To run the plankton light reactor Pro you need an air pump with higher pressure capacity. We recommend to
use Aqua Medic Mistral 2000 II.
2.3. Safety advices
The housing and the glass pane of the lighting may become hot during operation. Be cautious when
touching it! For cleaning, disconnect the light from the mains and let it cool down. Afterwards, take the light
out.
During operation and cleaning, make absolutely sure that no humidity passes the ventilation slits and enters
the interior of the lighting system!
Pay attention to a sufficient thermal exchange. Keep ventilation slits always free! Do not mount the system
in enclosures or behind panels. Missing aeration may result in overheating and damage electrical components.
When used under a cover, one or more permanently running fans with sufficient power are required.
Otherwise, overheating or corrosion due to condensation may occur. Max. 80% air humidity.
Do not try to repair the lighting system. Please send it in for checking, preferably with a list of defects and a
copy of invoice, if applicable. Also, broken LEDs can be exchanged only by the manufacturer.
When working on the light, always pull all power plugs.
2.4. Mounting
The reactor should be set up in a heated room at a temperature of at least 20 °C. The lid of the reactor allows
the blown-in air to escape and acts as a splash guard. The drain hose with tap for harvesting the plankton is
located at the bottom of the reactor. It is attached watertight using the hose clamps supplied. The air supply is
inserted into the outlet at the bottom and clipped into the side of the reactor tube at the top so that it cannot
be pushed upwards by the air. The air volume must be dimensioned so that as little algae as possible is deposited
on the bottom. The spacers attached to the bottom of the air supply make it easier to insert the air supply into
the centre outlet when the culture is dark green and therefore not visible. A non-return valve should be inserted
between the diaphragm pump and, if present, a CO
valves are not included in the scope of delivery). We recommend filling the reactor to a maximum of 3/4 full.
Illumination of the plankton light reactor Pro
To start up the lighting, the LED light included in the scope of delivery is inserted into the slot provided on the
lid. The power plug of the lighting is optimally connected to the mains via a timer (not included). The
phytoplankton culture should be illuminated for at least 12 - 13 hours a day. The zooplankton can also be
cultivated without additional lighting. Only fill the reactor about ¾ with the breeding culture. Clean the pane
between the reactor and LED light regularly.
3.
Operation of the plankton light reactor Pro
3.1. Microalgae production in the plankton light reactor Pro
Before starting, the reactor should be flushed with warm tap water. Then it can be filled with freshly prepared
saltwater. Do not use saltwater from aquaria or storage tanks so that no foreign plankton organisms get into
the phytoplankton breeding. Especially zooplankton (rotifers) or filamentous algae can destroy the whole
system. A single rotifer is enough!
Cultivation of microalgae:
After starting, the culture is slightly green. The light should be switched on now. The optimum duration of the
illumination for microalgae is 16 hours. Illumination of up to 24 hours gives only a slight increase of the growth
rate.
Under these conditions, the green colour of the culture increases and after some days you can start to harvest.
Under ideal conditions, you can harvest 10 – 20 l of algae culture per day. To do this, they are drained using
the drain tap. The missing water is replenished with freshly prepared, filtered saltwater. Caution: Only use
clean containers to prepare the saltwater. The penetration of zooplankton into the algae culture can completely
destroy the culture in a short time. Cleanliness is the most important factor for successful long-term operation
of the algae culture.
Fertilization:
A few drops of a commercially available complete plant fertilizer are added to the water in the reactor. Do not
fertilize too much so that the aquarium is not over-fertilized when feeding the phytoplankton. If the culture
becomes yellowish, it must be fertilized. The amount of nitrate can be easily checked using commercially
available test strips, which also show the nitrate content. If little or no nitrate is displayed, additional fertilizer
system (diaphragm pump, CO
2
system and non-return
2
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