I am working on experiments with enriching natural streamwater (surface
water) with nutrients (glucose, nitrate, phosphate) to test the effect
on surface attached bacteria (biofilms). My problem is, that whem I am
adding a concentrated nutrient solution to the stream water the
phosphate (sodium phoshate x 12 H2O) is immediately falling out in form
of "flocks". It appears under the microscope that these flocks have a
particular center - a cristal or a bacteria probably ? Filtering the
water (0.01 mm) does not help.
The same thing is NOT happening if I dissolve the nutrients in tap water
or destilled water.
Does anybody of you have an idea what I should do ? Is there another
phosphate which would do the job better ? Could the bacteria use NaHPO4
as well (better soluble - no flocks) ?
Sorry for my bad english and for my un-knowledge in chemistry and
microbiology. I am not a microbiologist myself, but a
limnologist-zoologist - and I do these experiments to see which effect
the influenced biofilms may have on invertebrates living in streams.
Thanks in advance for any help and suggestion
Franz
--
Franz H. Wagner, Biological Station Lunz
3293 Lunz am See, AUSTRIA
TEL: ++7486 8095 24 FAX: ++7486 8095 31
e-mail: franz.wagner at oeaw.ac.at
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