Algae are living organisms, so you need to take good care of them to keep them growing and glowing. It's very easy, and similar to taking care of an ordinary potted plant!

Arrival
Unpack the algae immediately after arrival. The shipment process may be a bit stressful, so they may need up to a week to recover. It will probably take a few days before you can see them glow.

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Temperature
Put the algae at room temperature, between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. However, they can briefly survive at lower or higher temperatures.

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Light
Place your algae in a spot where it is light during the day and dark at night, but never in direct sunlight. Stay at least 2 meters away from windows and room heaters, where the temperature may fluctuate too much. Just like land plants, algae get their energy from light through a process called photosynthesis. Optionally, you can illuminate the algae with a regular light bulb on a timer.

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Bioluminescence
The algae glow while you shake them, but only after sunset. They have an internal biological clock, which is based on the light-dark rhythm of the past days. They never glow during the day, not even when you look at them in a dark room. Bioluminescence generally starts about 1 hour after sunset.

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Extra nutrients
The algae can survive for a few months in the provided container, as long as you take good care of them. After a while the nutrients run out, so you need to add extra nutrients to keep the algae alive. We recommend adding nutrients every 2 weeks by replacing at least 10% of the volume with new nutrients. The algae nutrients are available in the web store.

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Not for consumption
The algae are intended for decoration and education only. They are not intended for consumption: do not drink or eat the algae. The growth medium consists of sea water with nutrients and is therefore not suited for consumption. The algae themselves are not dangerous (they are not known to be pathogenic, for example).

Don't see any glowing algae?
Give the algae at least one week to recover from shipping. Remember, they only glow at night (starting from 1 hour after dark) and only if you swirl them in a dark room. You can also read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Still don’t see anything? Email info@bioglow.eu and we will help you out.