Phyto jug

melev

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Tonight I polished off the rest of a Costco-sized jar of pretzels. While looking at it, I thought how it would make a cool tank. :D After peeling off the label (which is aggravating and takes far too long), I cleaned it up well and filled it up with water to see how much it could hold. That would be two gallons. So what to do?

I figured a large phyto making container, which would use less space on the rack. I don't know if one bulb will still do the job, but I'll find out soon enough. I drilled the lid with four holes 3/16" in size, and inserted three rigid tubes for oxygen and circulation. The fourth hole is the vent.

Here it is, next to a typical 2g bottle that was ready to harvest.

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You are a sick sick man, you know this, right? I like it!

Sign of the times... back in the day, it was "Doooood! I can make a bong outta that!"

Now, it's "Dude! I can culture phytoplankton in that!"

How the times have changed... :)
 
Soon it will just be a huge icechest cooler with some VHO lighting, right? hehehe
 
11 days later, this is what the 2g phyto looks like.

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It is Recipe #2 on this page: http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html
 
Timely tip as I just bought all the stuff for the seahorse nursery
Now I have to learn how to culture phyto and rotifers
 
Marc, I was wondering if temperature affects the Phyto?

I had mine in the garage where it gets HOT and COLD depending on the weather, is this condusive for the Phyto or do I need it in Normal house temperatures, my phyto has been darkening, but not the Deep Dark Green, just Dark Green, you get the drift.
 
I've never had a problem with it in cooler temperatures, but when it got hot, I moved in indoors. I think once you get over 85F, it reduces growth.

I've also found that even if it isn't super dark, once you split it and grow the next batch, it darkens more. By the third generation, it is quite dark. With Recipe #2, I just let it go for a few weeks before splitting.
 
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