# Plankton Culture Help for Summer Camp Activity



## Karackle (Apr 14, 2009)

Hi friends!!! I need your help if you can give it! 

Does anyone know how to culture live zooplankton or where I can buy live cultures for not a lot of $$? There's an activity I want to do with my summer camp kids but I need a variety of live plankton (zoo- especially, but phytoplankton would be important too). Since I think you guys will appreciate it, here's the background: 

There is a research group called DEEPEND doing research on the deep ocean in the gulf of Mexico, the research team was put together after the deepwater horizon oil spill when scientists realized they didn't quite know how it was effecting the ecosystem in the deep water because we don't know a whole lot about the really deep ecosystems. Anyway, this group collaborates with an education group to put together materials to be used for summer camps. So we are running a summer camp this year in collaboration with them called Creep Into the DEEPEND. As part of the collaboration they provide a bunch of activities that we can pick and choose from to do. 

The one I want to do that requires the plankton shows how different organisms inhabit different parts of the water column. So you take a 2 liter soda bottle, wrap the bottom in tinfoil, the middle in something semi-opaque and leave the top clear. Then you put the bottle on ice and a heat lamp over the top. You let this sit for a little while, and then add the live plankton and give them time to separate into their preferred space in the water column. This is why I need a variety of species. The activity suggests "daphnia, copepods, brine shrimp, algae, etc."

Now, I know how to hatch brine shrimp, that's pretty fast and easy. I can also make green water (on my agenda for today is to put a bowl of tank water on the window ledge in the office spaces when I do a water change). But what about the others? ANY suggestions on either raising my own or a LFS where I can pick some up would be greatly appreciated. To start I just want a little bit so I can make sure it even works. 

Thanks in advance everyone!!!


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## Kiviro (Jul 2, 2016)

When I had my reef tank, I'd get my stuff for cultures here. http://florida-aqua-farms.com/shop/microalgae-disks/


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## Karackle (Apr 14, 2009)

Thanks Kiviro, I will take a look!


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## Karackle (Apr 14, 2009)

*Aquatic Insect ID help?*

Anybody here good with identification of aquatic insects? I got a sample of pond water from a friend to test out my experiment. It went quite well!!!

And then I was taking some samples to look at with my digital microscope. I have ID'd most of them, but I am stuck on this one. Would love some help if anyone has ideas! Closest images of similar looking critters I have found are for Alderflies or aquatic beetles. Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!


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