Beastije
Fish Addict
I want to know your tips on increasing plankton presence in a tank. I know there are several articles about raising it in a jar, with manure or other forms of fertilizer, using wild caught options or breeding own in a specialized jars from lab grown cultures.
However since people often battle with the plankton in tanks, specifically shrimp tanks with no fish predation, there has to be an option how to increase the plankton life naturally.
I added a handful of dried leaves, not submerged that I usually use by having them locked in a jar. I am hoping the leave slow submersion along with the filter and oxygen and light will add to the biofilm growth. I also have an option of using a dried culture of Ciliophora that you can add either to a growth jar, or directly to the tank and it should in 48 hours lead o a bloom of "good" ones targeted for fry feeding. What will happen if I add them to the tank now, with noone to eat them and leave it like this for two weeks before I get the plankton feeding fish. Does it mean there will be more things to eat, or will they die off and spoil the water.
I also think that adding a fertilizer could help, right, because that will promote a bit more algae growth, and that should automatically increase the presence of plankton in the tank. I already have a large clump of moss in the tank, which is also intertwined with hair green algae, so if that algae is also good for microscopic life I should be already covered.
I am hopefully going to get a microscope to check if the water is full of life, and I can also check my outdoor "pond" for what is going on there. But any tips on how to create a bit more life in a shrimp tank are appreciated.
However since people often battle with the plankton in tanks, specifically shrimp tanks with no fish predation, there has to be an option how to increase the plankton life naturally.
I added a handful of dried leaves, not submerged that I usually use by having them locked in a jar. I am hoping the leave slow submersion along with the filter and oxygen and light will add to the biofilm growth. I also have an option of using a dried culture of Ciliophora that you can add either to a growth jar, or directly to the tank and it should in 48 hours lead o a bloom of "good" ones targeted for fry feeding. What will happen if I add them to the tank now, with noone to eat them and leave it like this for two weeks before I get the plankton feeding fish. Does it mean there will be more things to eat, or will they die off and spoil the water.
I also think that adding a fertilizer could help, right, because that will promote a bit more algae growth, and that should automatically increase the presence of plankton in the tank. I already have a large clump of moss in the tank, which is also intertwined with hair green algae, so if that algae is also good for microscopic life I should be already covered.
I am hopefully going to get a microscope to check if the water is full of life, and I can also check my outdoor "pond" for what is going on there. But any tips on how to create a bit more life in a shrimp tank are appreciated.
