Spirulina

[Reville]

You know im having a bugger of a time finding a place or person that has spirulina live cultures?

there is plenty of teks out there on how to grow it in your backyard
but i just dont see it

itd be simple enough to 1/3 fill a test tube and stick it in the mail. maybe theres just no demand?

can anyone elnlighten me please

[GaryD]

Hi Reville,



itd be simple enough to 1/3 fill a test tube and stick it in the mail. maybe theres just no demand?


My understanding is that Spirulina is harvested using a centrifuge......and that's probably the principal obstacle to people growing it on small scale.

Gary

[Reville]

Ok thanks

A centrifuge is pretty easy to get

desk top test tube units can be had from Lab supplys

i was looking at getting a reconditioned one from a place that repairs labware


the teks ive seen suggest its pretty low tek

see the open ponds

http://www.auroville.org/health/images/spirulina_2.jpg

and the guy harvesting with a fine sieve net

http://www.auroville.org/health/images/spirulina_4.jpg

strain and green putty

http://www.auroville.org/health/images/spirulina_3.jpg


what ive read says you need

heat- tick
strong sun - tick
salt
soda
fertiliser

i was interested partly for myself
but also as a food for fish fry or for live food

ive seen and done work experience at the Freo fish farm in the microalgae section.
it was a good experience and now i think back i realise how simple and streamlined a process it was.
Ive since been to uni and grown lots of things in test tubes, and micropropagted plants. and the process seems a fusion.

ive also visited pearl oyster hatcheries wher ethe algae are growing im thos same 1000L white transparent molasses tanks we use cut down as AP units with a bubbler in it


first thing is however a clean culture
Im sure S platensis would occur in the mangroves near me at low levels but id have to sort through a lot of junk to find it and isolate it
and even then i wouldnt know if it was S platensis now Arthrospira platensis???

oh well. another idea to put on the shelf for now and revisit periodically

http://books.google.com/books?id=IKaKEqo6pB8C&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=spirulina+platensis+australia&source=bl&ots=zxoat485bY&sig=Kv17-QW4GrC77-akH_5EZr5btao&hl=en&ei=NPI-SqH8NtigkQWjg9HCDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8

[Reville]

http://www.antenna.ch/en/documents/Jourdan_UK.pdf

this was interesting anecdote from
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0404&L=ALGAE-L&E=0&P=42454&B=--&T=text%2Fplain;%20charset=iso-8859-1


Incidentally the very expensive Spirulina from California (Earthrise) is
freeze dried. The cells in the pills are viable and can be used to start a
culture of it if you need to.

i might give it a go

Zarrouk media

18.0 g NaHCO3,
2.5 g NaNO3,
0.5 g K2HPO4,
1.0 g K2SO4,
1.0 g NaCl,
0.04 g CaCl2,
0.08 g Na2EDTA,
0.2 g MgSO4·7H2O,
0.01 g FeSO4·7H2O
and 1.0 ml trace elements (TE).
TE (g/L):
H3BO3 2.86;
(NH4)6Mo7O24 0.02;
MnCl2·4H2O 1.8;
Cu2SO4 0.08;
ZnSO4·7H2O 0.22.

All in 1 litre.

[Reville]

well earthrise webcart wouldnt ship to australia

so ill try these guys

http://www.australianspirulina.com.au/spirulina/norder.htm

well see if the pills are still viable...