Culture Journal, Species: Oxyrrhis marina

General
Species:  Oxyrrhis marina
Species description:  heterotrophic dinoflagellate
Culture source (link if possible):  Andy Berry (Umm_fish?)
If algae, CCMP # (Optional): 
http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/
Culture Establishment Date:  10/13/2011
Continuation Date: 

Culturing Vessel Details
Salinity:  1.020
Temperature:  ambient room temp (~78F)   
pH:  est. 7.7

Vessel description:  1g rubbermaid cereal boxes
Lighting description:  ambient room lighting
Lighting cycle:  natural day cycle, room lamp several feet away in the evenings
Aeration description:  rigid air line to the bottom of the container, bubble count is fast, perhaps 10/sec

Methodologies
Split methodology: harvest 1/5 of each container every couple of days, sieving through 54m mesh.  What makes it through the mesh is fed to my A panamensis cultures.

Culture medium description: 
RGComplete is fed at 10 drops per gallon of culture, twice daily.  

Cell count:
Unable to estimate.  Weekly samples are collected in a clear cup.  I shine a flashlight through it and after a minute, the cloudy sample resolves into whorls and spiral galaxy looking clouds of individual specs.         

Reference links:  
http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tm.aspx?m=59814

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



You will be required to provide photographic evidence and as much detail as possible about your project in this thread.
If your thread does not contain detailed enough photos  and information the MBI Council will not be able to approve your reports.

- David Gibson
Denton, TX

Here is the O marina cultures just after feeding.
 

 
I picked these cereal boxes up for about $3 a piece.  Since I can fit several of them on the shelf, I decided to give them a try.  So far, they are working out rather well.  My one complaint is my mesh sieves are too wide to fit directly in the containers, so I have to use intermediate buckets/containers when harvesting.

- David Gibson
Denton, TX

Here is a short video of what I'm looking for in a healthy culture (click to view):
 

 
The video makes it a little hard to see, but you can still makes out the ribbons and whorls forming from the clouds.

- David Gibson
Denton, TX

I was starting to struggle with these cultures, and had a bacterial bloom.  To seal the deal, I came down with bronchial pneumonia and wasn't able to pay them any further attention.
 
Once I'm back on my feet and it's not freezing here, I'll probably be hitting Andy up for attempt number 2.

- David Gibson
Denton, TX