Killing Blue Green Algae / Cyanobacteria

Izzy2

Izzy2

AC Members
Jun 22, 2006
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King of Prussia, PA
Real Name
Bob
I have a heavily planted 75 gallon tank that has a smaller outbreak of Blue Green Algae / Cyanobacteria in a corner. Looks like my nitrates dropped too much. Tried to limit kno3 to grow some "redder" red plants and it back-fired.

What is the dosage when using erythromyacin or maracyn against Blue Green Algae / Cyanobacteria. Any suggestions on schedule or just one application.

Is erythromyacin the same as maracyn?

Will either have any side effects on clown loaches, plants or beneficial bacteria?

Thanks
 
I would not use antibiotics to kill cyanobacteria. It's not a serious enough problem to risk creating antibiotic-resistant pathogens by throwing it in. Antibiotics should be used extremely carefully when there is no other option.
 
Search 3 day blackout + KNO3 dosing for a solution that's non antibiotic.
Typical ranges are 1 pill per 10 Gal, 2 doses, day 1 and then again on the 3rd day, remove activated carbon, purigen etc.

Clean well before, clean filters, water change, remove all you can etc, then add. Also add KNO3 at this time.

Lower NO3 are much easier to balance when the light is also lower, like the old days:cool:

So the light was weak, but the uptake and demand for NO3 was also weak, so balancing low NO3 was much easier.

4 W/gal of old T12's is about 1.5W of T5's today in the same tank you have FYI.






Regards,
Tom Barr
 
New developments?

Izzy2 said:
I have a heavily planted 75 gallon tank that has a smaller outbreak of Blue Green Algae / Cyanobacteria in a corner. Looks like my nitrates dropped too much. Tried to limit kno3 to grow some "redder" red plants and it back-fired.

What is the dosage when using erythromyacin or maracyn against Blue Green Algae / Cyanobacteria. Any suggestions on schedule or just one application.

Is erythromyacin the same as maracyn?

Will either have any side effects on clown loaches, plants or beneficial bacteria?

Thanks
Click to expand...

This article: http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=420981

mentions Vitamin K3 as a determent to cyanobacteria growth. I have just began experimenting with this. I am noting an affect, not as strong as hydrogen peroxide though. Vitamin K3 is new to me in this use.

The article also mentions salicylic acid, salicylic acid occurs in the branches of willow trees, especially new growth at the tips. These tips can be ground up and a tea made of them. Various articles and sources on the net are beginning to deal with this subject. Wiki documents its' presence in willow here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid a friend turned me onto this a year or so ago. It works, I just hate hunting willow trees and preparing the tea.

Wiki goes on to classify it, salicylic acid, as one of the plant hormones. Perhaps it just stimulates aquatic plants to out compete algae? Who knows? I have never tried it in a non-planted aquarium.

The net is now ablaze with using hydrogen peroxide, I leave researching that avenue to those interested.
 
Bob 250 mg/20 gal of EM will KO cyano. Maracyn is just EM with vitamins added.
 
Thanks for the options. I've read mixed reviews on the blackout process. Adding extra chemicals is not my first choice.

The majority of the algae and the java moss it covered has been removed.

Figured I'd start asking questions and finding supplies in case the problem started spreading too quick. I'm not happy about blacking out the tank, but will try that soon. The kno3 has been added to increase the nitrates.

I've been adjusting the current in the tank. Looks like a deadspot was created in the corner when the diy spraybar had too many holes added. Alot of water is moving by four filters but very gently. Looks like I'll need to reevaluate the changes.

The k3 vitamin sounds promising. It will require more surfing / research.

Bob
 
Izzy2 said:
Thanks for the options. I've read mixed reviews on the blackout process. Adding extra chemicals is not my first choice.

The majority of the algae and the java moss it covered has been removed.

Figured I'd start asking questions and finding supplies in case the problem started spreading too quick. I'm not happy about blacking out the tank, but will try that soon. The kno3 has been added to increase the nitrates.

I've been adjusting the current in the tank. Looks like a deadspot was created in the corner when the diy spraybar had too many holes added. Alot of water is moving by four filters but very gently. Looks like I'll need to reevaluate the changes.

The k3 vitamin sounds promising. It will require more surfing / research.

Bob
Click to expand...

Reviews are mix because they had plant growing issues, did not follow up with good KNO3 dosing. Not everyone reads the rest of the story........ Same for any algae cure, the bottom line is problems with plant growth, not killing algae. Your reference is the algae free good healthy plants, not the folks that keep failing to resolve the issue, they grow those folks on trees.

It is when you really focus on plant growth and balancing the plant needs the algae is no longer much of an issue. If you see algae, then you know you have a plant growth issue.

It's(algae) just a symptom of the plant growth problem.
Killing it is rather easy, straight forward, preventing it from coming back to the key and harder. Folks do not listen to all the advice and they'd not have so much algal issues if they focused more on plant growth requirements.

This really is the path, does not matter if it's non CO2, low/high light, CO2 enriched, sediment ferts, water column ferts etc........

Hopefully folks learn this before giving up:thm:

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
WinstonCourt said:
This article: http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=420981

mentions Vitamin K3 as a determent to cyanobacteria growth. I have just began experimenting with this. I am noting an affect, not as strong as hydrogen peroxide though. Vitamin K3 is new to me in this use.

The article also mentions salicylic acid, salicylic acid occurs in the branches of willow trees, especially new growth at the tips. These tips can be ground up and a tea made of them. Various articles and sources on the net are beginning to deal with this subject. Wiki documents its' presence in willow here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid a friend turned me onto this a year or so ago. It works, I just hate hunting willow trees and preparing the tea.

Wiki goes on to classify it, salicylic acid, as one of the plant hormones. Perhaps it just stimulates aquatic plants to out compete algae? Who knows? I have never tried it in a non-planted aquarium.

The net is now ablaze with using hydrogen peroxide, I leave researching that avenue to those interested.
Click to expand...

Neither test addresses the species genus or species that we have in aquariums FYI. Oscillitoria is the genus and it's non heterocyst forming(non N2 fixing, there's plenty of N for this genus in any aquarium that contains fish, shrimp, plants).

These chemicals will decrease growth of BGA, but will not even come close to eliminating the BGA, which will simply grow right back after treatment without addressing the plant growth issue/root cause.

We can kill BGA easily with several methods, but preventing return is the key here and makes the plants look better/healthier.

This is the key for all algae issues, not pills/chemicals or "tricks".

The solution is much simpler and straight forward than many think.
The goal is nice healthy plants, so that is the focus.

Common sense? Yes, but we get distracted easily.

Do not.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
yes i have the similar opinion ,anti biotics should not be used unless and until unavoidable, besides they should be used with care and in appropriate doses more importantly their course of duration should be completed so that bacteria does not become resistant to that medicine which casuses more problems than benefits,.... and if anti biotics are unavoidable to fish, use them in bare bottom hospital tanks. anti biotics kill a wide range of bacteria both commensuals and pathogens one better go for other remedies specially with planted aquarium having some compost in them. Erythromycin belongs to a group called macrolides and has somewhat more bactericidal to some bacteriostatic activity.
 
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