Reefphyto Phytoplankton Culture Guide

PHYTOPLANKTON CULTURE KIT

Complete Culturing Guide

Thank you for purchasing your Reefphyto Phytoplankton Culture Kit! This guide will help you establish and maintain a thriving phytoplankton culture. Follow these instructions carefully to ensure the best results and a sustainable supply of high-quality live phytoplankton for your aquatic ecosystem.

Getting Started

Before beginning your culture, gather all necessary equipment and prepare a clean workspace. Successful phytoplankton cultivation requires attention to cleanliness and proper environmental conditions.

Required Equipment

Clean culture container (glass or clear plastic vessel)
Air pump with airline tubing
Sucker or clip to secure airline tubing
Fluorescent light or suitable grow light
Timer for lighting control
Reefphyto Nutrient - Guillard's F/2 food
Prepared saltwater (specific gravity 1.025)
Thermometer
Clean measuring equipment

Initial Setup

Step 1: Sterilisation and Preparation

Cleanliness is critical for successful phytoplankton cultivation. Any contamination can compromise your culture.

Clean thoroughly: Wash your culture container with warm, soapy water, scrubbing all surfaces
Rinse completely: Remove all soap residue with multiple rinses of clean water - any soap remaining will harm your culture
Position air pump: Place pump above the water level of your culture container, or install a check valve to prevent back-siphoning
Secure airline: Attach airline tubing to the bottom of the container using the provided sucker, ensuring gentle aeration throughout the culture

Step 2: Starting Your Culture

Add starter culture: Pour 250ml of your Reefphyto starter culture into the sterilised container
Add saltwater: Slowly add 2 litres of prepared culture water at specific gravity 1.025 (approximately 35 ppt salinity)
Add nutrients: Measure and add 6ml of Reefphyto Nutrient - Guillard's F/2 food to the culture
Begin aeration: Start gentle aeration - you should see slow, steady bubbles rising through the culture

💡 Important Note: Your first growth cycle requires no additional fertilisation beyond the initial 6ml. Adding more nutrients during this phase can cause culture crash.

Lighting and Temperature Requirements

Proper lighting and temperature control are essential for healthy phytoplankton growth. These microorganisms are photosynthetic and require consistent light exposure.

Lighting Setup

Light placement: Position fluorescent light or grow light near the container, but avoid direct contact to prevent overheating
Light intensity: Use moderate intensity - standard fluorescent tubes work well; overly bright lights can stress the culture
Photoperiod: Set timer for 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness daily - consistency is crucial
Light spectrum: Cool white or daylight spectrum fluorescent bulbs are ideal; visit our website for detailed lighting recommendations

Temperature Control

Optimal range: Maintain temperature between 68-80°F (20-27°C)
Stability matters: Avoid temperature fluctuations - consistent conditions produce better results than perfect temperature with variations
Monitor regularly: Check temperature daily, especially in the first week
Avoid extremes: Keep culture away from heating vents, air conditioning units, and windows with direct sunlight

Growth and Daily Maintenance

Understanding Growth Stages

Your culture will progress through visible stages as the phytoplankton population grows:

Days 1-3: Light green colour, thin and watery consistency - this is normal
Days 4-7: Colour deepens to medium green as population increases
Days 7-14: Dark green, thicker consistency indicates mature culture ready for first harvest
Colour intensity: Darker green means higher cell density - this is your indicator of culture health and harvest readiness

Daily Maintenance Tasks

Check colour and consistency of the culture
Verify aeration system is functioning - bubbles should be gentle and continuous
Ensure lighting timer is operating correctly
Monitor temperature and record if desired
Look for any signs of contamination (unusual odours or colours)

Ongoing Culture Management

Dilution strategy: When culture becomes very dark green, dilute with fresh saltwater to maintain optimal growth rate
Reconcentration: After dilution, allow culture to reconcentrate back to darker green before next harvest
Nutrient management: Add nutrients according to schedule after first harvest (see Harvesting Protocol below)
Keep it clean: Avoid introducing contaminants - always use clean equipment when handling culture

Harvesting Protocol

Proper harvesting technique ensures continuous production while maintaining culture health. The key is never to harvest too much at once.

First Harvest (7-14 Days)

Your first harvest is ready when the culture has developed a dark green colour and thicker consistency.

Harvesting Steps:

Divide your culture: Remove 70% for storage and use, retain 30% in the container as starter for the next batch
Prepare new batch: Add fresh saltwater to the remaining 30% to bring volume back up
Adjust salinity: Target specific gravity of 1.019 for the new growth cycle
Add nutrients: Add appropriate amount of Reefphyto Nutrient - Guillard's F/2 food (approximately 6ml per 2 litres of total volume)
Store harvest: Place the 70% harvested portion in a clean container and refrigerate

Ongoing Weekly Harvests

Once established, you can maintain a continuous harvest schedule:

Harvest frequency: Weekly harvesting maintains optimal culture density
Maintain ratio: Always keep the 30/70 split - 30% stays in culture, 70% is harvested
Consistent schedule: Try to harvest on the same day each week for best results
Nutrient addition: Add nutrients after each harvest according to volume guidelines

Storage and Use

Refrigeration: Store harvested phytoplankton in the refrigerator at 4-8°C
Prevent settling: Shake stored culture gently every 1-2 days to keep cells in suspension
Shelf life: Use refrigerated culture within 2-3 weeks for best quality
Visual check: Discard if culture develops foul odour or unusual colour

Troubleshooting

Culture Crash or Contamination

Symptoms: Foul odour, cloudy appearance, colour change to brown or grey, complete loss of green colour.

Causes: Bacterial or fungal contamination, overfeeding with nutrients, temperature extremes, inadequate lighting, or introduction of contaminants.

Solutions:

Discard contaminated culture immediately
Thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment
Start fresh with new starter culture
Review procedures to identify contamination source
Ensure proper cleaning protocols are followed

Slow or No Growth

Symptoms: Culture remains light green or shows no colour change after 5-7 days, no visible thickening of culture.

Causes: Insufficient lighting, temperature too low or too high, inadequate nutrients, poor aeration, or low starting cell density.

Solutions:

Verify lighting is on for full 16-hour photoperiod
Check that light is positioned close enough to culture
Ensure temperature is within 68-80°F (20-27°C) range
Confirm adequate aeration throughout culture
Be patient - initial growth can take up to 14 days

Temperature Problems

Symptoms: Inconsistent growth rate, culture colour varies day to day, cells settling rapidly.

Causes: Culture location near heating or cooling sources, seasonal temperature changes, insufficient ambient temperature control.

Solutions:

Relocate culture to more stable temperature environment
Avoid areas with direct sunlight or drafts
Consider using aquarium heater for cold environments
Monitor and record temperature daily to identify patterns

Unusual Colouration

Symptoms: Culture turns yellow, brown, or develops unusual tint instead of healthy green.

Causes: Different phytoplankton species may produce varying colours, but brown or yellow often indicates dying cells or contamination.

Solutions:

If accompanied by foul odour, discard and start fresh
Check all environmental parameters
Ensure culture is receiving adequate nutrients
Verify that salinity is correct

Tips for Long-Term Success

Cleanliness is paramount: Always use thoroughly cleaned equipment and wash hands before handling cultures. Even small amounts of contamination can crash your culture.
Patience during establishment: The first culture cycle takes the longest. Once established, subsequent batches grow more predictably.
Colour is your guide: Learn to read your culture's colour - it tells you when to harvest, when to dilute, and when something is wrong.
Consistency over perfection: Stable, consistent conditions produce better results than constantly trying to achieve "perfect" parameters.
Keep detailed records: Note harvest dates, nutrient additions, colour changes, and any issues. Patterns emerge that help optimise your process.
Don't overharvest: Always leave at least 30% of culture to seed the next batch. Taking too much extends recovery time.
Gentle aeration: Strong bubbling can damage delicate phytoplankton cells. Gentle, consistent aeration is ideal.
Have a backup: Consider maintaining two cultures on staggered schedules so you always have phytoplankton available.
Join the community: Connect with other aquarists culturing phytoplankton to share tips and troubleshooting advice.

💡 Pro Tip: Create a simple log sheet next to your culture. Record the date, colour intensity (light/medium/dark green), and any actions taken (nutrient addition, harvest, etc.). After a few cycles, you'll develop an intuitive understanding of your culture's rhythm and needs.

Advanced Cultivation Tips

Optimising Cell Density

Higher cell density isn't always better - extremely dense cultures can self-shade and slow growth
Harvest when culture is dark green but before it becomes thick and clumpy
Regular dilution and harvest prevents culture from becoming too dense

Scaling Up Production

Start with smaller volumes and perfect your technique before scaling up
Multiple smaller cultures are often more reliable than one large culture
Maintain consistent volume-to-nutrient ratios when scaling

Seasonal Considerations

Warmer months may speed growth - monitor more frequently
Winter may require supplemental heating to maintain optimal temperature
Adjust harvest schedule based on observed growth rates

Need Help?

We're here to support your success! If you have questions or encounter challenges with your phytoplankton culture, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer service team. We're committed to helping you achieve a thriving, sustainable culture.

Contact: Darren Wordley
Reefphyto Customer Services

Thank you for choosing Reefphyto!