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We are running and maintaining two large free-standing tanks – one to grow Chlorella in and the other for Botryoccoccus Braunii. The Chlorella appears to be healthier growing better, but we have not compared the lipid content of each type of algae.
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We have recently switched our florescent blue nighttime lights to four True Lumen 54-watt Flora Freshwater High Output T5 Lamps. Two of the lights are white and are two are pink. ) |
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To test nitrate and phosphate we use the Hach test kit. Our phosphate content is usually around 14-18 mg/L for the Botryococcus and Chlorella has 17-18 mg/L. Our nitrate in our algae test to about 1.76 mg/L for the Botryococcus and for Chlorella it is at between 2.2 and 4.4 mg/L. To perform our phosphate tests, we fill a 20 ml mixing bottle with our sample water, add one packet of PhosVer 3 Phosphate Reagent packets, and mix the packet into the sample water by tilting the mixing bottle upside down. We then fill a test tubewith distilled water and place it into the comparator. Next, we fill another test tube with the sample water and reagent packet mixture and place the test tube into the comparator too. Then we rotate the color disk until the two test tubes match in color. When the colors are finally matched, we take the number that is displayed on the color disk and divide it by 3 to find the final amount of phosphate in our algae |
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The new tanks we are using are semi clear fiberglass which allow for 90% light transmission (perfect for algal culture.) The tanks have a connected skirted stand for support. The conical base slopes from 45 degrees to 30 degrees at the bottom. We have an access port out at the bottom of the tank that connects to our CO2 |
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