Jump to: navigation, search

Isochrysis galbana

Isochrysis galbana is one of the most universally useful species among the commonly cultured microalgae. It is high in DHA. It is commonly used as a feed, either alone or in combination with other phytoplankton species, for many different species of copepods.

There are different strains of I. galbana available, notably "T-Iso" and "C-Iso". "T-Iso" (CCMP 1324) is the Tahitian strain, and is the most commonly cultured strain. "C-Iso" (CCMP 463) is another strain collected from the Turks & Caicos Islands in the British West Indies, and is reported to tolerate warmer temperatures better than "T-Iso".

Optimal growth conditions for Isochrysis galbana have been determined experimentally and published[1][2]. The optimal salinity is between 25 and 35 PPT. The optimal temperature is between 24 and 26° C.

Starter Culture Sources


  1. Kaplan, Drora, Zvi Cohen, and Aharon Abeliovich. "Optimal growth conditions for Isochrysis galbana." Biomass 9.1 (1986): 37-48.[PDF]
  2. Abu-Rezq, T. S., Al-Musallam, L., Al-Shimmari, J., & Dias, P. (1999). Optimum production conditions for different high-quality marine algae. Hydrobiologia, 403, 97-107.