PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

This study evaluates the growth of five species of marine microalgae; Chaetoceros muelleri, Isochrysis galbana, Pavlova lutheri, Nitzschia acicularis and Navicula sp., isolated from coastal waters of Kudat in Sabah, Malaysia, using different cultivation techniques for mass outdoor culture. The microalgae were locally isolated and identified based on their morphology. The growth of the microalgae was compared between carboy and polythene bag culture. Results showed that cell count for all species was significantly higher in the polythene bag culture compared to carboy culture (p < 0.05). The time to harvest was also shorter (2-3 days) compared to carboy culture. In particular, Chaetoceros muelleri produced the highest cell count of 87 X 10⁶ cells/ml and shortest time of 2 - 3 days to harvest. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in cell count between indoor and outdoor mass culture, and these suggest the feasibility to culture the microalgae outdoor, reduce hatchery operation cost and save time.