This study examines the effect of pH, temperature, metal ion concentration and culture density on metal biosorption by the nuisance cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Ni biosorption was higher at pH 9.2 than at neutral and acidic pH. In contrast the biosorption of Cu and Zn was maximum at pH 7.0. However, biosorption of Zn was difficult to measure at pH values 9.2 and 10.5, owing to the formation of insoluble complexes. All the test metals (Cu, Zn, and Ni) showed maximum biosorption rate at low culture densities of 40 mg dry wt $1^{-1}$. The biosorption of Cu, Zn, and Ni was maximum at $40^{circ}C$. However, no worthwhile difference in Zn and Ni sorption was noticed at 4 and $29^{circ}C$ as compared to $40^{circ}C$. Of these three metals used Microcystis showed a greater binding capacity ($K_{f}$ value=0.84, Freundlich adsorbent capacity) and accelerated biosorption rate for Cu under various environmental conditions. Fitness of mathematical models on metal biosorption by Microcystis confirmed that the biological materials behave in the same way as physical materials. These results suggest that before using a biosorbent for metal recovery, the environmental requirements of the biosorbent must be ascertained.