Algae Farming

1. Algae Farming By Michael Mullane

2. Materials • Copper Sulfate • Dry laundry detergent • Creek water • Canal water • Tap water • Dry lawn fertilizer • Vegetable oil • Mason Jars • Beaker

3. Hypothesis • The Jars 4 and 5 will grow the most because of the high phosphate in the detergent, and the high nitrate in the lawn fertilizer. The oil will kill the algae and prevent growth because it will cut the oxygen off. The copper sulfate will also kill the algae because it is poisonous. The Pond water will have some algae, but not as much as Jars 4 and 5.

4. Procedure I did two trials of growing algae. One for two weeks, one for 5 days. The second is shorter because of time. I filled each jar with 600 ml of tap water, 100 ml of pond water and 195 g 0f the added ingredient. My second trial had less of the added ingredient and more tap water to grow more algae. I changed the ingredient amount because I was trying to compare the ingredients to one another, not to compare the two trials.

5. Observations Part 1 • Day 1 • J1: 1187 • J2: 1238 • J3: 1230 • J4: 1243 • J5: 1256 • C: 1204

6. Observations Part 2 • Day 13 • J1: 1188 • J2: 1239 • J3: 1230 • J4: 1245 • J5: 1257 • C: 1204

7. Conclusion My Hypothesis was correct in the sense that the algae would grow in the places I expected it to grow. I expected that there would be more algae in the jars, but I took my first batch of water from the creek down my street. That was unsuccessful because there was no algae in the creek, and it was about 20 times cleaner than the algae filled still, canal water. I expect that the second trial will have much more algae. In the second trial, there already was some algae in the canal water when I got it, so the algae will have a head start.