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Intentionally growing Algae
- Thread starter Barbara Turner
- Start date
zozo
Member
Litlle excerpt on the professional take on it.. 🙂
Cultivation of microalgae
Microalgae biomass production is based on the simple scheme:
CO2 + H2O + nutrients + light energy → biomass + O2
Challanges:
Algae cultivation has its own challenges as well:
Availability of the sources of nutrients (for large scale production). Often chemical or inorganic fertilizers are used to achieve appropriate growth
rate of microalgae. Distribution of CO2 even though CO2 may be available as flue gases from power or chemical plants on industrial scale, CO2 distribution is
problematic. Still, because of the benefits of algae cultivation, in many cases it is worth dealing with and overcoming these challenges!
The effect of light intensity
Microalgae use light as a source of energy for synthesizing the cell protoplasm, and their growth rate is maximum at the saturation intensity of light and decreases when its intensity increases or decreases
For many microalgae, increase in the light intensity causes photoinhibition because of disruption of the chloroplast lamellae growth and inactivation of the enzymes involved in the carbon dioxide fixation.
Optimum light intensity for microalgae varies depending on the strain. For example in literature can be found that for Desmodesmus sp. cultivation optimum light intensity was 98μmol/m2/s, but for Dunaliella viridis -700 μmol/m2/s.
Than there is also effect of temperature... 🙂
http://bioreactors.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Photobioreactor_applicationENG.pdf
It's not growing algae at home, but it might shed more light on techniques used to over come challanges.. Even nutrient composition does vary depending on Algae strain you like to grow.
https://www.google.com/search?q=growing+algae+in+lab
Cultivation of microalgae
Microalgae biomass production is based on the simple scheme:
CO2 + H2O + nutrients + light energy → biomass + O2
Challanges:
Algae cultivation has its own challenges as well:
Availability of the sources of nutrients (for large scale production). Often chemical or inorganic fertilizers are used to achieve appropriate growth
rate of microalgae. Distribution of CO2 even though CO2 may be available as flue gases from power or chemical plants on industrial scale, CO2 distribution is
problematic. Still, because of the benefits of algae cultivation, in many cases it is worth dealing with and overcoming these challenges!
The effect of light intensity
Microalgae use light as a source of energy for synthesizing the cell protoplasm, and their growth rate is maximum at the saturation intensity of light and decreases when its intensity increases or decreases
For many microalgae, increase in the light intensity causes photoinhibition because of disruption of the chloroplast lamellae growth and inactivation of the enzymes involved in the carbon dioxide fixation.
Optimum light intensity for microalgae varies depending on the strain. For example in literature can be found that for Desmodesmus sp. cultivation optimum light intensity was 98μmol/m2/s, but for Dunaliella viridis -700 μmol/m2/s.
Than there is also effect of temperature... 🙂
http://bioreactors.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Photobioreactor_applicationENG.pdf
It's not growing algae at home, but it might shed more light on techniques used to over come challanges.. Even nutrient composition does vary depending on Algae strain you like to grow.
https://www.google.com/search?q=growing+algae+in+lab
Think the easiest way to get production going is to plant some plants sparsely in and inert substrate use little to no ferts and poor flow lots of light OFC should have harvest in no time 😉 to maximise the algea just use CO2 poorly and the algea will love you for it 
has worked well for me in past 
has worked well for me in past 
sciencefiction
Member
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- 26 Feb 2013
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- 3,406
When I was researching green water algae I came across info that in laboratory conditions it is grown by adding CO2. Apparently it is CO2 hungry...
I once put two bowls with salvinia on the window sill. I over-dosed one with nutrients and left the other as it is. The nutrient rich one grew big and healthy plants and also got covered with a tick layer of green algae. The nutrient poor one grew the salvinia, but the plants were rather smaller and paler and there was no algae development. Both sat next to each other. So yes, nutrients will grow more algae....After a while as the nutrients got depleted the tick green algae in the nutrient rich bowl fell off literally to the bottom...
I once put two bowls with salvinia on the window sill. I over-dosed one with nutrients and left the other as it is. The nutrient rich one grew big and healthy plants and also got covered with a tick layer of green algae. The nutrient poor one grew the salvinia, but the plants were rather smaller and paler and there was no algae development. Both sat next to each other. So yes, nutrients will grow more algae....After a while as the nutrients got depleted the tick green algae in the nutrient rich bowl fell off literally to the bottom...
sciencefiction
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- Joined
- 26 Feb 2013
- Messages
- 3,406
My hillstream tank is blasted with light and I've been growing all types of generally unwanted algae, from big fluffy diatoms to hair algae/staghorn, green algae and blue green algae, and also a bit of clado and green hair algae. I don't dose anything at all. There's just a couple of plants for decoration but the tank is not planted. Right now the algae on the stones is so thick that hair algae started growing out of it. So they're growing on top of one another. My snails are massive and my hillstreams are fat 😛 There's no green water though..
Oh, and yesterday I noticed one of my big snails has got green algae on its shell🙂 In my other tank the shrimp ride the snails and clean up their shells 😉
Oh, and yesterday I noticed one of my big snails has got green algae on its shell🙂 In my other tank the shrimp ride the snails and clean up their shells 😉
Barbara Turner
Member
My New 50W LED light arrived this morning I'll try and get it fitted ASAP.
Anyone want to take a guess on how long it will take before it goes very green.
The tub of water I stuck outside is still looking surprisingly clear just developed a oily layer.
Anyone want to take a guess on how long it will take before it goes very green.
The tub of water I stuck outside is still looking surprisingly clear just developed a oily layer.
sparkyweasel
Member
- Joined
- 30 Jun 2011
- Messages
- 2,974
Pour the oily layer off, as it could interfere with gas exchange. If it comes back, you will need to find where its coming from.
