ALGAL PASTE

From: Moorowie jeancannon@moorowie.com
To: AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca
Sent: 23 October 2001

QUESTION:

Can any one advise about the availability, price etc. of algal paste for backup use in a hatchery in Australia.

Jean

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COMMENTS 1:

If you are not requiring large quantities it may be worth trying Mike Heasman at Port Stephens research centre. They used to produce quite a lot of surplus and it may be cheaper and possibly more relevant from a “local” source.

John Chapman
e-mail: jchap@netadvantage.com.au

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COMMENTS 2 :

I would highly recommend C-8 concentrated algal paste available through Coast Seafoods Company, P.O. Box 327, Quilcene, WA,  98376 USA; (360)765-3345.  The concentrated paste is composed (according to Coast Seafoods) of approximately 40% Thalassiosira pseudonana (clone 3H), 20% Skeletonema sp., 15% Chaetoceros calcitrans, 10% Chaetoceros muerlli, and 15% Isochrysis galbana (clone T-Iso).  While expensive ($120/L), the paste is very concentrated; ~10 billion cells/ml, and has a shelf life of about 1 year when stored at 0-4°C.

I have used the paste successfully as a supplement in broodstock conditioning of both oysters (Crassostrea virginica, C. gigas, C. ariakensis) and clams (Mercenaria mercenaria, Spisula solidissima, Mulinia lateralis), and as an "emergency backup" food for larval and downweller tanks.

Gregory A. DeBrosse
Rutgers Shellfish Research Laboratory
Facilities Manager
Cape Shore Laboratory
Phone: (609)463-0633
Fax: (609)463-0299
Email: debrosse@rci.rutgers.edu  

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COMMENTS 3 :

Reed Mariculture in California commercial produces marine microalgae under the “Instant Algae” label.  We have a variety of algae concentrates including Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, Isochrysis, Chaetoceros, Thalassiosira weissflogii, and will soon have available Thalassiosira pseudonana and Pavlova.  You can get product information and prices on our website at www.instant-algae.com.  We do have a distributor in Australia so a quarantine permit will not be necessary (this takes about 4 months to get in Australia).

Randy Reed
Reed Mariculture
www.instant-algae.com
Toll free 877-732-3276 / 831-768-3830 / F 831-401-2474

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COMMENTS 4:

An alternative to frozen algal pastes, are the feeds produced by Sanders Brine Shrimp Company (1.801.776.5027). Docosa Gold, primarily Schizochytrium algae ($31.86/kg), and Golden Shell, a combination of Schizochytrium, Haematococcus, and Spirulina algae ($45.08/kg) have been successfully used as a full and partial replacement for live algae in the culture of Gallo Mussels M. galloprovinciallis.  I have also heard of its use in Geoduck and some oyster culture as well.  The literature states that the Docas Gold averages about 10 billion cells/g.  Also, Schizochytrium has very high HUFA levels which have been linked to broodstock conditioning.

Dave Kuehn
e-mail: dwkuehn@attglobal.net, davek@relia.net

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