phytoplankton

[Amy]

Does anyone here add phytoplankton to their 2 gal pico?

 

Will it mess up the water quality?

 

I currently have:

5 different colors of zoas

1 candy cane coral

1 hawaiian hermit crab

1 ring cowrie

1 cleaner shrimp

 

Wanting to add a few rics when I find them.

[recreationguru]

I don't think you should have trouble feeding phytoplankton. I would spot feed corals and do a water change shortly after feeding.

[altolamprologus]

If you feed live phytoplankton, it will remain in your system until it gets eaten or doesn't have enough nutritents to survive so it will have no impact on water quality. Dead phyto will decompose quickly is uneaten and can affect water quality.

 

With that said, you have no need to dose phyto other than to feed any calanoid copepods in your system. Other than that, nothing you have eats it.

[Builder Anthony]

your list includes

1 ring cowrie

does that by any chance have a gold ring on a white shell?

 

 

ive been reading about rotifers for feeding my tank they eat photo if im correct.i have alot of little critters in my tank i think would benifit from rotifers.every thing on your list should eat shrimp other then the snail and zoas......a big zoa might.read up on rotifers it may intrest you and seems healthy for a tank.

[Amy]

Thank you for those replies. I will leave everything alone as is.

 

As for the cowrie set it is the one with the white shell and gold ring. I have had them before they are amazing and the best in my opinion, snails just don't last long at all.

[castiel]

I dose bottled (dead I guess?) phyto in my 3G tanks, but only a few drops and once a week or so. Ideally a day or two before the big weekly water change, just in case. But I've never noticed any water quality issues.

 

I also use a few drops when I defrost mysis and brine to feed, so it enters the tanks a bit that way too.

[Sub]

I read that if you use a skimmer it will immediately pick up all of the phyto, so I set a 15 minute timer on my reef keeper lite system to turn the pumps and skimmer off when I do a dose (I'm still new to dosing, but I put a lot more than drops in!!).

 

I've been dosing once a week maybe 1.5 tablespoons and havent seen any ill effects or rise from 0 on my levels..

[Builder Anthony]

so what likes the photo then?just rotifers?

[altolamprologus]

so what likes the photo then?just rotifers?

Rotifers, calanoid copepods, some harpacticoid copepods, brine shrimp, feather dusters, flame scallops, gorgonians, some NPS corals....