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Justler

Agar Creation - Erlenmeyer Flask - Gas Stove

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Hi everyone,

I've recently purchased an Erlenmeyer flask from SAB, with the hopes of using it as my vessel for agar creation. However due to the lameness of my PC, the flask wont fit (its to tall). As such I was hoping to simply fill the glass with my agar mix, and pop it on the stove (with a foil lid), until it starts boiling to sterilise everything. Just wondering if it would be safe to place directly on a gas burner?

Tonight I've tried placing it in a pot with an inch of water; however bubbles kept forming under the flask, causing it to bounce around. Would placing it straight into a pot, without water be a safer option, than directly on the flame?

I've done a quick google search and read mixed reviews.

Also not sure if this was the right section to post this question, though it's related to my first ever batch of agar and entry to the wonderful world of mycology :P

Cheers,

Justler

*Edit Typo

Edited by Justler

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Why bother with the flask? I just use any glass bottle with a screw cap. Can lay it on an angle to fit into the PC as the cap seals it.

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The thing with using an erlenmeyer for agar is it really is hard to get culture out.

I just use the small round plastic takeaway containers, like these ones1100cc-round-container-l-760892.jpg

They're available from most supermarkets cheap, just make sure they have a number five in the little recycling logo. They're actually autoclavable and even recyclable at the end of their life..

That erlenmeyer will make a kick ass lc vessle though, especially if you have a magnetic stirrer that goes nice n slow.

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I'm quite sure he means to use as the vessel for sterilising the agar, which he'll then pour into plates.

Edit: A magnetic stirrer that goes slow? Why slow? Liquid cultures thrive with it spinning fast.

Edited by tripsis

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Yeah, I've just done that with an old pasta bottle. My PC is tiny :S .. It just fits my petri dishes, so it would be easier if I can prep the agar on the stove in the flask, to save me from having to PC twice. PC only hits about 10psi as well, so it takes a bit longer than most TEK suggest.

Edited by Justler

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Yeah I meant as a vessel for sterilising, and pouring into petri dishes.

I've got a few of those Chinese containers to use for BRF cakes though, number 5, autoclavable ;)

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When I got into mush cultivation I went a bit crazy and bought way more equipment than I needed. This was done partly out of enthusiasm, and partly in the belief that somehow, pro looking gear would give me pro looking results. It seems like your flask may have been such a purchase. :lol: Get yourself a beer/vinegar bottle that fits your PC!

Better still, if you're using take away container agar plates like the ones Hillbilly has pictured in his post, you can skip the whole sterile pouring thing by pre-pouring them in the open, and then PCing the plates (with agar inside). I know Tripsis and a few of the other serious cultivators don't like this, but there's a way of doing pre-poured plates where they come out with minimal condensation and minimal bubbling agar. That way, you can save a whole step and save yourself from the nightmare of pouring agar in a glove box. The trick is to stack them in a PP container with a polyfil-stuffed vent hole and to not use the bottom and top plates (the top gets condensation, the bottom gets bubbles/uneven surface).

I might put together a tek with pictures if people are interested (let's hope it doesn't get deleted :wink:).

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Haha your comment... "When I got into mush cultivation I went a bit crazy and bought way more equipment than I needed. This was done partly out of enthusiasm, and partly in the belief that somehow, pro looking gear would give me pro looking results. It seems like your flask may have been such a purchase." ... describes me to perfection, you a psychic? :worship:

Just got back from the shops actually, picked up a four pack of ginger beer bottles, that will fit perfectly into my PC, and should be sweet to pour agar from.

I'd be really interested to see the pre poured agar tek! I've been wondering why it's not a common method? It seems to me, one less step, means less chance of contamination.

Haha saw you last tek about the monotubs; and was glad you posted it, as i'm still a n00b and hadn't heard of them before. It's definitely something I'll be looking into in the future. Still lots more researching to be done, but this is definitely turning out to be an interesting and wicked hobby. B)

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Nothing like pro looking gear to make you feel pro! :P

Interesting method Marcel. In the past, I'd drape cloth over the plates and stack them close, letting them cool in the PC. It would reduce the condensation, but there was still too much for my liking. I still prefer to pour after sterilisation. I admit, a glovebox is totally shit, but I won't need to worry about that soon. B)

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sweet! Tripsis is upgrading to a flow hood!

I'm excited to see what you can do with it,

seeing what you pulled off in a glove box :wink:

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Hot diggity, a flow hood?! You lucky bastard.

You know, I regularly drink a little too much and hop into the bath-tub, candles lit, and fantasise about your monstrous million-litre pressure-cooker... So big and so strong...

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It will be great. Opening up the door to being able to do plenty of bags with species prone to contamination like lion's mane. I've been wanting to do a big grow of them for ages. They just taste so damned good.

Bahaha, what in the world are you talking about Marcel? Ahhh, to have a retort, it would be amazing. I was sussing out prices of 200l autoclaves in China the other day, but at $4500 I won't be getting one any time soon. Still better than the $12000 I was quoted for a second hand 100l one in Aus a few weeks back, but it's taken me weeks to get nowhere on the decision to fork out $580 for an AA941 as even that's too much to comfortably spend. I might have a big PC, but it's destined to a short life due to the gasket being irreplaceable.

Edit: Glaring typos.

Edited by tripsis

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Why does the bottom take away container end up bubbled? Couldn't you use a trivet to lift it or all of them out of the water? I haven't pre poured and sterilised but for short term stuff it sounds like a good idea. The less contam vectors the better.

And i put my erlenmyer flask straight on the stove, that's what it's designed for. (but yes i then PC it with foil on top)

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Oh and for PCs if i upgrade ever from a Hawkin's big boy it'll be to an electric AA.

You can just set and forget can't you? Just tell it to run for 2.5 hours and it shuts itself off? Seeing as i'm about to rewire my garage i should look at the load these suckers put on a circuit and design for that.

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While electric seems like a nice idea, they're far more prone to wearing out or breaking down. Finding someone in Aus that could perform electrical repairs on one might be expensive.

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Sweet thanks for the reply NSK, i'd read mixed things online about using them directly, but I also assumed they were designed for that purpose. I'll give it a try anyway.

My PC is electric, and that's probably the only decent thing about it. It's fine to set and forget. I PC at night, crash and turn it off in the morning.

Electric PC's are massive though (well atleast mine is), unfortunately the usable space inside isn't close to what the machine appears to hold. So be prepared for a beastie space eating monster if/when you upgrade.

Had my first glove box experience today, and researching flow hood construction. Tripsis you're a lucky man!

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NSF, AA sterilisers do not have a timer that functions the way you imagine. All it does it set off an alarm after an hours. It's not wired up to anything.

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Thanks tripsis. What a retarded design shortfall that is. "no no, let's not put in a both useful AND safety feature, instead, let's just put in an alarm that rings after a period of time". That's About as useful as a cock flavoured lollipop! I guess you could just plug it in to a lamp timer and set 2.5 hours on that. Shit work around though.

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That would be the way to do it. Still, being electrical just means there's more that can go wrong with it. Often, the simpler design is the better design. If you have ample money to throw around, or are in the States where you could get it serviced easily, then it might be worth considering, but I think the non-electric versions are better here.

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For me, plumbing in a gas burner is going to be a far greater expense. Even gas bottles emptying half way through a cook would be far too annoying.

I see what you mean about less moving parts means less can go wrong and yes, an element has a shorter lifespan than the pot but changing an element isn't brain science ;) i love mixing that metaphor.

Although changing an element in a pressure vessel is a different kettle of fish safety-wise.

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It's not only the element that could break.

I'd use gas bottles. Only likely to run out halfway through a cook if you're not paying attention.

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