Cyanobacteria - Why is it bad?

[feylind]

I'm a little confused as to why cyanobacteria is bad and unwanted in the fishtank. From what i have read it removes phosphates, nitrates and sulphates and converts it into oxygen....isn't that a good thing?

The main reason i have been repeatedly reading for not wanting it in the tank is because it takes over and is unsightly. Is this the only reason that it is "bad"? Or is there another more serious reason?
I have also read a few small references in passing that cyanobacteria produces toxins as by products is this the real reason??

 

[Khemul]

Yep, looks bad.

That and because algae is a maintenance addition. Same with hair algae. They remove nutrients but only if you remove the algae. If you don't mind the algae (I personally don't mind hair and turf algae but don't like cyano) then it can be left to absorb things. But if you don't like the look, the preventative maintenance is roughly the same, if not less, work.

Plus it can choke some corals.


Cyano and hair algae are a bit overblown in the hobby because people get so fanatical about it. They put a fortune and tons of effort into removing it. From what I've noticed both follow a simple rule. The more work put into eradicating cyano and hair algae, the better it does in the tank (same applies for Aiptasia). Its like it feeds off the rage of the aquarium owner, as well as nitrates and phosphates...

 

[garyfla]

Hi
Last I read there are at least 30,000 species of algae One million species of bacteria then there those that can't make up their mind lol. Like all life forms they are converting chemicals into other chemicals To my knowledge the only ones thast produce oxygen are "Green" those that are brown mostly produce nitrogen though many forms produce an entire array of other by products , Methane cyanide , hydrogen, All bad news in an aquarium. In theory you could culture each bateria/algae until everything is converted back into nitrogen,after all that's exactly what happens on the whole earth lol. Ah if only life was simple?? Keep up thos water changes and fight the brown !!! gary

 

[tanker]

It is bad because it just covers everything very quickly. And yes, it is ugly.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Many Cyanobacteria can also be highly toxic.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I think the real 'problem' is the underlying bad water chemistry that causes the cyanobacteria to flourish - high phosphates and high nitrates are evil.

 

[NemoMike]

I have read that dead spots also help Cyano to flourish too. And I also think it is ugly too.