DIY Culture Station by Dwayne Sapp

As some of you are aware, awhile back I decided to try breeding and raising Mandarinfish (S. Splendidus). Well one of the first things I learned was the difficulty of such an endeavor. To date the biggest obstacle has been the food needed for larvae and fry. I’ve found I need to have fresh rotifers to increase my chances of success. To have fresh rotifers, I need fresh micro-algae. To overcome this obstacle, I made a culture station.

What is a culture station? A culture station is a set-up allowing for the production of micro-algae, rotifer and brine shrimp. The design I use allows for 10 positions. I divided this into 6 for micro-algae, 2 for rotifers, and 2 for brine shrimp. The length of the fluorescent bulbs used for lighting determines the number of positions. The height should be just enough for the 2-liter bottle to slip inside the 90° when tilted slightly to the side. Drill a hole in the bottle cap and in the 90° to allow the rigid tube into the bottle. Clothespins are used to adjust the depth of the rigid line for best airflow. Placement of air valves is up to the builder.

The following is a list of parts needed to build a culture station similar to mine:

1ea – 10ft section 1” PVC pipe

2ea – 24” fluorescent light

4ea – 1” PVC ‘T’

4ea – 1” PVC end cap

12ea – 1” PVC 90° angle

5ea – 1” PVC 4-way

10ea – 2-liter bottle w/ cap

10ea – 14” length ¼” rigid airline

10ea – clothespin

1ea – 30’ roll ¼” airline tubing

1or2 – air pumps

Tools needed:

Drill and ¼” drill bit

Saw for cutting PVC pipe

PVC glue

I mounted air valves on top for the left 6 positions. I have thought about using the horizontal leg as a mounting space for the air pump. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried it as of yet.

An alternative is to mount the air valves on the vertical risers, as seen on the right side. I installed the lights so both switches were on the right side. This allows the power cords to be routed easier.

The height of the 90° should be sufficient to allow the 2-liter bottles to be slipped into when the bottle is tilted slightly. I keep the caps on the bottles to minimize contamination. Clothespins allow another method for adjusting airflow. Using 6 positions for micro-algae, I should have a 2-liter bottle ready for harvesting everyday. Using 24” light, I was able to equally space 10 bottles with enough working room between the bottles.

1: Don’t overfeed your tank. Just because you have lots of micro-algae doesn’t mean your tank can process all of it.

2: An equal level of water in all the bottles will make it easier to equally distribute the airflow.

3: Even if you do not need the micro-algae, harvest it when it is ready to be harvested. The culture will reach a saturation point and degrade in quality.

4: Be patient in getting your cultures established. I started with a single 2-liter bottle. When it was ready for harvesting, I split it into two bottles. And then split those bottles. Most supply houses offer some instructions for building a continuous culture supply.