Abstract
A study was undertaken to examine three carrier media to determine which was most conducive to the survival of blue-green algae. Three species of blue-green algae, Anabaena oryzae (Fritsch), Nostoc muscorum (Ag.) and Tolypothrix tenuis (Kiitz.), were grown in modified Watanabe medium, harvested after 30 days of growth and added to the earner media to determine the survival of the blue-green algae with time on the carriers. The survival of lyophilized algae was also examined. The inoculated carriers were stored in sealed containers at 25°C and tested monthly for the number of viable cells, rate of nitrogen fixation and dry weight of regenerated algae. Significant differences in the tested parameters of the inoculants were observed; clay was found to be the most effective carrier for maintaining the viability of the algae and sand was consistently observed to be the poorest. The lyophilization treatment was also found to be an effective treatment for maintaining the viability of the algae.
