|
Home | Marine Aquariums |
Freshwater Aquariums |
Planted Aquariums |
Brackish Systems |
Ponds,
lakes & fountains |
Turtles & Amphibians |
Aquatic Business |
Aquatic Science |
Ask the WWM Crew a Question |
Please visit our Sponsors | ||||
Re: algae? Reading? 9/21/08 What should I remove to make the LPS and Montipora begin to grow?? <... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files above, and elsewhere on WWM re Acroporids, their systems, feeding...> What is the best feeding routine and food? <... see above> Also, you think raising the Salinity to .026 will eradicate the slime/algae? <... please, don't write... instead, read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm educate yourself. B> Interesting fact/fiction about Cyanobacteria 9/13/08 Dear Crew, <Andy> I was perusing Reef Central and came across a thread on the use of red slime remover to eliminate Cyanobacteria. Whenever I see someone advocating for its use, I try to jump in and advocate AGAINST its use, explaining all the reasons for my opinion, directing them to WWM, etc. In any event, one response to this thread stated that when Cyanobacteria dies, it releases cyanide. <?> At first, I started laughing and thought "this is a ridiculous statement"--the guy is clearly confusing "Cyano" and cyanide. But, I did some research on the internet and found some sites that state studies have shown that all forms of Cyanobacteria release cyanotoxins and cyanide when they die rapidly, such as would happen when erythromycin is used. See here for example: http://www.alken-murray.com/Cyanobacteria.htm. <Mmmm> Before I searched the internet, I searched WWM for information. I found very little to confirm or debunk this statement. I did find one post by Bob addressing a poster's question about why his/her sea horses might appear to go limp after hanging onto and breaking up BGA in which Bob implied/stated that the sea horse is getting a dose of cyanide from the BGA. <Mmm, I hope not... Cyanobacteria are known to degrade cyanide/s...> However, I also found the following posted by Neale in the FW section: "BGA doesn't kill fish. The idea that it is poisonous comes from non-biologists confusing the name of the group of bacteria (Cyanobacteria) with the word "cyanide". In fact the "cyan-" part of the name refers merely to the colour. There are in fact some fish that eat the stuff, as well as snails and other invertebrates. Anyway, it is best dealt with by balancing the tank[.]" <Mmm, and I do disagree with this statement. A cursory look even on the Net will show that BGA decomposition does release deadly materials> If Cyano does in fact release cyanide into a system when it dies rapidly, this is just one more reason to never use this product. Can anyone at WWM confirm this or offer any further insight into this? <Mmm, cyanides are any triply bonded carbon/nitrogen... attached to other matter... There may be "some" cyanide in Cyanobacteria, but I warrant very little... the commonality with the names "Cyan", meaning blue is a bit confusing perhaps... but these bacteria (and indeed ourselves) have biochemical mechanisms for degrading cyanides within our tissues, not producing, or releasing such> If this is true, you might want to edit the article on BGA to make this clear to all potential users of red slime remover to drive home the point that this product is dangerous. <These products, use is indeed dangerous... for the general reasons stated... the release of toxic factors, and possible rapid reduction of dissolved oxygen. What's more, their use will not eliminate the root cause/s of BGA proliferation: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-Address&rlz=1I7PCTA&q=cyanobacteria+control+toxicity> Take care! Andy <Bob Fenner> Re: Toxicity of Cyanobacteria 9/13/08 Hi Bob, <Msieu Neale> Read your FAQ answer on Cyanobacteria. I have to confess to talking from the freshwater perspective, and so far as I know there aren't any directly toxic forms that occur in aquaria. Multiple species of fish consume the stuff in the wild, e.g., Cyprinodon spp. killifish and Ameca splendens. I would certainly agree that a mass die-off of these algae -- or indeed any algae -- isn't a good thing, and quite likely oxygen consumption through mass decay is as much a threat to livestock as anything else. As for marine Cyanobacteria, quite a few are known to be very toxic indeed, apparently "hundreds of times" more toxic than potassium cyanide. http://www.interciencia.org/v21_06/art01/summary.html But I still haven't read anything that states Cyanobacteria actually contain/produce cyanide at or above the levels present in other photosynthetic organisms. <Mmm, yes... some are known to contain... "some". A bunch could be discussed re aminonitriles...> As you doubtless know, cyanide compounds are all around in the natural world, particularly plants, most famously being quite concentrated in peach stones and almonds. Cheers, Neale <And you, BobF>
|
|
Features: |
|
Featured Sponsors: |