Does anyone know if its possible to identify a particular type of mold?
Hi Riksworld, I'm sorry to hear about your recent losses. It must have been a terrible experience.
I have come across the following article on types of mold: http
/moldblogger.com/how-to-test-for-mold-in-your-home/ . From reading the article it would appear mold spores can float in the air and be transmitted in contaminated water. It would appear there are toxic and non-toxic forms of mold, and this article identifies the toxic one's: http
/moldblogger.com/the-effects-of-mycotoxins/ .
The 5 toxic forms of mold:
1. Alfatoxin - produced by Aspergillus, a type of fungus and is found in soil, decaying vegetation, hay and grains. Favorable conditions include high moisture content (at least 7%) and high temperature.
Crops which are frequently affected include cereals (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat), oilseeds (peanut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chilli peppers, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger), and tree nuts (almond, pistachio, walnut, coconut, brazil nut). Fed any of these to the fish?
2. Ochratoxin A - produced by Aspergillus. Commonly occurs in improperly stored foods. It is carcinogenic (can cause cancer) and can cause immunosuppression and immunotoxicity (An immunotoxin is a protein that consists of a targeting portion linked to a toxin. When the protein binds to that cell, it is taken in through endocytosis, and the toxin kills the cell).
3. Fumonisin B1 - caused by Fusarium molds. Fumonisin B1 is an inhibitor of ceramide synthase which is an enzyme involved in glucose production. If this mold is in your filter, your fish may have passed away from lack of glucose (hypoglycemia).
4. Trichothecenes, cannot find it's cause.
5. Zearalenone, cannot find it's cause.
As already mentioned above, it may be worth preserving the mold and get it tested to identify what strain it is. I do have a microscope and I do live in Chesterfield like yourself but given the health risk I'd be reluctant to do a test on it.
