Culture Journal, Species: Nannochloropsis

General
Species:  Nannochloropsis
Species description:  Your basic non motile golden brown algae standard... 4-6 micron in diameter no flagella common aquaculture species. 
Culture source (link if possible):  Florida Aqua Farms www.florida-aqua-farms.com
If algae, CCMP # (Optional):  CCMP 369 https://ccmp.bigelow.org/node/1/strain/CCMP369
http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/
Culture Establishment Date:  04-06-2011
Continuation Date: 

Culturing Vessel Details
Salinity:  1.020 @ ambient (approx 68*)
Temperature:    ambient (approx 68*)
pH:  Untested

Vessel description: 1000ml Erlinmeyer flask (first start @ 500ml) 
Lighting description:  5400K T8 Flourescents
Lighting cycle:  12 hours on 12 hours off
Aeration description:  approx 5 bubbles per second on one side, occassional manual shakeup

Methodologies
Split methodology: Will be culture doubled to 1000ml at day 8, afterwards will be split into 300ml starter cultures to each liter every 8 days

Culture medium description: 
Starter culture is full F strenght Guillards solution via Florida Aqua Farms Mass Pack.  This is acheived with 2ml per liter of water.  With first expansion split 8 days from now this will shift to F/2 or 1ml per liter.  So with 500ml starter I added 1ml, when addition is acheived to 1000ml I will also add 1ml.
Cell count: 
 not checked at this stage

Reference links:  

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Notes: 



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If your thread does not contain detailed enough photos  and information the MBI Council will not be able to approve your reports.

Pelagically yours,
~J      

been wanting to do this for a while... run down from initial start for various species.  Nannochloropsis is a basic algae and a steadfast staple, think of it as the rotifer of the algal world.  in any case here come the pics!!!
 
First I started out with some FAF or florida aqua farms discs, two erlinmeyer flasks, some cotton swabs, my 1.020 water, and my medium (micro algae grow from FAF... or Guillards medium).

Pelagically yours,
~J      

bear with me with the posting, this journal is meant to be instructionary...  Notice I do NOT mix my fertilizer or medium with my water ahead of time!!  In fact I should probably just simply stop pre-mixing the water ahead of time.  When culturing algaes and zooplankters cleanliness is key.  ANY chance for something to invade well... something will... so in any case I add a bit of 1.020 water to the FAF discs and fill my flasks to the 500ml mark adding guillards at the F level (so 1ml for the 500ml fill).  I then set it on the culture rack for about 12-16 hours.  It should be noted that the first shot is actually an Isochrysis culture I started at the same time, I just want to illustrate how the water is added to help "activate" the agar culture.  notice how I avoid letting the spigot touch the agar itself.

Pelagically yours,
~J      

so that was yesterday, flash forward to today when I actually start the cultures... I begin by washing my hans and then taking each petri dish and lightly swabbing the surface of the agar contents with a cotton swab, remember... there is water in this dish so the cells should float up... in the event I tear the agar (which is very common with iso) I add that to the culture mix as well.. eventually I can screen it out.  After a full swabbing the cultures are dumped into the medium innoculated flasks and set on the culture shelf to
grow...  interestingly enough... thats pretty much the gist of how to do it.  no voodooo magic
 

Pelagically yours,
~J