The growth of the Scenedesmus spinosus microalgae was evaluated in four culture mediums: Z8, Watanabe, Bristol and BG-11, using a pilot airlift tubular photobioreactor. The reactor used had a culture volume of 1.4 m3 and consisted of 4 vertical tubes assembled to 4 horizontal tubes of transparent polycarbonate with PVC joints. Turbidity, total solids, solar irradiation and temperature were measured for a period of 21 days. Biomass growth was evaluated through the change in turbidity over time and gravimetry tests, for the four analyzed culture mediums. The medium that showed the highest biomass growth over time corresponded to the Z8 medium, while the one that showed the lowest growth was the Bristol medium. The highest biomass productivity corresponded to 81 g m-3d-1 for the Z8 culture medium, and the lower was 14 g m-3d-1 for Watanabe.