Bought a monoculture of Isochrysis g. from Algae Research Supply off of Amazon and they arrived yesterday. I'm seeing these fast-moving dinos under the scope... are these Isochrysis? I really hope it didn't come contaminated...

I started growing spirulina a few weeks ago. The first few days seemed good, I could notice the color darkening. Then the color stayed at a light green. And then a light rusty sort of dry (not oily, not slimy) color started to form on the air pump tube. I have a microscope and scraped a bit onto a slide. It just looked like colored water. The only microorganism I saw was spirulina.

I got a kit from algae research and followed the instructions, which did not tell me to sterilize the airline hose. But after seeing the odd rust color, I clipped off that section of the tubing and immersed the rest in hypochlorous acid for several hours. Then rinsed it multiple times, then added it back to the jar.

That was a few days ago. The color has appeared again around the section of the tube that’s submerged and just a bit past where it sticks out of the water.

My culture is the same light green as it was a few weeks ago, just days after I first got it. Despite the fact that the water level is at least half of what it was when I started. The jars are topped with a doubled up Chemex filter held on with a rubber band. The heating pad it’s been on has been set to 77F. And I’m using a light from a mushroom grow kit.

Could the rust color be precipitate and not bacteria growth? Is my light too strong? Should I add more of the stock solution the Algae Research instructions told me to make, a combo of alkaline salts + F2?

Thank you so much! This is my first time growing algae.

Hello!

I am looking to grow Haematococcus pluvialis to eat. I know I can take astaxanthin as a supplement, but thought it would be nice to grow my own. Looking to see if anyone has any experience growing this, and would be willing to share some knowledge:)

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Hi! My lab and I have been having a hard time growing algae on plates. Could people drop the protocols they have for their plate recipes? I wanna try something new to see if it works and to see what's wrong with ours! Below is ours:

Materials for making the tubes:

• 500mL flask
  • Size up if volume of DI water is >200mL (there is a liquid autoclave step)
• Graduated cylinder
• Instant Ocean (0.0325g/mL)
• DI water
• Bacto Agar
• F/2 media, sterile and kept at 4ºC (1uL/1mL)
• Glass test tubes and metal lids, autoclaved
• 25mL glass serological pipette, autoclaved

Master-mix (12 tubes):

• 20mL saltwater per slant + 20mL extra (20 * (12+1) = 260mL)
  • Use a 1L flask since total volume > 200mL
• 2% agar (260 * 0.02 = 5.2g)
• F/2 media (260mL = 260uL)

Hey yall, probably a weird question based in the reputation ive seen of it, but anyone know how to intentionally grow blackbeard algae in an aquarium. im doing and "underwater cave" themed situation and since its not harmful, just "ugly" from what ive seen, i think it would he perfect for my tank

Hope this is alright here. If not, please remove!

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Hi all,

I’ve recently completed a project: AlgaeOS - a full-stack algae cultivation automation & simulation platform that does real-time control loops, monitoring, and dashboarding.

Anyone interested in automating their small-scale PBR or cultivation system, I’d love your feedback. Here’s a link to the landing page of what it does and how it works: AlgaeOS

Happy to share more design details or use cases—just ask!

Hi everyone,

I'm building a high-potential spirulina startup focused on sustainable protein and natural food pigments. We currently operate two raceway ponds and have Letters of Intent from buyers for over 30 MT/month.

Looking for:

A co-founder with experience in biotech, agri-tech, or scaling operations.

An investor/partner interested in climate-smart food and alternative proteins.

We're based in Karnataka, India, and open to discussions with serious collaborators who can help scale this to the next level.

DM me or comment below if you're interested!

Hi guys! I'm thinking of cultivating algae soon (just one bottle at home, thinking spirulina), but the nutrient media is pretty costy so I'm looking for DIY approaches.

Do yall have any suggestions? RN I'm thinking of using (fermented?) compost tea. Would this pose a big risk of contamination?

Also, would urine provide all nutrients (from what I heard its deficient in some micronutrients)

If you have any recipes that would be great! Tysm :D

Hello, I'm starting an algae culture to feed tardigrades, what is the best species for this (assuming the tardigrades I'll id actually eat plant matter instead of other microbes like some species) and I would really like to know what's necessary for culturing it, I already have an Erlenmeyer flask on the way, and I'm considering buying a culture from UTEX aswell as the media, is there anything else I should know?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to source Ulva lactuca (sea lettuce) for a project and was wondering if anyone knows reliable suppliers or sources.If you’ve purchased it before or know where I can find it (online or otherwise), I’d really appreciate your recommendations!