How much ALGAE do you need to breathe? TESTED

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I'm going to breathe as long as possible with 200 gallons of Algae!
Quincy is waiting for you. Go to him

Thank you @CNCKitchen!
Thank you @PlasmaChannel!
Thank you @TierZoo!

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[QuigleySharps]

You'll probably not see my comment but I have 20 years of experience in bioreactors. To solve your problem with 100hp on Wednesday, and 75hp on Thursday, you need to "waste". It's an actual term, and what you do is actually remove x amount each day. You'll need to find the right amount "x" to remove to keep your mg/l of algea optimum for most hp.

Doing this will make 300hp, and probably with less tank's too.

Cheers! Love your project.

[TheCreapler]

Those Darn spiders were taking all the air lol.

[Weisz]

I didn’t know that 2024 was the year I’d literally watch algae grow and be GLUED to my screen. Killer video Joel!

[LameMule]

Crazy to me that someone actually complained about yapping in a video designed around explanations of your experimentations and thought processes. I love the yapping. Thank you for yapping. I'm pretty hooked on this now.

[PlasmaChannel]

I'll never forget the experience inside that room. Smelled refreshing and humid, until the Xenomorph showed up and threw a face hugger at me.

[Qsandbank]

This is my favorite video you've made. It's the culmination of years of storytelling, problem solving, curiosity and persistence- and it shows. Thanks for letting me be a part of this.

[BigRigCreates]

I resonated with the comment section read. For every minute of footage you show, there's hours of thought process the audience has no idea about.

[featherofajay]

I know it's incredibly hard to make engaging videos out of failures, but it's so incredibly important to talk about them. People do it way too little despite the widely accepted statement that failures are the best way to learn.

[TramVanDam]

I mean, of course you had trouble managing co2. You had a whole family of spiders sucking up all the oxygen out the room right there with you!

[minesguy]

Could you imagine how stressful it would be if you were in a real spaceship. Trying to keep your only source of oxygen alive.

[paperburn]

As an engineer that works in life sciences I personally am impressed by the thought you put into your processes. I am not going to criticize any of your test method because you truly tried to include every variable you could. I would call it a job well done.

[PeterLedergerber]

Man, what an incredible journey! The amount of dedication, problem-solving, and persistence you put into this experiment is mind-blowing. Watching you navigate the complexities of algae, from managing pH levels to fighting off culture crashes, has been fascinating. It’s a huge testament to how unpredictable and tough real science can be, but also how rewarding it is to see those moments of success—even if they come with setbacks.

The 7-hour record is seriously impressive, and the way you explain everything makes it super engaging and educational. Plus, your humor and reflections make the whole thing relatable, even as you're dealing with green goo and tiny spiders. Keep pushing those boundaries! Looking forward to whatever madness you tackle next!

[fletcherreder]

Beer-Lambert is kicking your ass. Especially when the cultures are dense a significant volume is too dark to properly photosynthesize. Thin sheets might do you better, since you have more surface area for both light and gas exchange (you also need to get the oxygen out of the water). Another interesting thing to experiment with, if you keep this series going, is mixed cultures. It is possible with a combination of work and luck to grow a mixture of algae and bacteria that is more stable than algae alone. Effectively a suitable bacteria will eat the waste products, excrete compounds that the algae eat, and still keeping CO2 under control.

Congrats on making a human too!

[error-]

Every time Mythbusters didn't manage to modify a myth to make it work, they didn't fail at their job, they just busted the myth harder.

[Flappmeister]

I used to work for an aquaculture company where we worked with brine shrimp, and was experimenting by using microalgae in a separate tank to the shrimp tank to stabilise oxygen levels in the system and provide an additional food source if needed. After months of testing we found pretty much the same here, chlorella, spirulina, whatever it is, at really large volumes makes it a very fragile system to maintain, the smallest change in water chemistry, one unsanitized instrument used, whatever it was would cause a collapse eventually. Honest props to those that keep large algal cultures alive and running, it's such a difficult job and the techs running those operations need serious kudos

[thedandyzebra]

this series has been amazing. from the very detailed research and implementation, to the editing and storytelling, absolutely incredible content. and your speech at 16:17 was so insightful, many people would benefit from listening to it. bravo!

[thethoughtemporium]

Cool to see that the algae is having an effect! Bummer it isn't enough to sustain a person at that scale yet but still a win!
Some ideas;
what if you had algae panels on your "space ship", just like solar panels. As in, if you set up your algae in such a way that it can exist outside, or on your roof, or somewhere you have more space, but have the air system be closed circuit. So only air from your sealed room gets in, and any air that comes out is redirected back into the room. Then you could have sufficient biomass.
Also, you may want to look into a continues feed/drain. Then you can start with a MUCH higher level of algae per liter. Then you can be constantly slowly adding in fresh media, and removing a set amount of algae sludge per hour. That way you can maximize the living biomass/L and increase CO2 capture.
Another idea is to maybe separate the co2 from the air before pumping it into the algae. Something like pressure swing absorption. Then 100% of the gas the algae get is co2. would make it more efficient because you're not dissolving a ton of nitrogen and oxygen into the water.

[beansm]

you know while you were in the chamber talking about failure, it felt so real, and its a very powerful and important statement.

[larperdoodle]

When you pulled out your lunch at 37:44, I instinctively skipped the next 30 seconds thinking it was a sponsored ad for one of those "meal ready to eat" companies. Then realized it was just a regular sandwich and went back

[andremustafe]

AMAZING JOB!
The video, the experience, your personality, the research, everything incredible!
Every big breakthrough starts with a person and a ideia. Don't let bad and idiotic people, bad results or shits of life make you give up.
Every experience, good or bad, is USEFUL!
Bravo for not stoping!

CARRY ON BOI!