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Mark Peterson 
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 Topic: Easy phyto-farming
Posted: February 23 2005 at 1:11pm |
Phyto-farming is even easier than I remember. 
Some time ago I was given a 15 gal tank that someone had used as a sump. I removed the baffles and used that acrylic and some aquarium silicone for patching the drilled holes. I placed a 55W pc light over it, hung a spare powerhead in it and added 10 gals of saltwater made using tapwater. My one last cup of Phycopure started the culture. Well, it grew fine until some strange algaes decided to take over growing in the water and on the side of the tank. Soon, the water went totally clear and there was organic crud swirling around on the bottom for a week or so. I didn't want to bother with it. It looked ugly but I left it alone. 
Surprize! 
In one day a green microalgae reappeared in a fairly heavy concentration, as though I had added a half gallon of purchased phyto. The next day it was getting darker so I syphoned the good greenwater into a 5 gal bucket. After I cleaned the tank, the greenwater went back in with an additional 5 gal of tapwater-saltwater and maybe 10 ml of fertilizer.
I don't hav a pic of this one, but the pic below, of one of my former phyto-farms will give you the general idea of how it's set up.
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nellans
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Posted: February 23 2005 at 1:26pm |
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mark, i'm thinking about using an extra 10 gallon tank i've got to grow
phyto. all these phyto growing posts got me inspired.
do you think a southern facing window that recieves direct/indirect
lighting all day would be enough light or should i supplement it as
well? i was going to "cover it" with a piece of acrylic to
prevent other things from finding their way in there except when i'm
adding/removing.
-dwn
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Adam Haycock
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Posted: February 23 2005 at 1:57pm |
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I did a batch culture of nannochloropsis in full sun and it did great.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 23 2005 at 6:22pm |
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I have a feeling this is nanochloropsis because of it's current color and it is the most resilient of the algaes in Phycopure.
I agree with BananaTropics. From my experience, sunlight is very powerful, more powerful than many of us realize.
Millions/billions of cells must have gone dormant and then bloomed when conditions were right. Kinda cool, huh!
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pmpt
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Posted: February 23 2005 at 6:47pm |
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Any pics?
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Shane H
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Posted: February 23 2005 at 10:03pm |
Mark -
Its funny you should mention this now. I too have had several bottles of green water turn clear over the past few months. I have been neglecting my cultures and havn't paid much attention to them. Well I went into to check things out on Sunday and lo and behold the clear water was turning green.
Of three 2 liter bottles that were clear, two of them are now completely green. I tossed the one that remained clear and seeded another bottle with my existing cultures.
Very odd as I havn't done anything differently. My bottles are in a basement room that gets very little natural sunlight.
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pmpt
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 9:20am |
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When starting a brand new culture. Whats needed? I have a small powercompact unit I could use for light, or even natural sunlight. I can get a small ten gallon tank, cheap and easy. Small powerhead for water movement. What else? Just saltwater, and buy a culture from any local fish store?
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jglover
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 9:39am |
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You need fertilizer as well alot of these guys have some extra they could sell you.
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Shane H
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 9:39am |
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Yep - that sounds about right.
I can give you a start when you're ready.
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pmpt
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 10:28am |
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What excatly is fertilizer? Where can you get it? Besides from great people like Mark and Shane.
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nellans
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:20pm |
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i'm on the same page as pmpt...
if anyone has a little fertilizer to spare at the meeting that would be
great to get me going and a link to where we can buy it would be even
better so i don't have to keep mooching people for it!
i'm going to try and start my culture using a bottle of "velvet green"
i've got that is nice and green, i'm excited to start this!
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WhiteReef
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:27pm |
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----------------
Richard
Former 47G Column Reef, Magna
20" x 18" x 31"H
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pmpt
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:30pm |
I'm just a little confused on what the fertilizer is and does? Is in the start of the culture? Or is it some food that the algae feeds on? But if its food, whats the point in growing green water? Why not just buy it? Help I'm a little confused.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:41pm |
What excatly is fertilizer? Where can you get it? Besides from great people like Mark
NO! Don't use that stuff. Trust me, get some from someone else.
Adam
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WhiteReef
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:43pm |
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The fertilizer is used the same way fertilizer is used with plant. It is a food source to help stimulate growth. Suzy had a thread on this call 'So you want to grow green water' and explained a lot of this.
Edited by WhiteReef
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----------------
Richard
Former 47G Column Reef, Magna
20" x 18" x 31"H
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WhiteReef
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 5:47pm |
So the FAF stuff is fine, just leave Mark's magic yellow water out of the mix...
Edited by WhiteReef
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Richard
Former 47G Column Reef, Magna
20" x 18" x 31"H
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 6:12pm |
I'm just saying don't use Mark's fertilizer... the stuff everyone else is using is fine. We've been teasing Mark about this for almost two years now...
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=501
Adam
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 6:13pm |
Oh yah, and if you search for Mark's magic water or magic fertilizer or things like that.... you'll find even more references.
Adam
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Corey Price
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 6:18pm |
Hah!  The threads are funny. You gotta wonder where somebody came up with that idea!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 24 2005 at 6:24pm |
 Adam Blundell wrote:
What excatly is fertilizer? Where can you get it? Besides from great people like Mark
NO! Don't use that stuff. Trust me, get some from someone else.
Adam |
For the record Adam, my fertilizer is just a little better than yours.  I've got an older but more established production unit!
Edited by Mark Peterson
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