on two consecutive days. Pour final product (i.e. nutrient solution) into flask that can be sealed.
Pour 250 ml of your prepared nutrient solution into a 500 ml flask for each phytoplankton culture you wish to start.
From a sample of phytoplankton collected at the shore, use an eye dropper to introduce some algae into the flask. Put a wad of cotton in the mouth of the flask.
Place the flask(s) under fluorescent light. Keep them away from intense light sources such as bright sunlight.
Occasionally mix the cultures to keep phytoplankton from settling to the bottom or sticking to the sides. You may consider bubbling air through the flask with an air stone and small aquarium pump.
In a few days the mixture should begin to change in appearance and colour.
Growth and survival rates for algae can be increased by refrigeration and addition of CO2.
B. To culture marine zooplankton (brine shrimp)
The most readily available zooplankton for culture are brine shrimp. Brine shrimp eggs can be obtained from most aquarium stores.
Pour one litre of sea-water into a jar. Add about 5 cc of shrimp eggs to the water. Aerate the water continuously using an air stone and aquarium pump.
The eggs will hatch within 24-48 hours. When hatching is complete, use a fine-meshed aquarium net to remove the live animals from the jar. Put the net into another jar of sea-water and shake it gently.
Brine shrimp can be added to the cultured algae mixture.
As the brine shrimp develop, they change from tiny nauplius (larvae of crustaceans) forms to many other stages of growth.
As they grow, they eat the phytoplankton.
Plankton is composed of microscopic plant-like organisms (phytoplankton) and animal-like organisms (zooplankton). While phytoplankton are invisible to the
[hr]
eye, their work is essential. By using nutrients from the breakdown of organic wastes and using energy in the form of light, these microscopic plants create their own food for growth and food for zooplankton living in surface waters. As a result they are at the base of the food chain. Phytoplankton are abundant in coastal ecosystems and provide direct and indirect sources of energy for all that lives in the sea.
PROCEDURES:
A. To culture marine algae (phytoplankton)
Prepare a nutrient solution by putting 0.5 kg of potting soil or garden soil in a 1 litre jar and covering it with 500 ml of sea-water. Steam heat (do not boil) the water in a vegetable steamer for two hours on two consecutive days. Allow soil to settle then pour off water. Heat water to 73oC on two consecutive days. Pour final product (i.e. nutrient solution) into flask that can be sealed.
Pour 250 ml of your prepared nutrient solution into a 500 ml flask for each phytoplankton culture you wish to start.
From a sample of phytoplankton collected at the shore, use an eye dropper to introduce some algae into the flask. Put a wad of cotton in the mouth of the flask.
Place the flask(s) under fluorescent light. Keep them away from intense light sources such as bright sunlight.
Occasionally mix the cultures to keep phytoplankton from settling to the bottom or sticking to the sides. You may consider bubbling air through the flask with an air stone and small aquarium pump.
In a few days the mixture should begin to change in appearance and colour.
Growth and survival rates for algae can be increased by refrigeration and addition of CO2.
B. To culture marine zooplankton (brine shrimp)
The most readily available zooplankton for culture are brine shrimp. Brine shrimp eggs can be obtained from most aquarium stores.
Pour one litre of sea-water into a jar. Add about 5 cc of shrimp eggs to the water. Aerate the water continuously using an air stone and aquarium pump.
The eggs will hatch within 24-48 hours. When hatching is complete, use a fine-meshed aquarium net to remove the live animals from the jar. Put the net into another jar of sea-water and shake it gently.
Brine shrimp can be added to the cultured algae mixture.
As the brine shrimp develop, they change from tiny nauplius (larvae of crustaceans) forms to many other stages of growth.
As they grow, they eat the phytoplankton.