GROW-PRO INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT:  Remove the white PyroDino spout pouch from the shipping box once you receive the shipment.

PyroDinos

The white PyroDino spout pouch should be stored in a lighted room.  Loosen the cap on the pouch and leave the PyroDino pouch upright in a location that receives daily filtered sunlight and/or artificial light.  Moderate temperatures are recommended.  9C to 31C (48F to 88F).  Under these simple conditions, the white PyroDino spout pouch can thrive for several weeks, even months.  The ideal temperature is 20C (68F). 

You may tighten the cap and gently shake the PyroDino pouch at night in the dark to observe the natural light (bioluminescence).  PyroDinos will NOT produce light during daytime hours (day cycle), even in a dark room.   

PyroDinos are non-toxic but live in DinoNutrients (purified ocean saltwater) which should not be consumed.  Drinking PyroDinos is not harmful but drinking saltwater is not recommended in general.  

 

GROW PRO FLASKS

Tip: To prevent contamination, wash your hands and work in a clean environment with  little to no wind or air movement. 

Your GrowPro Flasks are clean and ready to fill with PyroDinos.  Remove the entire screw cap from the flask.  Remove cap from the white PyroDino spout pouch and pour the contents of the white PyroDino spout pouch into each flask (approximately 100ml each flask).  Do not add any DinoNutrients at this time.  Replace the screw cap on the flask. 

PyroDinos require daily filtered sunlight and/or artificial light.  We recommend leaving the grow flasks in a single location throughout the day and night where the Flask contents will not overheat due to direct sunlight or intense lighting.  Be aware of temperature swings when placing the Flasks near a window or vent.

GROW PRO LIGHTING

PyroDinos convert light energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis during the daytime (day cycle).  PyroDinos do not produce bioluminescence during their day cycle. 

For optimal results use a light timer with a LED light or LED light strips.  Bright white LED lights work best and colored LED ‘grow lights’ can also be used.  Other types of white lighting can be used as well (incandescent and fluorescent) as long as they do not add heat to the Grow Pro Flask culture.

Optimal Lighting Range

LUX: 1000 – 3000

Foot Candle (Fc): 90 – 280

PAR: 90 – 120 EU  

example: single 800 lumen light (5000K) with reflector:  40cm – 80cm away

example: single 800 lumen light (5000K) w/o reflector:   15cm – 30cm away

Consistent daily lighting is best and will yield best results.  A timer for 12 hours on (day cycle) and 12 hours off (night cycle) is a good starting point for a robust culture.  You may experiment with longer day cycles (up to 20 hours) but never less than 8 hours of light per day.  You may flip their schedule by subjecting the Grow Flask to light during nighttime hours and darkness during daytime hours.  A change in the day/night schedule usually takes a couple of days but can take up to a week. 

Flask cultures will also fair well with typical indirect sunlight.  A location where you would place a houseplant (like an orchid or tropical plant) should be sufficient. 

 

GROW-PRO TIPS

Keep it simple.  The main cause of houseplant death is over-care (over watering).  The same could be said for PyroDinos.  Leave the PyroDino Grow Flask in the same location day and night.  Swirling the flask, day or night, is encouraged but not required for optimal health.

Density is best.  PyroDinos thrive in a dense culture.  Do not dilute your culture (feed your culture = diluting your culture) until you have a dense PyroDino culture that requires the addition of DinoNutrients.  Over-diluting your PyroDino culture can be stressful to the culture.  Again, these cells prefer density.

Do not add any water to your culture except for DinoNutrients (or sterile artificial seawater) 

Avoid contamination and limit evaporation.  PyroDinos are slow-growing marine dinoflagellates cells and can quickly succumb to other fast-growing opportunistic algae and bacteria.  Dense PyroDino cultures are less susceptible to contamination.  This is another reason to maintain a dense PyroDino culture.  Be careful when opening the flask and exposing it to the outside environment.  Try to keep the cap on the flask at all times.  Keep the cap of the flask dry and free of PyroDino culture contact.  When removing the cap of the flask (feeding and pouring) be sure to place the cap on a clean surface.  You may use a paper towel or cotton pad damp with 70% IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to wipe down working surfaces and the outside of the flask.  Do not introduce any IPA into the Grow Flask.

Bioluminescence (natural light)

PyroDinos will only produce natural light during nighttime hours (dark cycle), in the dark while swirled.  The natural light is transient and will only occur while the PyroDinos are in motion.  New PyroDinos are ‘programmed’ to begin their dark cycle at 5pm PST.  But this can and will change (over several days) if the lighting conditions change.  PyroDinos have a circadian clock and will ‘learn’ the new lighting conditions and only produce light while in their dark cycle. 

PyroDinos will generate their light-producing compounds throughout their dark cycle.  The later into the dark cycle, the brighter the light will appear.  Bioluminescence is best viewed in a dark area with little to no contaminating light.  After sustained motion, the light potential will slowly diminish but can recharge if left still for a half-hour or more.  

DinoNutrients (filtered purified seawater with added nutrients). 

PyroDinos are grown in DinoNutrients.  PyroDinos can survive for several weeks, even months, with nothing but daily light.  For optimal long-term health and to expand your culture (grow more PyroDinos) you should add more DinoNutrients (feeding).  ‘Feeding’ is akin to feeding a plant, recommended for optimal health but not altogether necessary for survival.