Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Blue-green algae WORSE than we thought?

I don't see this becoming a big deal at all. Mountains from molehills.

Well, I've mostly got brown algae. So, I'm not going to worry. With a small leak, I've got enough to worry about. My 90 yr old mother has Alzheimer's, it's not something I want.
She's still very happy and pleasant to be around, but does not remember from one moment to the next. My 89 yr old dad is a pretty fair caregiver. Chief cook and bottle washer.
Seriously, would blue green algae show up in a two yr old pond? How can you tell if you have it?

Well, I've heard back from my friend with the sensor startup. Good news! He was definitely interested in the problem and said that, if the hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) is indicative of BMAA production, this would be in their wheelhouse. Even if not, he intends to talk with some of their researchers about detecting BMAA levels.

PS Some people take freeze-dried blue green algae supplements for their health! Wonder what the story is there and how they avoid toxicity issues. Maybe it's not the same stuff we have in ponds and lakes.

Very interesting article. My mom passed from ALS just last year, and interesting that there is a high incidence in New England and we lived near Lake Ontario. Also growing up we went to the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River a lot and swam quite a bit in a polluted bay... which likely had BGA more often than not.

Now when it comes to ponds, it may be best that if you swim in them, to not push the biomass too hard at the risk of a BGA bloom due to high nutrients.

Interesting post, squid. Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands are beautiful, but perhaps BMAA was or is a problem sometimes. I spent several happy years in Plattsburg, NY, on the shores of Lake Champlain. Champlain, though, is less fertile and probably less likely to suffer much blue-green algae.

If blue-green algae turns out to be more dangerous to humans that we first thought, we'd be smart to track our pond's fertility more carefully. Perhaps put in a bit less fish food or fertilizer. It's tough because most of us want maximum biomass -- I sure do -- and fertilization/feeding is the number one route to that.