Phytoplankton contains chlorophylls that capture sunlight or for our purposes our LEDs/T5s/etc., and then the phytoplankton uses photosynthesis to turn it into chemical energy (all phytoplankton species photosynthesize). This is where depending on the strain the fats, aminos, vitamins, lipids, etc are made! This is why the strain matters. They consume carbon dioxide and then in turn release oxygen. In the oceans phytoplankton is responsible for creating 50-70% of the world’s oxygen supply!
Once you receive a bottle of pods open the top and let them get some oxygen. Pods are meant to be dosed all at once and never to be put in the refrigerator. Before you dose the pods into your tank turn off the lights and turn off the flow. Leave these off for 20-30 minutes, you can also dose at lights out time instead of turning off lights for a period of time.
With Summer in full swing temperatures across the country are getting much hotter. If your area is going to be 80-90 degrees we are requiring 3 days or less shipping, 90-95 degrees we are going to start requiring 2 days or less shipping. Over 95 degrees and it will need to be overnighted to you.
Phytoplankton has a wide array of benefits for our reef systems, but what is it?
Think of phytoplankton as your tanks daily vitamin! There are 3 main colors green, brown/golds, and red:
Greens are like vitamins packed with all sorts health like benefits (vitamin and antioxidant content) as well as pigments that can help enhance certain colors by whatever coral filter feeds it or fish that eat the zooplankton that consumes the phyto.
Browns/golds are loaded with essential fats and aminos. Certain strains are diatom strains that feed on silicates.
Reds are coveted for the pigments they contain to enhance colors of your aquarium fish and corals!
Cyano tends to develop in areas of detritus and algae making removal of those a top priority when trying to beat cyano. Live copepods that feed on detritus and algae are a great way to help keep things more manageable over the long term.
If you have never dosed phytoplankton in your tank then the starter dose is 3ml per 10 gallon for 2 weeks. Test nitrates and phosphates to see if they went down or stayed the same. If so double the dose. Repeat those steps again until you get to 1ml per gallon. If you have already been dosing phytoplankton then start at 1ml per gallon. These stages can be weekly as long as you test weekly! If you start to see a green film algae form on glass, sand or rocks, cut back your dose or stop dosing for a few days, this is a sign the tank is not consuming the full dose.
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