Mystery Algae Cultures

[johanasu]

So Algagen is awesome and donated some starter cultures of algae for my science club.

We got a starter pouch of Nannochloropsis, Isochrysis and Tetraselmis.

I got brand new 2L bottles, cleaned them out and started the cultures with fresh saltwater.

The Nanno and Tetra are green and the Iso is brown (starts off yellow/orange when diluted).

My bottle of Tetra grew in density and I split it, it is doing great. Nothing strange.

My bottle of Isochrysis turned green...dark dark green, like Nannochloropsis. So I thought, damn, it got contaminated some how (no idea, maybe the rigid airline tubing had some cells of Nanno in it).

My bottle of Nanno grew in density and I split it. It was green. Fast forward a week or two and both of my bottles of Nanno are now yellow/orange like new Isochrysis cultures....

My "Iso" bottle is still dark green with maxed out Nanno algae.

So in conclusion my Tetra is Tetra. My Iso is Nanno. My Nanno is now Iso?

 

[johanasu]

Visual Aid

 

[reefstew]

Did you feed it when you split it? It is very easy to cross contaminate it with them be next to each other.

 

[johanasu]

I usually feed every other split due to residual nitrogen based food left over in each bottle. Even when the Nanno is "light" due to a recent split it doesn't have that tint of the Iso (as I know you know!)

It's just strange that the Nanno seemed to out-compete the Iso in the Iso bottle and somehow the Iso is out-competing the Nanno in the Nanno bottle.

 

[Weyrman]

Visual Aid

That looks somewhat like the beer yeast cultures I had in the refridgerator when I was making more beer than I do now. :beer: :beer: :beer:

Sorry for the hi-jack!