Making Algae Growing Media

[@theCodyReeder]

Several people have commented about the amount of copper I used. Looking at things it seems that yes I had copied it over wrong and ended up with 10X the amount. This isn’t a big deal for spirulina since all the carbonate and high ph makes the copper only slightly soluble so it doesn’t really matter how much I add the concentration in Solution will be limited. It would however be toxic to other algae. I made this video on very little sleep so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there were errors. I’m tempted to take the video down and redo it and also fix some other issues like not using a tripod. Thoughts?

[@WASSERAN]

Tripod!

[@tyler7544]

I really enjoyed the video, and hope you dont take it down. Maybe if youre going to put the effort into a new video, just make a second instead? You could make it a part 2 where you correct the copper amount. Maybe discuss why you chose this algae too?

[@T-MANONE]

Leave this vidieo up, and if you get the chance to remake it with a tripod and some more sleep decide what you do with this vidieo at that time. Plenty of good info in this vidieo.

[@cmoyer4853]

I mean…I vote yes simply because I like watching new videos from you. I already planned on rewatching this one about 100X before the next video came out. If your not happy with the product I would redo but I’ll watch anything you put out.

[@cmoyer4853]

@@tyler7544 I second this. Better suggestion than mine. Then I can still watch this 100X while I wait for the redo lol

[@tadcooper9733]

In this video Cody makes some really weird soup from his homeland.

[@Opzombers]

Your health is low! Do you have any potions or food?

[@tadcooper9733]

@@Opzombers There are new quest cards available at the guild for you.

[@johnmccanntruth]

Nice!

[@borttorbbq2556]

@@Opzombers zombie needs food badly

[@borttorbbq2556]

@@Opzombers actually I realize you're talking about something else think fable?

[@micahphilson]

Sometimes I forget how many crazy and unique projects you have going at the same time! That's why I love this channel, randomly hopping between mining and refining minerals to algae to a self-sustaining "mars habitat" prototype to mushrooms to bees...

[@tylerblackburn3760]

For nerds with adhd and too many hobbies

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

And all of it just happens naturally. Cody doesn't need to come up with crazy challenges or anything, because he just does what he wants.

[@alanomofo]

@@tylerblackburn3760 funny enough, most of those projects we all love used to not be hobbies . You actually had to know this stuff to have a small farm or just sustain a family .

[@dh2032]

@@alanomofo he the bloke you need if ever get stranded on driest island or something with no out side help?

[@limbo3545]

@@dh2032 exactly! I want a cody on my side in case of the apocalypse.

[@mwbhomee2802]

During my college days I was extremely into algae especially as a biofuel source. Seeing you experiment with algae makes me want to restart my own algae project.

[@bobedwards8896]

I also dove into algea quite deeply, but for eating sustainably... Its a dam interesting and has tons of potential

[@deadedd3235]

Do it friend, double dog dare you

[@runed0s86]

I have a sealed bottle of algae in the attic. It has been alive for 3 years now and has been both frozen and almost boiled... It's still growing happily!

[@garethbaus5471]

@@runed0s86 that is some tough algae.

[@sasha-taylor]

Your videos have never once failed to teach me things I likely never would've otherwise leaned, and somehow you've never left me uninterested. You've spurred curiosities in me which I've pursued into full-fledged projects, hobbies, and passions. You can post daily, or twice a year, I'll always be excited to see which rabbit hole you fall into next. Loved the video today Cody, never stop inspiring

[@JustCallMeCharlie]

I did a little research into growing spirulina after your algae panel video; in regards to the issue of algae dying from stepping up the media volume too fast, could it have something to do with the opacity of the solution protecting the algae against harmful UV light? when growing algae under artifical light, i saw some sources recommend starting with a lower light intensity immediately after propagation for this very reason. did a little more reading now, and apparently because of their structure "self-shading" is also a mechanism they use to protect themselves against excessive UV, ie the spirals can become tighter or looser coils to alter how much light is impacting them, and notably it takes some time for them to adapt. so basically you go from high density of algae causing a very opaque growth medium that shields against UV -> the algae adapt by loosening their coil to receive more light to compensate for the opacity -> you transfer them into a very LOW opacity solution where the UV immediately starts pummeling them and they die before they can adapt? just a theory!

[@AtomBomb420]

Thank you for the information!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

I'm loving the algae stuff. Hope you're well Cody!

[@lxlotl]

Cody, I pretty much never comment on youtube videos, but I wanted to say that literally every time I see a new upload from you, my face instantly lights up with a smile. Always excited to see what you're working on, you've been an inspiration to me for quite some time! Edit: added in a missing word oops

[@gullyfoyle2615]

You are the best Cody. I hope the algae grows and becomes sentient one day, and then takes you as their king.

[@TheTechnosasquatch]

I've been curious as to what happened to the algae panel, it seems the panel didn't go quite to plan. Here's to hoping revision 2+ can take off and be a sustainable farm!

[@yasirrakhurrafat1142]

You're talking about the diy plastic bottle thingy he did some while ago ?

[@tartartar23]

@@yasirrakhurrafat1142 ye

[@yasirrakhurrafat1142]

@@tartartar23 seemed to me like it was too much babysitting for too little return , this one as well . I think I'll try a plant , similar purpose . It grows fast af , is high protein , and would not require almost any babysitting .

[@solondarville1020]

Miss you Cody! Always nice to see a new video

[@Sketchyfun-q7o]

My 9yo daughter made a science fair project where she compared how plants grew with tap water vs water with multivitamins dissolved in it and the multivitamin water made the plants grow twice as big! Great video👍👍👍👍

[@andymiller6020]

I always get so excited when I see any video from you Cody! No matter what it is I know I’m in for an interesting and entertaining time. Thank you so much for all the cool things you do and for sharing them with us.

[@erictheepic5019]

I don't know a whole lot about algae (biology isn't my field), but if I had to take a wild guess at why the algae dislikes being diluted, maybe it's due to trace amounts of other bacteria? Where in a 'saturated' solution of algae, the algae dominate and cut off any foreign invasion at the knees, in a less 'full' environment, it's easier for other bacteria to build to large numbers and challenge the algae. Again, not my field, so I'm likely completely wrong on this. This is kinda an invitation for someone else who might have a better idea to share it.

[@kreynolds1123]

Normally that wouldn't be a bad theory. But spirilina is grown in really high ph that actually kills most every other kind of bacteria. Which means its unlikely that a new bacteria takes over. The grow media presumptivly must change over time with the spirilina consuming many of the nutrients in solution, eventually untill are virtually depleted. I suspect that rapid osmotic pressure changes between the spirilina cell's inside and the grow medium are to blame for killing his spirilina when too much newly charged nutrient solution is added. In other words spirilina that have been sitting around awhile may need time to adjust to a significant quantity of new nutrients and salts.

[@centrifugedestroyer2579]

@@kreynolds1123 Good theories, maybe the cells are also communicating and dislike the shock of suddlenly being seperated. For example bacteria also need some time to adjust from agar plates to liquid media and are added to a smaller volume first.

[@drew6017]

​@@kreynolds1123 I don't think the pH of ~8-9 preferred by spirulina would kill "most" bacteria, there are plenty species it wouldn't. Also, it's an algae (an organism who's natural habitat is water) combined with all the salts he added I would think the osmotic pressure wouldn't be an issue. I would guess that it is a signaling molecule released by the algae that isn't present in high enough concentrations (in the diluted case) for the algae to continue its life cycle so it just chooses to die. Or as cody put it, they get lonely.

[@acada6594]

Maybe Cody is right and when diluted too much the bacteria gets lonely. They cannot take cab or jump on train in order to visit far away soulmate.

[@anthonybracuti6898]

This is likely very true. He is not being very sterile, so he's relying too heavily on his algae outcompeting the contaminants. If he kept it fully sterile, he should be able to inoculate a new batch of media with very kittle algae

[@Top-Code]

Cody, this is why I like you! One week you are prospecting, another refining minerals and the next making algae!

[@zncon]

Would you be able to add a typed up version of your ingredients and ratios either in the description or linked? It would be great to have a quick reference. Thanks!

[@emperorstorm3266]

2 hours ago?

[@tassadar7945]

@@emperorstorm3266 could be a patreon/member benefit that they get the link before it goes public

[@WanderTheNomad]

@E Van The youtubers themselves decide if they want a video to be premiered or not

[@ToTheGAMES]

How hard is it to pause the video at the list and type it over? :')

[@zncon]

@@ToTheGAMES Not that hard, but other people might want the list too, and if I just post it as a comment they may not see it. Could end up with a lot of people doing the same work.

[@charlescoult]

Cody, I love that you want to keep the production a solo process, however I strongly recommend investing in a tripod so you have use of both of your hands 😂

[@christopherbrand5360]

Maybe RoboCody could hold the camera?

[@F0XD1E]

No! Shaky cam is a staple!

[@scania9786]

the worst thing is that he has tripods, tbh I usually don't make it through those videos even if it is interesting.

[@Tomwesstein]

Noo! Never

[@alberteinstein3078]

I can't believe KZbin isn't paying you. Unbelievable this is the best science channel on here!

[@Sembazuru]

Probably too many explosion videos in his back catalog. Pity though.

[@berttorpson2592]

Always a good day when Cody blesses us with whatever he's doing!

[@justinInsanity8316]

Your always one of my favorite channels to watch. I get so excited when I see a new video posted

[@mitcentauri6237]

The hesitation at 00:12:50 had me wondering what the heck he was going to say next. Then I realized he was desperately searching for a better term than Final Solution and couldn't.

[@kmille1014]

A Cody's Lab video?? What a happy surprise, my night just got a whole lot better!

[@Wise_King_Solomon]

Out of curiosity, what made you go with zarrouk's media instead of the simpler soilwater media or UTEX's Spirulina media?

[@theCodyReeder]

It was just what I found first. 😂

[@de0509]

@@theCodyReeder I like this mentality. Too many people turn perfection into the enemy of good

[@defenestrated23]

@@theCodyReeder ah yes, laziness, the father of invention :p

[@chickenmonger123]

@@defenestrated23 Is it laziness? We can only take in so much. If you use what you think you have too, that’s only being not totally expert. Not lazy.

[@Malake256]

@@theCodyReeder Spoken like a true scientist

[@ZoonCrypticon]

Our dear "Soylent Green" producer Cody is back ! Great! You should post videos more often, specially from your chicken base!

[@centrifugedestroyer2579]

Hi Cody, I hope you're doing well. As a biochem student I love videos like these. I recently got to work with some cool proteins from Deinococcus radiodurans and immedeatly had to think about your radioactive projects and what cool stuff you would try if you ever got your hands on some of these amazing bacteria

[@TalRohan]

I woud love to see some of that in culture and compare it to radiation tolerant mycelium

[@Mikey-rm4yw]

Cody, please keep making videos. Your work on here is fascinating, and youre so much more personable and real than most of the people in the science niche here on youtube. Youre so damn relatable and realistic. I love that you show your mistakes and correct them, I love that you laugh with genuine happiness at your successes. You inspire me.

[@TalRohan]

@Cody'sLab as you know plants need Iron 2 and oxidized iron in this case is iron 3. EDTA, ethyldiaminetetracetic acid is perfect for keeping iron 2 safely where plants need it to be to access it unless you do something like bubbling air through the water. In the wild, plants live in the places where large amounts of Iron2 are available and thats in CO2 rich low disturbance water. The bubblers are what kills the algae in lower concentrations, the air has enough time to destroy the EDTA bond to the Iron2 making it into Iron3 again and starving the algae of photosynthesis. (the air pumps also cause biogenic decalcification further starving the algae) If you use an impeller pump to slowly circulate the water instead of air you will have more success keeping the nutrients available to the algae and therefore growing it in larger containers

[@theCodyReeder]

Interesting. Is it just the overwhelming amount of oxygen?

[@TalRohan]

@@theCodyReeder weirdly no it's the mechanical action of the bubbles forcing out co2 that breaks the bonds . If you can do it without disturbing the water the oxygen levels will saturate without breaking down the iron2 EDTA bond and keep it available to the algae for much longer . You could try looking up the dennerle aquarium system some of the documentation on it might give you a better understanding than I have . It's been a long time since I worked with it.

[@ChrisWijtmans]

I was thinking the same about the bubbles. It can kill the algae. The bubbles only work when its high CO2 in closed loop i believe.

[@kabishop95]

So happy when you upload made my night, thanks!

[@StephenBlane]

Always pleasant to see another Cody's Lab in my subscriptions!

[@PenguinofPower]

Cody, the State Alchemist pocket watch AND the upload on October 3rd... You love to see it. Great video as always.

[@ruzzythefuzzy6146]

In secret, Cody is actually just a collection of algae, and this is just his dinner.

[@valicove]

Thanks Cody, it always makes my day better when I see a new upload from you. You have such interesting and informative things to share.

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

Some plants can not handle sudden changes either in the chemistry [things like the total Ph of the solution] or the actual solution fraction [an excess of pure water can make some plant cells swell up and explode, while to much salinity can dehydrate some plants to a fatal level], so its always best, where and when possible, to exactly match the Ph, salinity [all salts, not just NaCl] and total water saturation to keep the tiny plants from being shocked, poisoned or hyperinflated.

[@charleslambert3368]

Fish are also highly sensitive to that sort of thing. I suppose natural bodies of water (even freshwater) tend to be pretty big so they don't change that quickly. maybe you could try submerging the galon of algae in the jar with a little hole in the lid in the 20 gal tank so the two bodies of water diffuse into each other very slowly. (kind of like how you sit the bag of fish in the fish tank)

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

@@charleslambert3368 Diffusion and acclimation definitely would make more sense.

[@Ianslabratory]

I’m so glad you posted another video on this subject! Big fan of your channel and how you describe your process

[@Aearlyg]

Yay! NEW Cody video!

[@lucaskleinbauer4581]

I really have to say, that you are one of maybe 5 Channels i look forward to every day! Thank you for your continued uploads and being a really cool guy that inspires me and many others every day

[@nightstar5077]

Interesting video again! I'm actually close to finish a tube reactor myself for growing spirulina (I red a aquarium with a high surface area should be better because the algae like sitting on top to have better excess to oxygen?). I thought to use plant fertilizer at first luckily I started a small batch before and it didn't really grew at all, so thanks for your information about commercial plant foods! Unfortunately it's quite hard for me to get my hands on stuff like nitrates and the all the trace elements.

[@matthewwillson6515]

I love what Cody does I just wish that there was more frequent videos, never missed one.

[@Sembazuru]

The Morton's salt you used, was it iodized salt? If so, how much iodine would that add? (I honestly don't know how much iodine is in normal table iodized salt.) Would iodized salt be enough to throw off the trace amounts needed, or is the tolerance needed so wide that additional iodine from the salt doesn't really matter? Also, you may have mentioned it in a previous algae video, but why don't you use bubbler stones like what are used in aquariums for smaller air bubbles (more surface area of air, less splashing at the top)? Would the algae over time fill up the smaller holes in the bubbler stones, essentially blinding them over time? Or is it just not necessary so you didn't bother spending the money on aquarium bubbler stones?

[@dylanzrim3635]

If the goal is to oxygenate the water, then surface agitation is a thousand times better than small bubbles

[@theCodyReeder]

The salt was not iodized. In my opinion air stones are just another hard to clean surface to grow harmful bacteria.

[@Sembazuru]

@@dylanzrim3635 OK. I did not know that. Thanx.

[@Sembazuru]

@@theCodyReeder Re: Salt - I tried to get a good look at the label to see, but you had it turned so I could only just identify the brand. Thanx for the clarification. Re: air stones - That makes good sense.

[@robwgeorge]

"It just gets lonely" Love it. Thanks again for your great content.

[@jesseatterberry4990]

Always looking forward to your content!! Thank you for the informative videos you do, especially the hydroponic series

[@ryanmiskin]

Thanks Cody! Always a pick-me-up when one of your videos drops.

[@llizardcz6230]

Hi Cody, are you sure EDTA should be called an anti oxidant? From what I know EDTA is a ligand that is used to complex metals to allow them to stay in a water soluble complex rather than percipitating out. And the label of your Iron Chelate even states that it is an iron monosodium EDTA. Since EDTA has a 4- charge to it your iron has to be in a 3+ oxidation state.

[@fooballers7883]

EDTA is a chelating agent... Holds the Iron like a crab ...It should not be thought as an oxidising agent.

[@STONEDay]

14:44 That's how I feel about Azomite (A to Z of Minerals Including Trace Elements). What am I going to do with a 44lb bag (as it's sold locally). Azomite is mined close to you in Utah. It would certainly be cheaper for you compared to me buying it in Canada eh. High wonder how well Azomite would work for this type of algae application. It works wonders for growing grass.

[@RubensASMR]

Algae is the best pet you could have.

[@Se7eNiToS]

We must preserve Cody at all costs!!! Cody you are AMAZING!!!

[@thisistherealnasa9074]

cody have you considered mounting a camera onto your chest or your head to make filming easier from the first person perspective?

[@wamlartmuse2983]

Awesomeness! Getting learnt with Cody is always a blessing. 🍄💜 Cody.

[@theupsiloninitiative8894]

Cody, I just want to say thank you! You make me want to learn more and more chemical science, engineering, programming, etc. you inspired me to take comp sci and ap chemistry. I love your vids man!

[@SlipknotKid3]

Oh the smile I get when I see a new Cody video! Keep up the ever-interesting work, brother.

[@thesawofsarcasm115]

I wonder if Cody has ever thought of just going full breaking bad style chemist.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Of course he's thought of it. The question is whether he's actually done it.

[@GigsTaggart]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 the government raided his place after the yellowcake video and he didn't get charged with anything. He's clean.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

@@GigsTaggart As if they’d ever find his secret underground lair.

[@stupidmovies85]

Used to watch you for YEARS all the time and hadn’t seen any of your stuff pop up in my sub box in over a year. Gonna be honest I kinda forgot about the channel. This video just popped up and I’m so glad I found you again man! Gonna have to put on notifications.

[@northernmetalworker]

I've heard that most of our crude oil is from marine algae. have you considered an experiment in cooking your algae under pressure to see if you can turn it into crude oil?

[@lucaslac124]

He has already made oil from algae, but he just heated the algae up in a test tube to make it.

[@dylanzrim3635]

I’m pretty sure he’s done that

[@northernmetalworker]

​@@lucaslac124 I've read that pressure is a factor in proper production. but I'll look up his video for sure, thanks.

[@chuckcrunch1]

@@northernmetalworker i think the pressure is important so the low boiling volatiles don't just boil off having a condenser on the out put would capture most , there are probably other reflux and esterification reactions that go on over time as oil sits in the ground

[@crackedemerald4930]

@@lucaslac124 i think it's a different oil

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

Cody! Always glad to see you makin' viddy's!!

[@Kineth1]

Isn't any video with algae in it "algae growing media"? I guess it's algae growing multimedia.

[@KatieDeGo]

Love your work and your brilliant mind, Cody

[@tomthoe]

So *this* is what all the mad scientists have bubbling in the background of all their labs: eco friendly food sources!

[@ZoonCrypticon]

@4:40 years ago I was thinking of making nutrient solutions for my plants as well. The calculation is quite difficult. Perhaps one could use the acids and bases of the corresponding cations and anions and in the end neutralize the pH e.g. with buffer acids and bases like acetic acid and bicarbonates.

[@Lennybird91]

Hi Cody, can you elaborate on the differences between chlorella and spirulina and why you opted to cultivate the latter? I was reading chlorella has bioavailable b12 in it which I find very useful.

[@GospodinJean]

Upvoting this comment

[@snooter28]

I swear I love that you still just grab the camera and hold it during the mixing processes.

[@lanwickum]

copper sulfate is an excellent fungicide. I noticed it on your table. I use it water tanks for sprayers to keep stuff from growing. Only takes a table spoon or 2 for a few thousand gallons of water. Does it change with all the other stuff?

[@dansw0rkshop]

That's what I was wondering too. He actually added it as one of the trace elements in the 1000x bottle. And it's what I thought was the algaecide in the other granulated mixtures you can get in the store. Makes no sense. If it's not copper sulfate, what exactly is the algaecide in the store-bought granulated mixtures?

[@fooballers7883]

@@dansw0rkshop Yes Copper sulphate is a fungicide.. but you have to take concentrations into account... here he is using trace amount

[@lorez201]

It might be possible to use compost as a starting material for making an algae nutrient solution. You could mix it into a column of water and bubble air through it to prompt aerobic bacteria to oxidize it until you’re left with just dissolved solids, and then pasteurize the solution to use for culturing algae. This is basically the principle behind mineralization tanks for the solid waste produced in aquaponic systems. You wouldn’t have to purchase refined ingredients, but the nutrient concentrations would probably be more variable and you’d have to monitor them more closely and adjust accordingly. Another problem is that the mineralization process is relatively slow so it may not be able to keep up with how much you need for the algae. Bigelow Brook Farms has a good series on their process of iterating mineralization tank designs.

[@Lacksi12]

Im excited to see this new panel! Maybe you can resell the molybdenum as 1lb minus a few gram :P

[@diggysoze2897]

Nine-hundred and ninety-six grams; you need four more

[@SukacitaYeremia]

Funny thing, EDTA usually lines the walls of test tubes for blood tests. It's supposed to be an anti-coagulant so the blood doesn't clump up before we can do tests on it.

[@MagnusDangerMagnus]

I knew from experience as soon as you put that silica gel in the mortar that we were going to have a problem. 😅

[@PaulMab9]

"maybe it just gets lonely" Never thought I'd empathize with algae, but here we are.

[@kreynolds1123]

You might like to try making a nano bubble generator to maximize gas absorption into the water. Take a graphite cylinder drill a hole in the center and glue an air hose to just inside the hole in the graphite cyliner. This is your new airstone. Place your new graphite airstone in a tube with water pumped through the tube. Water passing over the graphite airstone inside a tube is accelerated which rips off nano sized bubbles that stay submerged seemingly forever, maximizing gas absorption. It's so effective, that instead of bubbles that rise in a second or two, nanobubbles make the water look cloudy for minutes.

[@ChrisWijtmans]

that would be like adding asbestos to his nutrient solution.

[@kreynolds1123]

@@ChrisWijtmans Sounds bad. Why is that like adding asbestos? All the nano bubbles do is maximizes the gas exchange. They don't harm the spirilina in any way.

[@tealkerberus748]

That trick of dissolving a measurable quantity of powder to make a solution of known concentration and then measuring out drops of solution is gold.

[@JatPhenshllem]

Isn't that just how standard solutions are formed?

[@wildbill9863]

It would be interesting to see how different kinda of algae can be grown differently

[@ajemohaltom3560]

I'm growing Vulgaris in my south facing window and not Spirulina. A very cheap source of nutrients is alfalfa. A 50 pound bag of alfalfa horse feed is $22. I do about a cup of alfalfa "tea" to a gallon of water and Vulgaris grows in about a week before it starts dying off and settling to the bottom.

[@dansw0rkshop]

Also, last summer I made an algae experiment using the granulated plant food, in some 20 gallon totes outside. The water turned blue from the copper sulfate. In a few weeks, it was green with algae again. (Note this wasn't spirulina, it was the "feral" algae from the local air column.)

[@legatelaurie]

I'm not sure if you'd be willing to do it, but it might be cool to do an experiment comparing algae which has had your nutrient solution and one with human multivitamins. Do you think there would be much difference in growth?

[@sibtainhaider2411]

Hey Cody, u should use hair algae. It can propagate really well under harsh conditions. It's actually a headache for aquarium community but it will be a benificial element in your project. You can use high pressure, large diameter pipes. The algae can be harvested at a time period which allows sustainablity. This way you can actually produce fish food and chicken food after processing algae with other food sources

[@bustinbass78]

The copper sulfate surprised me as it is a good algecide.

[@alexcamp1646]

I can always count on you for quality content. You are a good guy Cody. Keep up the good work

[@azertyQ]

Might want to look into the order you're mixing your fertilizer (especially if you're working with concentrate) as to not precipitate out the more insoluable compounds (gypsum (CaSO4) is one I've seen mentioned in particular))

[@JustinAlexanderBell]

Yeah it's not fun...

[@graystone2802]

How could you avoid calcium sulfate forming in solution and precipitating? Isn’t it going to form as long as there are calcium and sulfate ions in solution, so order wouldn’t help?

[@JustinAlexanderBell]

@@graystone2802 part a and part b concentrates

[@graystone2802]

@@JustinAlexanderBell oh ok so just don’t mix the calcium and the sulfate in the first place?

[@potatothings374]

I am loving the algae content, in fact I'm loving all of your content. But as someone who took microbiology as a prerequisite course and hasn't touched the material in so long this is a very welcome return. Not to mention a portion we never really touched on much

[@festivemacadamianut285]

Why did you choose to use Spirulina rather than a different algae like Chlorella?

[@davidhunt7519]

At 14:36, the old, oxidized, no longer usable trace element solution: It would be a true experiment to compare performance of the oxidized solution versus fresh.

[@BioTechproject27]

Suggestions: So something that would also work is aquarium plants fertilizer, as aquatic plants also need trace elements they are also already in bio available form. Also I'd rather suggest instead of EDTA to use some biologically degradable chelating agents, as EDTA and lots of others are bio accumulative. Citric acid and some tannins are some "natural" examples, but there are also others like IDS, EDDS (S,S-Isomer), HIDS, IDHA, etc. just to name a few.

[@hetaira62080]

To this day every single time I see Cody upload I get all giddy and start freaking out Favorite tuber by Far

[@dyllanhenderson5771]

Hey Cody. I’ve been following you since I first knew you could fallow people on KZbin. And well… I’m 28 now lol I just never bothered with the internet. I’m in my final year to be a criminal diagnostic lab tech and your vids have been so much fun to watch, since I first started 5 years ago. Your neat chemistry trials sparked my interest into the homocid science of labs. So fun to watch you teach and be THE COOLEST lol so I have many favourite trials of yours. That means you are interested heh

[@dyllanhenderson5771]

Forgive me for my I’ll error sentencing and grammar. I’m having a part with my friends and you are the party special lol cheers

[@bdf2718]

Over here in the UK, multivitamins don't have any trace elements. If you want the trace elements you have to buy "multivitamins and minerals."

[@juusojuuso9214]

This algae business seems pretty interesting! Trying to source some pure spirulina mother.

[@gabewilliams380]

Love the watch Cody! You are a true Alchemist

[@jaratt85]

For silica dioxide couldn't you just use extremely finely crushed quartz or sand? BTW, why didn't you show the kitty? I heard her meow but you didn't show her..

[@theCodyReeder]

Quartz is crystalline silica and is much less soluble. Kind of like how a bunch of legos are harder to separate if they are stacked into a neat block opposed to being in a random pile. As for grinding it up it will still be blocks several hundred atoms across even at the nano scale, sure it would increase the surface area and would dissolve faster but you’d get the same rate from much larger pieces of amorphous silica. And the kitty is way too much chaos to have near chemicals. You might me able to hear them running around upstairs literally bouncing off the walls.

[@kgrzeg]

@@theCodyReeder I understand sodium or potassium silicate is not bioavailable? It readily dissolves in water and should be stable in alkaline solutions (or at least I would guess it should be)

[@NeonPreservation]

the Full Metal Alchemist reference was perfectly fitting. an exact concoction of chemicals is required to create life.

[@GreyDevil]

Are there practical uses for you or space colonists with growing some cyanobacteria as well? Maybe not but i was curious

[@connorwaddle1446]

I love you delving deep into this algae journey! as a fish keeper and a small aquaponics user, you should really look into aquaponics, it's am amazing sustainable way to produce greens and fish!

[@renderproductions1032]

You and EthoSlab are such an inspiration!

[@RubikRocksMinecraft]

Cody’s lab and ethoslab are two top tier channels who are the pioneers of their field of content creation. True path makers, true mind twisters, true creativity and intelligence embodied as human beings. Nothing short of inspiration and aspiration.

[@ChrisWijtmans]

I wonder if the Slabs are the same person 🤔

[@georgeh5075]

Fizzing baking soda never gets old. Even after doing super dangerous exotic chemistry... There's something so nice about watching baking soda fizz. I guess it's just nostalgia.

[@coryvalentino605]

Cloud chamber next please!! CodysLab style!

[@DanielHJeffery]

If your going for biomass, I recommend Chaetomorpha algae! I spent a summer and several thousand dollars growing it out in 200gal tubs in my garage. I achieved 40% growth by mass PER DAY. The research paper I was following achieved 60%. This is PER DAY, I can’t stress that enough. And it’s macro algae, so to separate it from water you just.. pull it out with your hands. Way easier than phytoplankton. If you want to do this I have a lot of tips. But 100% if you want it easy mode, get amphipods. They will keep your algae spotless. Competing with hair algae or cyano is not something you want to do. Amphipods will solve that. To separate them from the algae, freshwater dip and they’ll all swim off in seconds.

[@F0XD1E]

Hey Cody! Any plans for preparing the algae other than simply filtered or dried?

[@CODENAMEDERPY]

At 10:36 you add copper sulfate. We use copper sulfate to kill off algae in our irrigation canals. I had no idea it was helpful to algae in small amounts. I thought it was a straight up poison.

[@ww8545]

Drop everything new Cody's lab

[@pnadk]

Classic Cody's Lab video. Educational and entertaining.

[@jeanrayleigh6601]

Adding carbohydrates, like the filler in a ground-up multivitamin, is a great way to encourage mold growth and thereby spoil your algae culture. I know this form personal experience, unfortunately. Pretty awful smell. Also "chelate" is usually pronounced with a k sound. Nice video though. Thanks for sharing.

[@theCodyReeder]

Yeah the vitamins are not ideal but I have used them with success.

[@AdamsWorlds]

Cheers for the video Cody, just the kinda chill video i needed to relax to. Some fascinating stuff. One question though. Could you not just have used mineral water?

[@knurlgnar24]

19:30 I understand. Being lonely makes a person want to die.

[@samsizer9093]

Hi Cody, I work with algae and have grown Spirulina Platensis before. We found that Zarrouk medium was not the best medium for growing our Spirulina. Once I have chance and if I remember I will post a recipe here with what we found to be a good all round growth medium in our laboratory. You are also correct about not diluting them too much, every strain of algae we have ever grown in our lab must not be diluted too much or it will die.

[@samsizer9093]

This is listed on our recipes database as AL spirulina medium (I believe AL means AlgaeLabs which is the company the recipe may be from) All quantities are in grammes per litre: 0.1g MgSO4.7H2O 0.5g K2SO4 0.1g CaCl2.2H2O 16g NaHCO3 2g KNO3 1g NaCl 0.1g (NH4)H2PO4 0.02g Citric acid monohydrate 0.01 FeSO4.7H2O Then filter sterilised using a 0.22um filter as autoclaving would cause precipitation. We used to make all of these (except the NaHCO3) up as stock solutions at 1 molar concentration (KNO3 is possible to make at 2 molar and MgSO4.7H2O at 2.4 molar), autoclave them then use the appropriate amounts to allow us to make up the media easier and quicker than weighing powders every time.