Toxic Algae?

[Forsaken77]

I was just reading that certain algaes can produce toxins in the water, mostly micro algaes.

When I had my surgery recently I couldn't do water changes for a while. So I let the green and brown glass algae grow to absorb nutrients in the water during this time. I'm wondering what types of algaes produce toxins in the water or if anybody has dealt with something like this?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I had a calurpa come in from a lfs that wiped out my Refugium once.
Nasty.

 

[mcarroll]

Some algae will absorb or even hyper-absorb pollutants from its environment, so masses of wild algae could be a problem.

Some algae can also generate their own toxins. This is mostly single-celled algae like diatoms and dinoflagellates, but cyanobacteria are pretty well known for it too.

Check out Harmful algal bloom

 

[Forsaken77]

Some algae will absorb or even hyper-absorb pollutants from its environment, so masses of wild algae could be a problem.

Some algae can also generate their own toxins. This is mostly single-celled algae like diatoms and dinoflagellates, but cyanobacteria are pretty well known for it too.

Check out Harmful algal bloom

Diatoms can release toxins into the water?

 

[wesman42]

Diatoms can release toxins into the water?

I think the concept here is that a vast quantity of single celled organisms is never a good thing, and can jeopardize the stability of the tank.

My marine biology friend warned me expressly of cyano, stating that certain strains are a huge threat to marine life.

Diatoms are new for me. I didn't know they could release toxins but I suppose I never actually researched it.

 

[Forsaken77]

I think the concept here is that a vast quantity of single celled organisms is never a good thing, and can jeopardize the stability of the tank.

My marine biology friend warned me expressly of cyano, stating that certain strains are a huge threat to marine life.

Diatoms are new for me. I didn't know they could release toxins but I suppose I never actually researched it.

Cyano isn't technically algae, it's a form of bacteria.

 

[wesman42]

Cyano isn't technically algae, it's a form of bacteria.

Hence why I said "strains".

 

[mcarroll]

As long as places like PhycoKey group them, I think we can too.

 

[mcarroll]

@Forsaken77 @wesman42 as far as I know we do not get any toxic algae aside from dinoflagellates in our tanks.

In the wild diatoms are one of the more common sources of toxins, along with cyanobacteria. But all forms of harmful algae bloom are on the rise globally.

Check out some of the articles saved in the algae section on my blog.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Besides your tank fouling toxins, some macro algae practice alleopathy towards neighbors as a way of outcompeting.