Spirulina Culture Kit (2x Live Cultures + 10L nutrient medium)

Spirulina

Despite commonly being referred to as an algae Spirulina is a Cyanobacteria (a photosynthetic bacteria). Spirulina grows at an optimal temperature of 35 - 37C and is an alkaliphilic halophile. This means it grows at high pH ~ 9 - 11 and high salinity (up to 70g/l salt).

There has been considerable interest in Spirulina as a food source and supplement for three principal reasons:

• High protein content.
• Rapid growth rate. 
• Resistance to contamination from other algal species due to the high pH and salinity of the growth medium. 

Growing Instructions

Spirulina is generally very hardy and will grow under a wide range of different conditions and in different media. However, there are a few key conditions that must be met:

Temperature: Spirulina requires a temperature of between 22 - 37C to grow well. Growth at the lower end of the temperature scale will be quite slow. I maintain my culture between 30 - 33 Celcius and find that works very well. However, if you are aiming for maximum biomass production I would aim for between 35 - 37C. This temperature will support the maximum growth rate for most Spirulina strains.

Aeration: Spirulina will either sink or float depending on conditions. Once this has occurred the culture will tend to clump and die. As such cultures need to be mixed. I would recommend an aquarium air pump however in a pinch mixing the cultures by hand several times per day will also work. However, if you are growing Spirulina for food I would strongly recommend significant aeration/mixing as this can significantly increase yields.

Media: The medium which comes as part of this kit provides all the nutrients required for growth. It supplies both macronutrients like nitrogen and potassium as well as micronutrients like boron and manganese. The medium has been formulated so that a flat half teaspoon is the correct quantity of nutrients for one litre of culture medium. This removes the need for accurate and thus expensive scales. Simply add a flat half teaspoon of nutrients and a flat tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate to each litre of water to create the perfect Spirulina culture medium.

Lighting: Spirulina is a photosynthetic autotroph so requires light. If you are growing Spirulina for fun pretty much any light source at a reasonable intensity will work. The only exception is full sunlight for many hours on weak cultures (this can cause photoinhibition and eventually cell death) - instead partially shade weak cultures or move them to a position where they only get a couple of hours of direct sunlight each day. However, if you are growing Spirulina for food lighting becomes much more important - if the culture is properly fertilized and heated light will most often be the limiting factor. As such I suggest using either natural light (e.g., place the culture in a position where it will receive as many hours possible of direct sunlight once the culture is thick enough to shade itself) or grow lights. There isn’t too much data on the light integral required by Spirulina but 100W m^-2 on a 16/8 or 24/0 Light/Dark cycle seems like a good starting point.

PH: If you are growing Spirulina for food you need to ensure that the pH is high enough that the culture is contamination free. Generally you want a pH of ~ 10 in order to be safe but this is not a guarantee. As such if you are growing the Spirulina for food please consult more authoritative sources as that is beyond the scope of this listing.

TL;DR: Add a flat half teaspoon of nutrient media and a flat tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate to a one litre bottle of still water. Shake until dissolved then add one of the Spirulina cultures. Mix the culture a few times daily or use an aquarium air pump to keep the Spirulina suspended in the water column. In 10 - 14 days the culture should be dark green. 

If your culture fails for any reason in the first 30 days I will replace it free of Charge. Have fun :)