Lake Tag
Measures: Member observations (three press types set by your Lake Admin)
Turnaround: Ships after your order is confirmed. Instructions for connecting Lake Tag to your lake's portal arrive by email after purchase.
$150
Field Tools
Algae Toxin Field Test
Screen for algal toxins at the shoreline in about twenty minutes.
$24.99
Checkout arrives with the store connection. Orders attach to the lake on your account.
Overview
A single-use field screen for microcystins and nodularins, the liver toxins most often produced by blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Collect a sample at the shoreline, run the test, and read the cassette on site in about twenty minutes.
A bloom tells you algae are present. It does not tell you whether toxin is. This test answers that question where the water is used, so a lake community can decide whether to post a caution at a beach or boat launch today rather than after a lab report comes back.
It is a screen, not a certified result. A positive should be confirmed by laboratory analysis before it drives a formal advisory.
What's measured & how
1 parameter · Field toxin screen (presence/absence)
| Parameter | Unit | Measured by |
|---|---|---|
| Microcystins and nodularins | Detected / Not detected (no concentration) | You |
- Microcystins and nodularins
- Unit:
- Detected / Not detected (no concentration)
- Measured by:
- You
You get
- An on-site reading in about 20 minutes: detected or not detected at the screening threshold
- Your result, dated and mapped, on your lake's timeline
How it's produced
- Test type
- Field toxin screen (presence/absence)
- Device
- Single-use test cassette, read against the kit instructions
- Screening threshold
- Set below the EPA 8 µg/L recreational advisory level for microcystins; exact value in the kit instructions
- Confirmation
- Confirm a positive with the lab Microcystin (Cyanotoxin) Test
Product category
- Physical ProductShips to you
- Availability
Ships in 3–5 business days
- Shipping
Flat-rate to your front door. Shipping details
Example result
Example resultNot detected
Not proof of absence.
Below the screening threshold. Not proof of absence; a positive needs lab confirmation
Turnaround
Results on site, about twenty minutes from sample to reading.
What problem does this solve for our lake?
- Blue-green algae blooms look alike whether they are producing toxin or not, and lab results take days. In the meantime, decisions about swimmers, dogs, and boat launches get made on appearance alone. This test gives your lake community a same-day, on-site answer to the one question that matters during a bloom: is toxin present in the water people are using right now.
What's included?
- One Detekt Blue-Green Algae Toxin Test, single use
- Sample collection container, test cassette, and step-by-step instructions
- Everything needed to run one test; no additional equipment required
What's not included
- A concentration value. The result is present or not detected, not a number.
- Other cyanotoxins. It does not screen for anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, or saxitoxin.
- A certified laboratory result. It cannot be used for regulatory reporting or drinking water compliance.
- Drinking water testing. It is intended for recreational surface water only.
- Boathouse interpretation or follow-up, which is available separately.
Requirements
- A freshwater sample collected at the spot in question, tested promptly after collection
- A flat, shaded surface and even light to read the cassette
- About twenty minutes on site
- Not sure where or when to sample? Contact the Boathouse before you test.
What you get back
Results
- A qualitative result: toxin detected at or above the test's screening threshold, or not detected. The screening threshold sits below the EPA's 8 µg/L recreational advisory level for microcystins. Read the cassette against the included instructions. On a positive, keep people and pets out of the water at that location, notify your state lake or health program, and confirm with a lab microcystin test from the Toolbox.
Pro tips
- Sample where people and pets enter the water, not the middle of the lake. Toxin concentrates along downwind shorelines.
- Read in even, indirect light. Test lines can be faint; photograph the cassette so you have a record.
- A negative is a snapshot. Blooms move with the wind and toxin levels change within a day, so retest when conditions change.
- Treat a positive as a trigger, not a verdict. Act on it at the shoreline, then confirm it in the lab.
- Pair it with a Secchi disk. A falling clarity reading is the early warning that tells you when to test.
Results sync to the Portal for Plus, Lake Admin, and PRO subscribers
Results from this product land in your lake's shared record in the Portal — next to everything else your lake has ever measured, instead of in an inbox.
Compare subscriptionsAbout these results
Every reading and observation shows the date it was collected. Field values are made by you or your members, at the place and time recorded, and depend on the instrument, the observer, light, weather, and technique. They are not laboratory analyses. Observations, such as Lake Tag presses or microscope sightings, are reports, not verified identifications. Lake Pulse records what is submitted; it does not independently verify each entry. Results can help you make decisions about safe swimming and water use, but no result is definitive for every place and time. It is always good practice to check posted signs and your state or local health authorities.
This is a screen, not a certified result. A positive should be confirmed by laboratory analysis before it drives a formal advisory. A negative applies only to the water tested and does not mean the water is safe. Blooms move, and toxin production can change quickly.
Questions on this?
Our team can help you choose the right solution for your lake, explain how results sync to your Portal, or point you to the right subscription.
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Secchi disk
Measures: Water clarity (Secchi depth)
Turnaround: Ships to your address within 3–5 business days of ordering.
$50
