Culture Maintenance

Culture Maintenance: Temperature Control
Temperature Control The main culture room at UTEX is maintained at 20 °C in order that the room may be used for both storage and active growth of cultures....
Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 9:32 AM
Culture Maintenance: Illumination
For routine growth of algal cultures, a mixture of cool-white and warm-white fluorescent lights giving an intensity of approximately 350 ft-c (3700 lux) are...
Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 9:32 AM
I do not have access to an autoclave or laminar flow hood. How can I keep everything sterile?
There are many techniques besides autoclaving that you can employ to sterilize your utensils and materials such as dry heat, microwave oven, and UV radiat...
Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 12:48 PM
Culture Maintenance: Transfer Rooms/Dead Air Spaces
The most versatile sterile rooms for transferring or working with axenic cultures have proved to be small rooms like a hallway closet with little to no air ...
Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 9:34 AM
Why is my culture not growing?
Growth rates vary greatly depending on the strain and culturing conditions. For slow growing cultures, growth may not be readily apparent to the naked eye a...
Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 8:33 AM
Can I keep my algae in the refrigerator?
Although some strains of algae will tolerate refrigeration for periods of days or, in some cases weeks, it is generally not advisable to store cultures in ...
Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 12:49 PM
How do I cryopreserve my strain?
When it is not known if a strain can survive cryopreservation, then it may be desirable to test several different protocols simultaneously. Past experi...
Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 11:53 AM
Why can I not store my strain at -80 degrees Celsius?
Although some cyanobacteria can be successfully frozen and thawed at -80 °C, other algae groups generally require storage in liquid nitrogen to remain via...
Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 12:48 PM
How can I get my culture to grow faster?
We do not aim for optimum growth here at UTEX. Investigators are urged to consult the available literature for alternative media, agitation/shaking, or CO2 ...
Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 12:47 PM
Estimating Microalgal Density
Examples of Counting Devices Useful for Determining the Concentration of Algae in a Sample of Water Hemacytometer Counting Chambers Sedgwick-Rafter Count...
Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 2:20 PM