SET UP.
RECIPES
A
B
E
C
MATERIALS
Except where indicated, items are
available from most aquarium stores.
A. Plug-in appliance timer available at
most hardware stores for about $6 D
F
B. pH test paper that can test up to
at least 11pH (yes, it must “go to 11”)
from a science supply company, such
as part #3110J15 from Thomas
Scientific ( thomassci.com), $5
Starter Mix
For 10 liters of growth solution
» Sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda), 160g available at the
supermarket
» Potassium nitrate (saltpeter),
food grade, 20g item #850-16
from the Ingredient Store (store.
theingredientstore.com), $19/lb
» Sodium chloride (salt), 10g
available at the supermarket
» Ammonium phosphate (either
monoammonium or diam-monium) or monopotassium
phosphate, 1g item #7305A
from Homebrewers Outpost
( homebrewers.com), $2/2oz
» Lime, calcium chloride, or
plaster, 1g (optional) if your
water is very soft
C. Aquarium thermometer one that’s
held by suction cups (without touching
the glass) and reads up to 100°F
D. Aquarium heater powerful enough
to take your tank up to a minimum of
94°F, such as the Eheim Jager 100W
» Aquarium air line tubing, about 3'
» Vinyl tubing, at least ¼" internal
diameter, about 3'
» Water, to fill container Algae will
grow faster at first if you filter out
chlorination, which can be done using
most home water filters, such as Brita.
You can also use distilled water.
» Live spirulina starter, about 1 liter
AlgaeLab, $49, or obtain from a
spirulina-growing friend. Also, see
makezine.com/26/spirulina for how
to buy a sample tube from a culture
library and grow it into a liter (but
this costs more).
» Nutrient “Make-Up Mix” powder,
1 bag AlgaeLab, $29, or mix your
own using the supplied recipe
» Sunny window
Iron Juice
E. Air pump on the upper end or over
spec for your tank size. My usual bet is
the Tetra Whisper Air Pump 10, but just
about any aquarium air pump will do.
F. Chelated “Iron Juice,” 2½
eyedroppers full AlgaeLab, $15 for
2oz, or mix your own using the supplied
recipe and Steps 2b and 2c
NOT SHOWN
Photography by Sam Murphy
» Transparent container ideally a
glass tank almost as tall and wide
as your window but narrow in the
direction perpendicular to the window
so enough light reaches through.
We used a 10-gallon tank, so the
specifications and quantities given
match this size.
» Air diffuser (aka bubble wand)
sized for your tank. I recommend the
48” Marineland Flexible Bubble Wand
» Nutrient “Starter Mix” powder,
1 bag available from AlgaeLab
( algaelab.org) for $19, or mix your
own using the supplied recipe
TOOLS
» Buckets, 2½ gallon or larger ( 2)
» Clothespins or small clips ( 4)
» Filter material Screen-printing fabric
with 40- to 50-micron openings (or
325 mesh equivalent) is best, but
silk cloth or even a paper coffee filter
will do.
» Kitchen scale that can measure
down to 1 gram
» Measuring cup
» Measuring spoons
» Clear plastic film
» Mixing bowl or container, small
» Erasable marker
» Sheer white fabric
Make-Up Mix
(Recipes adapted from “A Teaching Module for the Production of
Spirulina,” by J. Falquet, Antenna
Technologies, June 1999.)
95 Follow us @make
