phytoplankton culture help

[mameroo2000]

As a plant to grow properly you need to provided the right habitat, which depends of the species they need usually a light intensity of 2500-5000 lux (250-500 footcandles) Conversion of foot candles to lux or lumens is: one ft. c = 10.8 lumens or lux, for nannochloropsis oculta (the mos common phyto to culture) you need 2,500-8,000 lux...You would get that intensity in a led warm white light on a 16 hours on that will allow the micro algae to breething co2 and you need 8 hours in full darkness for breething oxygene...like this system you will have a balance with your PH level inside the reactor chamber. Light shading by algae cells would become limiting as density increase, at high densities incoming light is shade from all but the cells currently at the outer surface of the reactor, that is mean is time to harvest the culture.