The effects of medium composition on the growth, biochemical and biological activities of selected coagulase positive and negative Staphylococci have been investigated. The study concentrated on four major points, namely: nutrient requirements; haemolysin and enzyme production; their antigenic properties; and phagocytosis of the cells. The nutrient requirements for adequate growth of Staphylococci was investigated in a chemically defined medium (CDM) for each strain to determine the supplemental, required and essential amino acids. It was found that strain/species specific differences in amino acid requirements occur amongst the six Staphylococci. The growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis showed complete biotin-independence. Additionally, media derived from fish waste extract (FE) were prepared after developing a simple rapid method to digest the fish waste. FE was found a good substitute for beef extract in culture media.