Our history

It all started with a search for a remedy to combat "cyanos" in our tank.

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After various failures and only short-term successes with so-called magic remedies, we were made aware of a plankton strain. (Synechococcus sp.)

Without further ado, I got a bottle with the phytoplankton and made a reactor with an empty salt bucket and an LED construction spotlight with 6000 Kelvin. The fertilizer, bought expensively from a “pharmacist,” and it multiplied.

A short time later, the Cianos were very offended and completely withdrew. We continued to dose the phytoplankton for a short time to avoid a relapse. 

After dosing, we quickly noticed that the corals were a bit thin. I combed through all kinds of forums and quickly realized that a very good source of food was missing.

In the meantime, aquarium enthusiasts have also turned their attention to phytoplankton in order to combat red spots in their tanks. More and more buckets were bubbling away in the laundry room.

At some point, we swapped fresh aquarium water for changing water. The buckets with the phytoplankton were eaten empty by the zooplankton from the aquarium in a very short time. What remained were all sorts of animals that we never noticed in the aquarium. From then on, things got exciting.

We wanted to know whether it was possible to keep the animals alive. There was little literature back then. We started with artemia and moved on to rotifers. Various copepods were added later. The animals were sorted under the student microscope and a fine syringe needle. The effort was big, but very interesting.

Luckily, we have super tolerant neighbors. When a zooplankton culture fed with yeast and phytoplankton spoils, it smells “gorgeous”

 

With your job, assignments abroad, etc., some things fall by the wayside. So does The Salty Hobby

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Today we have a seawater aquarium again. Phytoplankton was needed again. After some very disappointing purchases from dealers who also sell plankton, we decided to start a small breeding operation ourselves.

Our goal is to offer as wide a variety of plankton as possible.

We also try to keep all types available at all times.

In the future, a small compendium will also be created on the site, such as information about breeding, descriptions of the species and so on.

Yvonne and Martin hope you have fun browsing through the shop