Major Nutrients

Microalgae do not require equal amounts of all nutrients, therefore they are added in different quantities. Natural seawater will supply enough nutrients for limited growth of some marine species. Most media recipes supply nutrients vastly in excess of the concentrations normally found in order to support high biomass cultures. Different species require different amounts of some nutients but the requirement for the major nutrients is relatively uniform according to the Redfield Ratio of 106:16:1 of inorganic carbon:nitrogen:phosphate (by moles).