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Plankton Culture Manual Ebook
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DIY Culture StationThe first understanding hereshould be that I am not an expert nor do I proclaim to bean expert. The intent of this article is only to share informationabout techniques and practices that have worked for me. Iam a firm believer in trying to keep the bottom of the foodchain fed. This, in turn, provides a food source up the chainand eventually feeds the corals. I am also of the opinionthat any time live food can be substituted for prepared orfrozen food, our reef tanks benefit.The first question to answer is, 'Whatis a culture station?'
A culture station is a set-upallowing for the production of microalgae (phytoplankton),rotifers and/or brine shrimp (zooplankton). The station providescontainment, nutrients, light, and aeration for the inhabitants.The design I use allows for 10 positions,wherein a single position equates to a single bottle. A PVCframe is constructed on which both the bottles and the lightingare mounted. The framework is not necessary and many folkshave been successful without any type of framework.
I preferusing the framework, if for no other reason than preventingspillage.I divided the ten culture station positionsinto three different types of cultures. This division resultsin six for microalgae, two for rotifers, and two for brineshrimp. The positions can be used in any combination meetingyour particular needs.
You may also use the entire stationfor a single type of culture. The length of the fluorescentbulbs determines the number of positions.
The culture vesselsdetermine the height of the PVC structure. ConstructionThe first step in any project isacquiring all the necessary supplies.Parts needed to build a culture station.
Assemble the PVC pipe sections andfittings as per the drawing (red numbers indicate PVC lengthin inches). Ten of the 90º will need ¼'holes drilled and centered through the top.
These holes willbe used for the airlines. Gluing the PVC components is optional;I prefer to glue them together.3.
Mount the air valveson the station. Placement of air valves is up to the builder.I chose the top of the culture station for convenience. Analternative is to mount the air manifold on the vertical risers,as seen on the right side. The pumps can be placed anywhereconvenient for operation. The airlines need to have enoughslack for the rigid lines to be removed from the bottles.4. Install the lights.A wide variety of lights may be used. I used regular fluorescentlights available at the local hardware store.
Since spectrumwas not an issue, I opted for the less expensive bulbs thatwere not designed for aquarium use. Mounting the lights onthe culture station will depend on the type of lights used.Please refer to manufacturer's instructions for proper mounting.I installed the lights so both switches were on the rightside. This allows the power cords to be routed easier.5.
Use of the culture station. Theheight of the 90º elbow should be sufficient to allowa 2-liter bottle to be slipped into the 90º when thebottle is tilted slightly. To help prevent contamination,I keep the caps on the bottles and drill a ¼'hole in the cap for the rigid airline to pass through. Clothespinscan be used to keep the rigid airline just off the bottomof the bottle. Airflow should be sufficient to make the culturesslow boil, but may vary depending on the type of culture.Tips:1. Two that I highlyrecommend are: Clownfishes byJoyce D. WilkersonPlankton Culture Manual by Frank H.
Hoffand Terry W. Don't overfeed your tank. Just becauseyou have lots of micro-algae doesn't mean your tank can processall of it.3. An equal level of water in all the bottles will make it easierto equally distribute the airflow4.
Even if you do not need the micro-algae, harvest it whenit is ready to be harvested. The culture will reach a saturationpoint and degrade in quality.5. Be patient in getting your cultures established. I startedwith a single 2-liter bottle.
When it was ready for harvesting,I split it into two bottles, and then split those bottles. Mostsupply houses offer some instructions for building a continuousculture supply.If you have any questions about this article, please visit my authoron Reef Central.Suppliers:- Provides a nice starter kit with most everythingneeded.- A good source for live phytoplankton andzooplankton.- A good source for brine eggs and preparedfoods. References:Hoff, F.H., Snell, T.W., Plankton Culture Manual, FloridaAqua Farms Inc; ISBN:; 5th Rev edition (July 1999)Wilkerson, J.D., Clownfishes, Microcosm Limited; ISBN:; (June 1998)Useful Links:by Shawn Carlson1 Thetype of cultures grown will depend mostly on the user's needs.Joyce Wilkerson's book on clownfish and Hoff & Snell'sbook on plankton cultures are valuable resources.