4c. Repeat the process —
waiting until the algae have
thickened, then expanding
the culture — until you have
a full tank of thick green
stuff. When it reaches 3cm
density (see “Harvesting and
Maintenance”), be proud of
yourself. It’s time to harvest
and enjoy!
Photograph Corbis (microscope)
5c. Time to siphon! Place
one end of the ¼"-diameter
vinyl tubing into the culture,
and put the other end in your
mouth. Breathe out (you’ll
blow some bubbles), then
suck the culture up the tube,
just shy of your mouth. Pull
the tube out of your mouth
and immediately cover the
end with your thumb.
You should now have a tube
full of green stuff (this may
take a few tries). If you get
some culture in your mouth,
don’t swallow it, but don’t
worry — it’s not harmful. It
will taste like baking soda.
5. HARVEST HE ALGAE
5a. Use small clips or clothespins to stretch the filter
material across the mouth
of the bucket. Let it droop
down in the middle, but make
sure the edges are as high
as possible.
5b
TIP: You may need to rest
the bucket on something
lower than the tank base to
harvest larger amounts.
5b. Decide how much you
want to harvest; a quarter to
half of the tank is typical. Put
the bucket next to the tank
so that the lowest point of the
filter sits the chosen amount
below the top of the liquid.
5c
NOTE: I recommend look-
ing at the spirulina under
a microscope sometimes,
not just to be sure that your
culture is pure but also
because it’s really cool to
see their little helices and
reflect that they’re your
relatives.
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