While some cells need near perfect stillness to propagate and grow, other cells are stimulated by vigorous motion.

Adherent cells are commonly grown in flat surfaced dishes, multiwell plates or T-flasks with cell culture treated surfaces to help the cells attach and take root.

Once seeded with cells, these cell culture plastics are gently placed inside a controlled incubator designed to closely mimic in-vivo conditions conducive for growth.

Suspension cells, bacteria and yeast cultures are typically grown in round bottom tubes and Erlenmeyer flasks placed inside an incubator where they are shaken at speeds exceeding 300rpm!

Round bottom 12 x 75mm (5mL) or 17 x 100mm (14mL) culture tubes

Two of the most in-demand culture tubes are round bottom 5mL and round bottom 14mL culture tubes with two-position caps.

Round bottom culture tubes are either made from polypropylene or polystyrene. Both materials facilitate excellent growth, but polypropylene is the better choice when the tubes will be subjected to higher temperatures or more rigorous conditions.

What makes a culture tube with a two-position cap unique?

Round bottom culture tubes feature a unique, two-position cap that set them apart from other types of laboratory plastics.

Typically, laboratory tubes are closed either with a screw-cap or thumb cap which are designed to create a nearly air-tight and leak-proof seal.

The two position-caps can be completely closed for anaerobic cultures or left open slightly – enough to allow for gas exchange without opening the tube up to debris – for aerobic culturing.

Culture tubes with two position caps have been made with a notch near the tube neck and the cap interior to provide audible and tactile confirmation whether the tube is slightly open (position one), or fully sealed (position two).

Duo-Click culture tubes from MTCBio are designed and packaged differently

Duo-Click tubes are a recent innovation from MTCBio with a two position screw-cap replacing the pressure-applied cap.

As seen in this video, the principles are the exact same, the only difference being a more familiar screw-cap design.

Duo-Click culture tubes are available in polypropylene only with four packaging options.

Duo-Click culture tubes can be bulk bagged and non-sterile, bagged and sterile, racked and sterile or individually wrapped and sterile.

When it comes to purchasing culture tubes for your lab from Stellar Scientific, help is just a click away!