Development of a tide-simulating apparatus for macroalgae

A tide-simulating apparatus was developed for culturing marine macroalgae. The objective of this study was to introduce a novel tide-simulating apparatus that can simulate a diurnal or semi-diurnal tidal cycle in the laboratory. In this apparatus, the seaweeds are move up and down and the water level remains the same during the simulated tidal cycle. The apparatus consists of 18 cylindrical culture tanks (3 blocks × 6 culture tanks) with 12 cm diameter and 24.5 cm long containing up to 2.5 L of seawater. There is a horizontal plate which covered all 18 culture tanks, and it is raised and lowered by a programmable motor that can regulate exposure time. In one application, seaweeds are attached to braided twine hung on Plexiglas air-tubing. The air-tubing is attached to a lid that is set on a horizontal plate. This apparatus is made of colorless Plexiglas to maximize light transmittance. This apparatus is easily disassembled and transportable to any indoor laboratory, wet laboratory, greenhouse, etc. This apparatus also offers considerable flexibility in terms of design. The size of culture tank can be redesigned by either increasing the height of cylinder or/and using a different diameter of cylindrical Plexiglas, therefore, larger/taller thalli can be cultivated. Growth rates of three eulittoral Porphyra species from different tidal elevations have been compared using this device.