I want to culture some phyto to culture copepods but both the F/2 medium and the starting culture are hard to get where I live (Korea).
I might be able to get my hands on some Tetraselmis (though I wanted Nannochloropsis, I'd be more than happy to get any phyto).
Now I got to look for the F/2 medium for the culture (can't get it through the person who might provide Tetraselmis).
Option 1:
I've found one place that sells F/2 medium locally online but it's not in liquid form. There's the F/2 broth, which is a dry powder, the F/2 trace metal solution (frozen), and the F/2 vitamin solution (also frozen). I need to buy all 3 (sold separately) and mix them up to make F/2 medium. For every 1 liter of F/2 medium, I need 0.11 grams of the F/2 broth that is sold in 500 grams so it'll last forever (not cheap though) but I will need one of those super precise weighing machines. For the other trace metal and vitamin solutions, I need two each for every 1 liter of the medium. So kinda cheapish if I need a ton of it but I don't. Also, the problem is, it says I need to "Sterilize in autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes" before putting it into the final container. Not sure if I want to go through it.
Option 2:
Another option is to buy from the US and have it shipped here. Not exactly cheap with international shipping but it's a safe way to go if all else fails.
Option 3:
I've found a couple of places that may have/sell the F/2 medium locally. I'll make some phone calls after the weekend to find out if these might be cheaper than getting them from the US (option 2).
Option 4 (ditched):
I've found 'Chu 13 medium' sold in powder form sold online (locally), kinda cheap too. Chu 13 was intended for freshwater microalgae but I read it can also grow marine microalgae. BUT it is sold in "without vitamins" version only. I even thought about buying some vitamin B mix tablets for human and mixing some into the solution (been reading the list of vitamin b contents on the supplement bottles) but gave up on the Chu 13 medium altogether.
I'm sure F/2 medium is available in Korea somewhere as marine aquaculture is relatively a big industry here but just not readily available through online stores or sold in small quantities.
Another alternative is... well.. I could try culturing copepods without live phyto?
I might be able to get my hands on some Tetraselmis (though I wanted Nannochloropsis, I'd be more than happy to get any phyto).
Now I got to look for the F/2 medium for the culture (can't get it through the person who might provide Tetraselmis).
Option 1:
I've found one place that sells F/2 medium locally online but it's not in liquid form. There's the F/2 broth, which is a dry powder, the F/2 trace metal solution (frozen), and the F/2 vitamin solution (also frozen). I need to buy all 3 (sold separately) and mix them up to make F/2 medium. For every 1 liter of F/2 medium, I need 0.11 grams of the F/2 broth that is sold in 500 grams so it'll last forever (not cheap though) but I will need one of those super precise weighing machines. For the other trace metal and vitamin solutions, I need two each for every 1 liter of the medium. So kinda cheapish if I need a ton of it but I don't. Also, the problem is, it says I need to "Sterilize in autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes" before putting it into the final container. Not sure if I want to go through it.
Option 2:
Another option is to buy from the US and have it shipped here. Not exactly cheap with international shipping but it's a safe way to go if all else fails.
Option 3:
I've found a couple of places that may have/sell the F/2 medium locally. I'll make some phone calls after the weekend to find out if these might be cheaper than getting them from the US (option 2).
Option 4 (ditched):
I've found 'Chu 13 medium' sold in powder form sold online (locally), kinda cheap too. Chu 13 was intended for freshwater microalgae but I read it can also grow marine microalgae. BUT it is sold in "without vitamins" version only. I even thought about buying some vitamin B mix tablets for human and mixing some into the solution (been reading the list of vitamin b contents on the supplement bottles) but gave up on the Chu 13 medium altogether.
I'm sure F/2 medium is available in Korea somewhere as marine aquaculture is relatively a big industry here but just not readily available through online stores or sold in small quantities.
Another alternative is... well.. I could try culturing copepods without live phyto?
