🌿 Culturing Isochrysis lutea: Starting Strong with The Strain
Isochrysis lutea, also known as Tisochrysis galbana, is one of the most prized microalgae in aquaculture. Renowned for its high DHA content and ideal cell size, it’s a top choice for feeding rotifers, copepods, bivalve larvae, and early-stage fish fry.
At Little Creatures Zooplankton & Aquaculture, our in-house strain – simply called “The Strain” – has been selectively maintained for consistency, hardiness, and rich nutritional value. Here's how to get your Isochrysis lutea culture off to a clean, healthy start.
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🌱 Why Choose Isochrysis lutea?
✅ High DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) – essential for marine larvae.
✅ Perfect Particle Size – typically 4–6 microns, ideal for filter feeders.
✅ Brown-Golden Hue – thanks to fucoxanthin, a key pigment linked to strong antioxidant properties.
✅ Versatile Use – excellent for enriching live feeds such as rotifers, Artemia, and copepods.
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🧫 Meet “The Strain”
Our culture of Isochrysis lutea, nicknamed The Strain, has been carefully propagated under controlled conditions to ensure:
Stable growth rates
Predictable cell density
Strong resistance to contamination
Reliable performance in both hatchery and research environments
Unlike wild or mixed sources, The Strain is ideal for serious aquaculturists looking for results.
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🔬 How to Start a Culture of Isochrysis lutea
1. Prepare Sterile Seawater
Use 0.2 µm filtered and UV-treated or autoclaved seawater at 25–30 ppt salinity. Let it cool before inoculating.
2. Add Nutrients
Dose with a microalgae fertilizer such as:
F/2 Media (or F/2+silica if you're culturing other strains like diatoms as well)
Maintain N:P ratio around 16:1 for optimal growth
3. Inoculate with The Strain
Start with a 1:10 ratio of culture to fresh media (e.g., 100ml of The Strain into 1L of media). This helps prevent stress or shock.
4. Provide Light and Aeration
Lighting: 12–16 hours/day under 6,500K to 10,000K LED or fluorescent lighting
Aeration: Gentle bubbling with sterile filtered air to keep cells suspended and COâ‚‚ flowing
5. Monitor Growth
Culture should turn a golden-brown within 4–7 days
Harvest once the culture reaches desired density or use to scale up further
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⚠️ Common Contamination to Watch For
Even strong strains like Isochrysis lutea are vulnerable to contaminants. Keep an eye out for:
Green or murky color shifts (sign of other algae or bacteria)
White clumps or stringy mold
Sudden drops in density or smell changes
Always use clean equipment and avoid cross-contamination from other cultures or tanks.
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🧪 Ready-to-Use Starter Cultures
At Little Creatures, we offer live starter cultures of “The Strain” Isochrysis lutea. Each batch is:
Grown in small batches
Inspected for purity
Shipped fresh with care
Whether you're feeding copepods, enriching rotifers, or supporting coral larvae, Isochrysis lutea is a powerful addition to your live feed toolkit.
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📦 Order Your Starter Culture Today
Ready to boost your hatchery or reef setup? Browse our live phytoplankton collection or reach out with your custom needs.
> Trust “The Strain” – Your reliable start to high-performance aquaculture.