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Considered doing two streaks on a plate? |
 Do you want more single colonies off each streak plate? If you're skilful with your loop, two streaks can be fitted in to one agar plate, to provide you with more single colonies. |
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 Picking from a colony of bacteria for an overnight culture was traditionally performed with a flamed metal loop. It's now easier to use your pipette to pick from a colony and you can even eject your pipette tip into the your tube with broth. It's not only easier, leaving your tip in the tube will increase aeration when the tube is shaken overnight at 37°C. |
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Prepared media can often only be used within a few days or even a few hours, and should be stored in the dark in the fridge.  For longer storage, the Petri dishes should be sealed with an adhesive tape and kept in plastic bags. Tubes should be closed off tightly or their caps sealed with adhesive tape or parafilm. |
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No air bubbles when pouring plates |
 Air bubbles in bacteria plates can be mistaken for colonies.
When pouring plates (manual filling), air bubbles that appear can be removed by flamming the plate briefly with a Bunsen burner. However, care has to be taken that substances on the surface of the nutrient media are not destroyed. |
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