How to Measure Your Culture’s Growth
Your culture needs to reach a certain density in order to split it into 2 cultures, or harvest it. Here is how you use the secchi meter in order to tell what density your culture is at.
- Dip the secchi meter into the Ethyl Alcohol bottle
- Set on a clean paper towel to dry. You can wipe it dry with a separate clean paper towel as well. It is safe to use once the smell of the Ethyl Alcohol is gone
- You will need to disconnect the flexible airline tubing from the air pump before you take a measurement.
- Insert the secchi meter into the culture until you can no longer see the white circle inside of the black circle. Record the number that you see where the culture comes up to and the exact time of the reading.
- Reconnect the flexible airline tube to the air pump and ensure that the culture container cover is on securely. Rinse and report in between different cultures
Note: Remember not to hook up 2 different species onto the same air pump. Wash your hands and change your towel in between species and sterilize the secchi meter in between species.
Nannochlorpsis Culture Density Guide
- Density is greater than 7.0 no action is needed
- Density is between 7.0 and 5.0 Refresh or Split
- Density less than 5.0 allow the culture to reach a density between 3.9 and 3.5
- Density is between 3.9 and 3.5 harvest entire container
Tetraselmis Culture Density Guide
- Density is greater than 8.1 no action is needed
- Density is between 8.0 and 7.0 Refresh or Split
- Density less than 6.9 allow the culture to reach a density between 6.5 and 6.0
- Density is between 6.5 and 6.0 harvest entire container
Isochrysis galbana Culture Density Guide
- Density is greater than 10.1 no action is needed
- Density is between 10.0 and 9.0 Refresh or Split
- Density less than 9.0 allow the culture to reach a density between 8.9 and 8.5
- Density is between 8.9 and 8.5 harvest entire container