The dangers of cyanobacteria

[Water_man]

From the Boston Globe. I don't know if this also applies to pools, but since swimmers like to swim everywhere, chances are you may dip in a contaminated pond. FYI and be careful.

 

[polyvue]

One would hope that whatever cyanobacteria happen to fall in or develop in pool water would be sanitized/oxidized by appropriate levels of hypochlorous acid. Eeewh. :grrrr:

 

[JohnT]

To clarify, the article says that cyanobacteria is often misnamed blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria IS blue-green algae, the stuff that grows in our pools if the chlorine gets too low.

 

[anonapersona]

Really? I recall cyanobacteria from fish tanks as a sticky, filmy sheet of blue-green that stinks. Very different from ordinary green algae.

 

[chem geek]

Cyanobacteria is also known as blue-green algae though it is technically a bacteria and not a plant. Because it uses photosynthesis it acts somewhat like algae. Some forms can do nitrogen fixation so can use nitrogen gas as a nutrient (instead of nitrates).

Green algae is different and is a plant, not bacteria. It is green algae that is the most common kind found in pools.

Sufficient chlorine relative to Cyanuric Acid (CYA) will prevent the growth of either.

 

[JohnT]

Really? I recall cyanobacteria from fish tanks as a sticky, filmy sheet of blue-green that stinks. Very different from ordinary green algae.

The film on top with a blue-green algae bloom is composed of the dead cyanobacteria. Yes it is different from green algae, which is a true algae. "Black algae" is a form of cyanobacteria, and the cyanobacteria that are known as blue-green algae are found in the soil and air virtually everywhere. I believe that the BG algae prefers the water to be stagnant, which may explain why green algae is more common in pools that haven't been abandoned or neglected completely.