Algae

Algae is a basic organic resource used primarily as an oxygen feedstock and as food for several critters. It appears as a farmable / manufacturable element in mid-game production chains and is central to early oxygen generation strategies where access to electrolyzers or abundant water is limited. Algae is produced directly from Slime by the Algae Distiller and can be harvested on certain rocket missions; it is consumed by Oxygen Diffusers and Algae Terrariums to make breathable Oxygen, and it serves as fodder for critters such as Sage Hatches and Pacus.

Algae converts into Oxygen at fixed rates with the game's oxygen buildings. An Oxygen Diffuser consumes 550 g/s Algae to output 500 g/s Oxygen. An Algae Terrarium consumes 30 g/s Algae + 300 g/s Water to produce 40 g/s Oxygen and 290.33 g/s Polluted Water, making it a net water-to-oxygen converter that also creates Polluted Water as a byproduct. The Algae Distiller converts Slime into Algae and Polluted Water at 600 g/s Slime → 200 g/s Algae + 400 g/s Polluted Water. Algae is also available from space exploration: Organic Mass fields return approximately 162–486 kg per cycle, and Sandy Ore Fields return 108–324 kg per cycle from renewable Space POIs.

Practical notes for use and base design:

• Algae Distillers are slow producers. If you expect to convert large amounts of Slime, plan for multiple Algae Distillers to meet demand.
• Algae Distillers emit Polluted Water, generate heat, and have low Decor; place them away from living areas or contain them inside thermally controlled, sealed rooms. Treat the Polluted Water with a Water Sieve if you need clean water downstream.
• Algae produced from Slime contaminated with Slimelung will carry that contamination into both Algae and Polluted Water. Slimelung bacteria do not survive long outside certain gases, so airborne infection risk is low except in pockets of Polluted Oxygen. To reduce risk, expose newly produced Algae to Chlorine-filled rooms before use, or run Algae through an Ore Scrubber to disinfect it.
• Planting a Buddy Bud next to each Oxygen Diffuser floods the tile’s air with Floral Scent; because only one microbe occupies a given tile at a time, Floral Scent will prevent Slimelung from colonizing that air space. Be cautious if any duplicants are allergic to Floral Scent microbes.
• Algae is a critter food: Sage Hatches consume Algae and excrete Coal, useful for carbon power or refining. Pacus eat Algae and excrete Polluted Dirt; Pacus reproduce quickly and can rapidly exhaust local Algae stocks if not managed.
• Algae integrates into larger resource loops. A common mid-game synergy uses Arbor Trees to produce Wood, an Ethanol Distiller to make Ethanol and Polluted Dirt, feeding a Petroleum Generator that outputs Polluted Water to irrigate trees. A Sublimation Station converts Polluted Dirt into Polluted Oxygen for breeding Pufts, which produce Slime; Slime can then be fed to Algae Distillers to regenerate Algae and Polluted Water, closing a loop that yields Carbon Dioxide, Polluted Dirt, Slime, and meat products when optimized.

Algae’s role is primarily as a bridge resource: it powers low-tech oxygen solutions and fuels critter ecosystems while forming part of renewable cycles that interconvert Slime, Polluted Water, and Polluted Dirt. Manage production rates, contamination risks, and byproducts carefully to keep these systems stable and efficient.