Aqua Medic plankton light reactor II Manual De Instrucciones página 6

In purchasing this plankton light reactor II you have selected a top quality product. It has been specifically
developed for aquaristic use and tested by experts. With the help of the reactor, permanent cultures of
phytoplankton or zooplankton can be produced to feed young fish or filtering animals.
1. Introduction
For the nutrition of many fish larvae, living plankton is a pre-condition. But also for feeding many invertebrates,
esp. sponges and corals without Zooxanthellae, living Plankton is the only choice. The plancton light reactor II
is a simple system for producing plankton in a natural food chain. If the food chain shall be realized completely,
you need 2 reactors. One plancton light reactor II for producing microalgae and the second plancton light reactor
II for producing zooplankton. In the first stage, microalgae are produced with light and inorganic nutrients. They
can be fed directly to many filter feeding animals. The growth rate of the algae in the plankton light reactor II
is enormous. With optimum supply of light, CO
increase 4-fold during 24 hours. Without CO
sufficient for normal needs.
The algae are also used for feeding the 2
second plancton light reactor II. Here, rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) are the best choice. Rotifers have an
enormous growth potential. If they are supplied with enough algal food, they can double their biomass in 4
days. A quarter of the culture can be harvested every day. The microalgae can, however, also be used for raising
brine shrimp. If fed in the right quantity, they are fully grown in 10 - 14 days and can be fed to bigger fish.
Species spectrum:
In the plancton light reactor II, many different species of marine and freshwater algae and many species of
zooplankton from salt and fresh water may be cultivated. The main emphasis is for sure saltwater. Here, the
microalgae Nannochloropsis spec and Dunaliella spec have been proved to be suitable. The zooplankton with
the highest growth rate is for sure the rotifers of the genus Brachionus. In saltwater, Brachionus plicatilis is the
best suited candidate.
For freshwater, we recommend algae of the genus Scenedesmus or Chlorella and rotifers of the genus
Brachionus, especially Brachionus rubens. Inoculums of these species, you get from your local dealer. In
contrast to the breeding of saltwater plankton described below, tap water is used instead of freshly
prepared saltwater.
Algae production in the plancton light reactor II
For mass production of microalgae in the plancton light reactor II, you have to create the same environment as
for the growth of water plants in aquaria:
- suitable illumination
- sufficient nutrient supply (esp. nitrogen, phosphorous, iron and trace elements) supply with CO
- sufficient water movement: This is of special interest because the microalgae are kept in suspension by the
water movement. In completely quiet water, they would sink to the bottom in some days.
- suitable temperature: set up in a warm place, optimum is 20 - 28°C.
In the plankton light reactor II these conditions can be fulfilled.
The reaction pipe is transparent, the diameter is calculated that the illumination of app. 10 W is enough. The
light is concentrated into the algal culture with a special reflector. Also, the culture is warmed up by this. For
the nutrient supply of the algae, we recommend the fertilizer for water plants floreal + iod combined with the
iron fertilizer ferreal + spureal from Aqua Medic. The reactor is ventilated from below via a hose so that the
algae remain in suspension. We recommend to introduce additional CO
use a standard CO unit.
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Zooplankton production in the plancton light reactor II
For producing zooplankton in the plankton light reactor II, the same conditions are valid as for the algae culture:
- sufficient water movement
- right temperature (20 - 28 °C)
- sufficient oxygen supply
- enough of the right food
Operation Manual ENG
and nutrients (plant fertilizers) the biomass of the algae may
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supply, the rate of reproduction is lower, but usually more than
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stage of the food chain: the zooplankton. This is produced in the
nd
to achieve high growth rates. You can
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