Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V5 #193

[Chuck H <grendel at usit_net>]

Elmer L. Morehouse wrote:

>Tom Writes:
>
> >Agar gel is a long proven and effective nutrient medium.  I cultured many a
> >bacterium on it in college.   It would have several advantages over the 
> usual
> >methods.  Can  anyone think of any drawbacks?  How would the gel behave
> >over.time in a  submerged environment?
>
>Hoping that I am not risking  a long debate on this subject, I  am aware that
>the microbiology textbooks indicate that agar itself has no nutrient value
>(there must be
>something there-but not much-my own long held opinion). I have used agar and
>gelatin both in the formulation of home brewed fish foods.  I was never
>satisfied with either due to a slippery glass surface area developing.  As a
>result, I attributed this to them and stopped my experimentation of such.

Just to clarify, those were my comments and not Tom's.  As far as I know, 
agar has no food value at all.  Nutrients must be added.  How long did you 
use it in your fish food preparations before you noticed the slippery glass?
--
Chuck Huffine
Knoxville, Tennessee