Rapid Bloom ID & Cell Count

Overview

Start here. If a bloom has appeared and you do not know what you are looking at, this is the first test to run. The toxin tests in the Toolbox — microcystin, saxitoxin, anatoxin-a — each answer a narrow question. This one tells you which of them to ask.

A bloom appears and the first question is not how much toxin is in the water. It is what do I have? Different cyanobacteria produce different toxins, and a toxin test chosen without knowing the organism is a guess with a price tag.

Microscopic identification and cell counts of the harmful algal bloom taxa in your sample, with results in 24 hours of the lab receiving it. The kit arrives complete with cooler, ice pack, and an overnight return shipping label.

Microcystis points you at microcystin. Dolichospermum or Aphanizomenon points you at anatoxin or saxitoxin. A bloom that turns out to be a harmless green alga points you at nothing, and saves you the cost of finding out the expensive way.

Cyanobacteria produce more toxins than these three. Cylindrospermopsin, nodularin, guanitoxin, lyngbyatoxin, BMAA and others can all appear in fresh water. If you need a toxin not listed in the Toolbox, contact Lake Pulse and we will arrange it.

What problem does this solve for our lake?

• A bloom appears and the response is almost always the same. Somebody posts a photo, somebody says it looks like two summers ago, somebody says close the beach. Within a day there are three theories and no evidence, and what gets decided is decided by whoever sounded most certain.
• The reason that argument cannot resolve is that nobody knows what is in the water. Not how much toxin — which organism. Appearance does not settle it. A dense green bloom might be Microcystis, might be a harmless green alga, might be a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that produces an entirely different toxin. Two blooms that look identical from a dock can require completely different responses.
• This is the test that answers the question underneath all the others. Twenty-four hours, one sample, and you know which organisms are present and at what concentration. That tells you whether a toxin test is warranted at all, and if so, which one. Buying a toxin test first is choosing an answer before you have understood the question — and a fair number of blooms turn out not to be cyanobacteria at all, which is the cheapest possible outcome and one you can only reach by looking.

What's included?

• • A complete bloom sampling kit shipped directly to you — sample bottle, cooler, ice pack, and labels • Step-by-step collection instructions written for a bloom event • Prepaid overnight return shipping label • Microscopic identification of the harmful algal bloom taxa present in your sample • Total sample cell concentration and taxa-specific cell concentrations • Analysis at an accredited partner laboratory, with full chain of custody • Discounted pricing on additional sample bottles — contact the Boathouse before ordering if you want multiple sites • Results loaded automatically into your lake's account

What's not included

• • Sample collection. You collect the sample; we supply everything you need to do it correctly. • Toxin measurement of any kind. This identifies the organisms and counts them; it does not measure what they are producing. • A safety determination. A dense Microcystis bloom is a reason to test for microcystin, not a toxin result on its own. • Boat, dock, or shoreline access to your sampling site • Full phytoplankton community analysis. This is focused on HAB taxa. • Chemistry, nutrients, or chlorophyll-a • A public health determination, beach closure authority, or notification to residents • Treatment, remediation, or applicator services

Requirements

• • A sample collected from the bloom itself — the visible scum or discoloured water, not clear water nearby • Same-day shipment after collection, using the enclosed overnight label • The ice pack frozen before you go out, and the sample kept cold in the supplied cooler • Collection early in the week where possible, so the sample does not sit over a weekend • A Plus, Lake Admin, or PRO subscription to have results loaded into your Lake Pulse account • Questions about site selection, timing, or whether to pair this with a toxin test? Contact the Lake Pulse Boathouse before you order.