Green Slime Algae or Cyanobacteria?

[johnstires]

I have some slimey green stuff growing on the bottom of my tank. It's beginning to cover my glosso in sheets. I'm not sure if it's an algae or cyanobacteria. Does anyone know where I can find a good algae/cyano site or article that has pictures. I have read lots of descriptions of algae but few sites have pics. I want to make sure I have a proper ID in case I need to dose an antibiotic.

[kveeti]

This site has algae pics. If you click on them, you can see bigger copies.
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm

[johnstires]

Thanks kveeti.

That's exactly what I was looking for. Has anyone had any success with dosing a tank with antibiotics? I think this is the best solution, but I don't want to throw my biological balance out of whack. I have a 10 gallon planted tank with eco-complete substrate, a hagen powerhead with a filter attachment. Should I dose with 200 mg of erythromycin phosphate? Do I just do this once? Any brands I should look out for?

[Timmain42]

I had a breakout of BGA (green slime or cyanobacteria) that rode in on an order from FloridaDriftwood.Com. I got some erythromycin capsules from my LFS and dosed my tank at about half-strength, ONCE. I added powerheads to direct current in the areas most strongly affected.

Three days later, nothing. And it hasn't come back.
And that's my example. Anyone else?

[fishfrenze]

I have had a couple run-ins w/BGA. My 30 gallon was bad. I had just bought a new 72 gallon and hadn't set it up yet, so I transferred all fish and plants (after sterlizing in bleach:water) to that tank. This allowed me to break down the 30 and clean it really well. Unfortunately, the sterlization didn't work 100% and my 72 gallon got BGA. I dosed w/erythromycin for the time specified on the package (expensive!). That worked and so far I haven't seen it in that tank again (knock on wood!). My 30 gallon got it AGAIN a couple weeks ago. After re-setting it up w/all new plants, etc...I have been doing really well w/ferts and CO2. I hardly have ANY algae at all in there. But then the BGA started to come in. I siphoned most of it out and blacked the tank out for 2.5 days. I turned the lights on after 2.5 days and it was magically gone! So it's been a week since that happened...

The blackout method is good to start with since its free and doesn't disrupt the bacterial colonies. My crypts only lost a couple of their oldest leaves due to the lack of light and other stuff actually seemed to grow alot during the blackout!

Good Luck!
Melanie

[Ramirez]

I've just gotten over a bout with BGA, knock on wood. I had it really bad all over my plants, walls, and gravel. I did a three day blackout and when I turned the lights back on, all the bga was gone. However, one week later it came back.

My next solution was antibiotics. I bought 8 tablets of Maracyn for my 55 gallon. When I got home I realized this was no where near enough to dose my tank according to the directions. However, at $5 for 8 tablets, I didn't want to buy more. Anyways, I dosed half strength for three days (3, 3, and 2). The directions call for 5 days. Before I started, I removed as much algae as possible with a ~50% water change.

It has been at least a week now, with no sign of BGA. The plants look healthier than before. I hope I'm not jinxing myself with this reply.

[125gJoe]

Maracyn has worked for us too!!

That Blue Green algae can be a real pain. Surprised there's not much mention of Maracyn on this common and aggressive algae!! :eek:

[promethean_sprk]

I had some BGA attacking some plants near the front of the tank, for a while I vaccumed at it every day, but then I read about the marycin and got a pack of that. I read the directions and decided that I did not need to annihilate the stuff, just disadvantage it. I also didn't want to kill all the good bacteria. So I dropped 2 tablets in my 55g. The next day the stuff was brown, and the day after that it had disapeared. About 4 days later 3 of 4 angelfish died, I'm not sure if that was related, but 3 fish dying in 24 hours usually means something is wrong. Maybe the ammonia or nitrite spiked. Or maybe my last, much bigger angel got tired of his roomates. I had the little guys for about 2 months.

No other fatailaties and I am wishing some of the other algae were as easy to kill off.

[plantbrain]

I don't concur with antibiotics.

"Gee why not Tom?"

"Well do they grow plants or not?"

"Nope"

"Why do you have algae, like BGA?"

"Don't clean the filters enough, don't add NO3 etc"

"When was the last time I had BGA?"

"Must have been 8 years ago or so"

Well, using either method of blackout or antibiotics does not solve your issues with algae. Even if you mamange to beat one type back, another type you cannot kill with antiobiotics replaces this one.

Till you address the plant's needs, you will find algae rotating through your tank periodically.

:sad

With the original poster's issue, Gloss will suck out NO3 like no tomorrow. This seems like the most likely issue for the appearence of BGA.

Hey, I don't have any but it's certainly present in all my tanks(yours too after a month or two) at the microscopic scale but I have not had any fester up for many many years.

And the plants look better with this method.
Which is what folks want anyway.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[promethean_sprk]

At the time my plants were suffering from an iron deficiency, just had a baby and moved so the tank wasn't getting enough attention. New growth was atrophied and white. But this algae was much more aggressive than the fur algae that was already at work. So I didn't really want to fertilize, fearing an all out explosion. Knocking back the BGA made me feel safer adding nutes. A few squirts of liquid iron fertilizer and some jobes palm (low phosphate) sticks in the substrate brought the plants back with a vengence.

Funilly, my 20g hasn't had algae at all through all that, and I pay it less attention than the 55. Probbly there are enough plants to use everything in the water column, there isn't much room for the mollies in there to swim. It's harder to fill a tall 55 with plant growth like that. I guess since I never prune it, the 20 self composts and recycles the plant food, whereas the 55 got depleted as I aggressively trimed leaves with algae on them.

[plantbrain]

We all neglect our tanks:sick:

Whipping them back into shape is skill we all learn soon or later.
You can use the antiobiotic method, your tank is small , will not cost much etc, but you still have the nagging issue as to the cause.

Blackout works as fast, cost nothing.
But I will say with Gloss, it does get very leggy with a balckout.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[125gJoe]

Blackouts weaken most plants, if not all ....

Maracyn worked great...

I'd rather not say how many plants I "had to get rid of" due to a blackout or 2....

That Cyano bacteria is bad stuff.

I probably don't have enough plants yet, for a good balance....

[plantbrain]

Plants blacked out when they shipped to folks and this does not cause any issues, it the plants melt, it's from temp issues, not the light.

Black out does not weakned any plant significantly for 3 days,
even small Riccia, mosses etc are quite able to handle it.
If youn have a plant that's already hurting etc from lack of nutrients, reducing the light is not going hurt it, it's already hurt and in sad shape from the lack of nutrients, not the light.
But plants will make a little sugar even at low/limited situations but this tyopically is nothing that will make or break any plant I've seen.

If the plant cannot make a 3 day blackout, trim it and remove it anyway, it's not going to help get your tank back in good shape anyway if that's the case.

As always, check the CO2 again if you have algae issues, and add KNO3. These tend to be the largest players in algae issues.

PO4/traces less so.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Slappy*McFish]

Certainly, Tom's advice would be wise to heed....always helpful;)

I wouldn't use antibiotics in any established tank, however. If I were try to get rid of BGA, I would do a series of water changes 1st. I've done enormous water changes in the past with very good results. I'll start off with a 50-60% water change, add new water back, then do another 50% water change and add new water back...sometimes repeating this several times. I have done 150%-200% water changes in the same day, on the same tank, with no problems. Also, you can use a pipet or syringe filled with hygrogen peroxide and slowly squirt this all over the BGA in the tank, killing alot of it fairly quickly. It will start to bubble up so you'll know it's working. It can then be removed by vacuuming during the water changes. Then you can start with a nice clean slate to re-do your fert dosing.

[Jeremy S]

I agree with Slappy*McFish. The best way to get rid BGA is 50% water changes daily until it’s gone. For me it only took about 1 week and it hasn’t returned for 3 years now.

[plantbrain]

Generally folks can count on water changes making life hard for algae but daily 50% water changes is a lot of work when the 3 day blackout method works all the time.

Some BGA cases cannot be beaten with water changes I've heard and seen. The there are those mild cases that all that needs done is add some KNO3, more fish food etc.

But the blackout is effective in any tank.
So are antiobiotics.
Many places outside of the USA cannot get these though.

I really don't like buying anything from MO places or LFS unless I really need it. I end up buying stuff I don't need.

My goal is to make simple methods folks can use everywhere, then suggest other methods such as antibiotics, peroxide, copper sulfate etc secondarily.

In the end, folks do better when they need less, spend less and have less variables going on.

The method also harasses many of species of algae, same for peroxide spotting.

Regards,
Tom Barr