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Having discovered some interesting new websites covering the dreaded cyanobacteria or BGA, I've created this thread so that everyone can find the requisite sites quickly.

Anyone who has more sites to add to the list, bring them here.

[link=The Purdue University Cyanobacteria Research Site]http://www-cyanosite.bio.purdue.edu/index.html[/linjk]

Cyanobacteria taxonomy which includes the surprising revelation that Spirulina, the ingredient of so-called "algae tablets", is in fact a cyanobacterium!

Wet Web Media BGA Page - devoted mainly to SW, but applicable to FW too

Virtual Museum Of Bacteria Cyanobacteria Links Page

Many of these pages include photomicrographs of the offending organisms, so you can 'know your enemy' so to speak, and as an additional useful source of information, this page is your entry point to detailed information about toxic species of cyanobacteria, including species that produce toxins capable of being harmful or even lethal to humans ... apparently an issue some water companies are now worried about

Oh, almost forgot ... a tour of some of those links yielded this site, namely the Pasteur Institute Culture Collection of Cyanobacteria, which includes the interesting information that several species of interest both as pest species in aquaria and as potential health hazards in drinking water supplies are capable of aerobic nitrogen fixation, and do not need an alternative nitrogen source such as ammonia or nitrates!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

That's CRAZY, Cali! BGA capable of aerobic nitrogen fixation

Hell, they say that BGA was the first photosynthetic organism on the planet, and got the ball rolling on oxygenating the atmosphere, and allowed other life forms to come to exist... and now the stuff is toxic to the very life forms it helped create... wow...talk about ironic

Thanks for the links, Cali

Thanks a bunch for the links, I will definetly be crusen through them.

Purdue University...

I think one professor I have had is/was doing research on toxicology involving cyanobacteria. I'm sure she's better at reasearch than lecturing. Herps are not her thing.

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Ugh... I need to be more careful when I handle subjects I'm lookin' at thru my microscope! I somehow got some of the crap in me (can it go thru skin?) and spent last saturday night throwing up all over the place... I've basically been 'hung over' on the stuff since then (staggering around, not seeing clearly, headaches, having trouble balancing, etc)

Oh well... I got some great pictures of random protists that were living in the clumps of BGA (paramecia, rotifers, etc) I'll have to post them up as soon as my net connection at home gets working again

*wanders off muttering something unintelligible about neurotoxins*