Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,
I have decided to do a project invlolving growing Phytoplankton to prevent global warming. I need to grow Phytoplankton, this requires a controlled environment, a lab. Can I please have some help contacting a lab or someone who can help me conduct a controlled experiment.

Thanks for all the help,
Vikas Agartha

Hi Vikas,
Have you tried contacting a university or some other research facility near your home? There are also instructions on the web for how to grow your own phytoplankton at home. For example,
http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html
http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci-sci/by ... _27-e.html
http://teachingboxes.org/upwelling/less ... aeGrow.pdf
Regards,
Chris

Hey Chris,

Sorry I forgot to mention that I need to grow them using the nutrient iron. I do not know what specific form of iron should be used when growing them. Should I put in some form of liquid iron, I do not think Iron Fillings will work. Do you have any ideas? Thanks for all the help.

Thanks Again,
Vikas

You're welcome for the help. That's why I'm here.

I agree that iron filings probably will not work. Iron oxides are typically insoluble in aerobic waters with neutral pH. On the other hand, it might be interesting to give that a try, if it is not too much trouble, to see if you get any response at all.

Otherwise, you can use an "iron chelate" fertilizer which contains organic molecules that bind the iron and hold it in suspension. These are sometimes available at pet stores in the aquarium section, and if you do a web search for "iron fertilizer" or "iron chelate fertilizer" you will find some. For example,
http://www.nextag.com/iron-fertilizer/search-html

Hey Chris,
Sorry it has been a while, I have researched alot and am thinking about ordering Phytoplankton. I am not really able to find any good sites or stores near my house. I have emailed my teacher about where they get their equipment, but have not received an email yet. I need a place where I can order Phytoplankton, Diatom Phytoplankton or Dinoflagellates Phytoplankton would be the best possibility. Could you suggest a good store or sight to buy my organisms. Thanks for all the help.
Thanks Again,
Vikas Agartha

Hi,

See if you can find what you're looking for here: https://www2.carolina.com/webapp/wcs/st ... om=N&top=N . If anyone has it, Carolina Biological Supply probably does. I didn't get hits with 'phytoplankton', but I did see various forms of algae and such for sale as well as kits to use to culture things found in marine water, so I suspect you may be able to find something useful there.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Chris,
The site was great, I found exactly what I need but have one question. I wanted to either get dinoflagellates or diatoms. I found both of them, but when trying to choose which one, I was confused on what high light and low light meant. Some of the algae were high light ( 200 to 400 ft candles of fluorescent light 18 to 24") or Low Light ( 50 to 100 ft candles of fluorescent light or fluorescent light from the ceiling).

I am confused by the meaning of this, I do not know what it means, or what unit of measurement it is. Could you possibly explain to me what ft. candles is, maybe take a look at the algae section of the Carolina Biology section. Thank You.
From,
Vikas

I'm not Chris, but you're welcome! A foot-candle is a measurement of light intensity. From what I saw some of your algae will grow best with relatively little light, while some will grow best with lots of light. The first is probably from further down in the water column where less light penetrates. Anyway, there's more information on the measurement here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot-candle. You should be able to find some sites on the internet where they tell you approximately what that is in terms of a light bulb a certain distance from a sample.