im doing this as i think of all of the nice hints so itll be even more confusing than my normal posts
you can use tank water microwave it for even longer and use a little less f/2. using the microwave isnt the only way or even the best way, but its a good average
if your insane(
) or just wanna automate the process search for the H2O2 UV reactor thread in umm probibly the chem forum it should still have the pdf attached.
you might wanna make sure your not getting any soda in the mix, make sure the bottles are clean. sugar isnt great for cultures. also make sure you dont use an agressive soap to clean the bottles
you can use very little to start a culture itll grow kinda slow so add a small amount of f/2 2 or 3 times while the bottle matures
as it happens ocasionally try these things make sure you mix your f/2 before each use make sure its significantly seperate from any source of contamination, keep it cool but not frozen and in the dark.
keep your cultures away from your tank.
not sure i have the right person but are you still using a salt bucket or the likes to put your 2l bottles of algae in or something else?
and how many bottles do you culture??
if its less than 3 try more smaller bottles, you can actually get nice 1l bottles that are square doing so allows you to start several a day or 2 apart allowing 1 to crash with no issues. the smaller bottles on a 24" shelf with the light behind it takes up little room.
also do you have an air filter on your supply you should be using a .37 micron (note the less than 1micron that . is really there)
if you stick the cap on tight invert the bottle poke 2 1/4" holes in each umm ?lobe? for lack of a better word stick some cotton/filter floss in 1 and the airline in the other the airline can go into the cap and it creates a nice round bottom and a single air input which has gone thru your .37 micron filter. a cut bottom of another bottle filled with rock will make a nice stand
though many breeders have gone the way of IA or the likes those of us who have not are culturing more than you can imagine and have no leftovers
and there is still plenty of information dating back to pre IA and the likes.
also when you do it over and over and have good luck often you might need to give us all the nasty story to see if anyone can catch the 1 item.
and just as a reminder
richard.reynolds@usa.net