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For those of us that have cursed cyano to the ends of the earth (and beyond) We could make a killing!. Saw that google ad in the planted forum and had a little laugh at what turns up sometimes .

I have a coworker that actually buys drinks with BGA in them and I continually offer to get them a fresh made batch...they turn me down for some reason .

^_^

Ew.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Before you all rush out and start freeze-drying your cyanobacteria and selling it by the pound to health food stores, I feel it necessary to post a word of warning.

You need to know which species you are dealing with. The reason? Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins, including a range of substances that are lethal to humans!

For example, there are anatoxins]http://www.aims.gov.au/arnat/arnat-0002.htm[/link] produced by Anabaena flos-aquae and related species. Similarly, the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii has been responsible for drinking water pollution in Queensland - [link=cylindrospermopsin]http://www.aims.gov.au/arnat/arnat-0002.htm[/link] is the toxin produced by this organism, and ingestion of this causes liver failure in acute doses. Sub-acute doses may lead to long term development of liver cancers due to liver cell destruction. Microcystins and nodularins are another range of potentially human-lethal toxins produced by cyanobacteria - [link=here is a page on microcystins and nodularins.

In addition, the cyanobacterium Anabaena circularis produces the extremely lethal Saxitoxins, featured on this page.

Indeed, numerous freshwater cyanobacteria are now cited as major health hazards in drinking water sources, and water authorities are researching into ways of counteracting the ill effects of contamination of drinking water by cyanobacterial toxins produced by certain key species.

Now, not all cyanobacteria produce toxins such as these, but the aquarist should be aware that several cyanobacteria species from both the freshwater and the marine environments produce a range of complex toxins that have various effects upon humans in very low doses - some are liver toxins, while others act upon the central nervous system and can cause heart and respiratory failure in even small doses (doses as low as 1 microgram per kilogram of body weight).

I would be extremely wary of ingesting any product containing cyanobacteria whose provenance I did not know a LOT about.

Oh yes, you could make a killing all right - just not the sort you're hoping for ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Oh yes, you could make a killing all right - just not the sort you're hoping for ..

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Wow some people don't know sarcasm even when it jumps up and smacks a green booger on their forehead .



^_^

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West