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UTEX sells Spirulina Medium at 1X concentration only. Stock solutions and individual components for this specific medium are currently not available for purchase.

Spirulina Medium

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$ 55.00

Deadline to place an order for Spirulina Medium with a 2024 shipment date has passed. New orders will not ship until the 2025 new year—see announcement or order confirmation email for the expected ship date.

FAQs: Algal Culture Media

Spirulina Medium

Modification of the SAG medium. Alkaline media suitable for LB 2340 Spirulina platensis and LB 2342 Spirulina maxima.

Directions For Liquid Media Preparation

In order to prevent the formation of precipitates during autoclaving, two solutions are prepared as follows:

For 1 L Total
  1. After both solutions 1 and 2 are sterilized, transfer the contents of Solution 2 into the flask containing solution 1, and swirl to mix thoroughly.
  2. Store at refrigerator temperature.
# Component Amount Stock Solution Concentration Final Concentration
1 Spir solution 1 500 mL/L
2 Spir solution 2 500 mL/L

Directions For Agar Media Preparation

In order to prevent the formation of precipitates during autoclaving, three solutions are prepared as follows:

For 1 L Total
  1. After both solutions 1, 2, and 3 are sterilized, allow all solutions to cool to ~45 - 50 °C in a water bath.
  2. Aseptically add 1.0 mL of Vitamin B12 to Solution 2 and mix well.
  3. Combine Solution 1 and 2 into Solution 3 (agar solution); mix well.
  4. Dispense 10 mL into sterile agar tubes.
  5. Allow to cool then store at refrigerator temperature.
# Component Amount Stock Solution Concentration Final Concentration
Spir Solution 1
NaHCO3
(Fisher S 233)		 13.61 g/250 mL dH2O 162 mM
Na2CO3
(Baker 3604)		 4.03 g/250 mL dH2O 38 mM
K2HPO4
(Sigma P 3786)		 0.5 g/250 mL dH2O 2.9 mM
Spir Solution 2
NaNO3
(Fisher BP360-500)		 12.5 g/250 mL dH2O 29.4 mM
K2SO4
(Sigma P 4042)		 1 g/250 mL dH2O 5.74 mM
NaCl
(Fisher S271-500)		 1 g/250 mL dH2O 17.1 mM
MgSO4•7H2O
(Sigma 230391)		 0.2 g/250 mL dH2O 0.81 mM
CaCl2•2H2O
(Sigma C-3881)		 0.04 g/250 mL dH2O 0.27 mM
P-IV Metal Solution 6 mL/0.25 L
Chu Micronutrient Solution 1 mL/0.25 L
Vitamin B12 1 mL/0.25 L
Spir solution 3
Agar 15 g/500 mL dH2O (1.5% w/v)
Spirulina Medium Recipe PDF
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
FAQs:Algal Culture Media

Important Notes To Consider:

  • The quality of water, including natural seawater, is important. The term 'dH2O' generally refers to distilled, deionized, distilled/deionized water, Milli-Q water (Millipore Corp.), etc. Natural seawater and natural freshwater should be obtained from a non-polluted source.
  • When dissolving chemicals, wait for the first component to dissolve before adding the second. Stirring, and sometimes the addition of heat, is often required to dissolve the chemicals efficiently. Preparation of stock solutions for frequently made algal culture media make preparing media convenient but also necessary to avoid errors from weighing very tiny amounts.
  • Attention should be given to the pH of the final medium. In most cases, if pH adjustment is required, this occurs before sterilization. Please note that autoclaving removes carbon dioxide from media lacking carbonate stabilizing buffers. This would make the medium very alkaline soon after removal from the autoclave. In these cases, you should wait approximately 24 hours for gaseous equilibrium before inoculating the medium.

Additional algal culture media recipes can be found at the following other major Collections' websites: