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.
Green Slime Algae or Cyanobacteria?
- Thread starter johnstires
- Start date
This site has algae pics. If you click on them, you can see bigger copies.
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm
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?
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?
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?
Three days later, nothing. And it hasn't come back.
And that's my example. Anyone else?
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
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
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.
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.
I concur
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.
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.
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
"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
Antibiotics
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.
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.