Have you ever noticed when a pond water or river water gets contaminated? It’s not the plants or fishes that harm the water and destroy the ecosystem. It’s always the toxic chemicals or other outside factors that affect the water and the ecosystem. There are so many living beings forming an ecosystem. Even the small microscopic, unicellular organisms that grow in groups play some role in the ecosystem. These are called algae. There are several types of algae of different sizes. They tend to have both good and bad effects on the different type of water surfaces.

Coming to bad effects one place where you should never let algae grow are domestic or commercial water storage tanks. Some of them can be quite toxic and they deplete the oxygen in the water. If you drink that water you are bound to get sick or worse. Apart from domestic or commercial water storage tanks they also grow in ponds and lakes used for fish farming. Plants growing in ponds and lakes can also die due to these toxic algae. Even though swimming pools don’t get the same problem as they are maintained regularly, but in aquaculture, this becomes a huge problem and makes the fishes poisonous which in turn can harm us.

On the other hand, there are several benefits of algae too, especially for the ecosystem. The non-toxic algae usually generate about 50% of the oxygen that is available in Earth and simultaneously removes carbon dioxide from the environment too. They are used as soil conditioners, fertilisers, and cattle feed. They produce energy-rich oils which are a great alternative for fossil fuels. These biofuels do not have any additional carbon dioxide, unlike other fuels. They are a rich source of many vitamins and micronutrients and therefore have high nutritional value. Some algal varieties are high in omega 3 fatty acids which are preferred by vegetarians as fish oil is the only alternative source of the same. Algae eliminate the need for toxic chemicals in the process and help in treating sewage.

So, as much as you should take care that algae are not growing in your domestic or commercial water storage tanks, you should also take care of the ecosystem of water bodies surrounding you are maintained properly. But either way, the benefits clearly outweigh the harmful effects, especially in large water bodies. It is in our best interest to not destroy the ecosystem by using external factors.