Green Slime Algae

[Aj86]

I had that covering my 2 foot tanks it drove me nuts! So i just ended up changing all the gravel to new gravel and cleaned everything i havnt seen it in there since! *Fingers Crossed*

 

[rdd1952]

I am experiencing the same problem in my 29 gallon tank. I have recently added quite a few plants (moneywort, wisteria, java fern & another that I can't remember the name of) and it has improved some but not much. The plants do not appear to be growing very fast although I understand some don't (moneywort). Part of that is because I have only been purning my lights about 6 hours a day to try to combat the cyano. It was growing so fast you could almost see it. I do not have a phosphate test kit as I can't find one any where locally. Is that worth the price to order off the internet? Also, will adding CO2 help?

 

[stevensdrs]

Reducing phosphate level will help to reduce the effect of Cyano Bacteria as will increasing water flow. However the only way to kill it stone dead is to nuke it with a course of antibiotics. Try a course of Maracyn for 5 days and your tank will be as clear of blue green algae as it was on the day you first set it up.
Your plants will also get a new lease of life and your fish will be totally unharmed.

 

[donkey]

yep i think your right . will get some Maracyn and kill it once and for all . were did you get your Maracyn from stevensdrs

 

[rdd1952]

Will Maracyn not affect the bacteria colony? I know some antibiotics will wipe them out creating an even bigger problem.

 

[Nisha]

Erythromycin (ie. Maracyn) shouldn't impact your bacterial colony too much. What will impact your tank balance is all the dead decomposing BGA. It should be cleaned before starting and any visible BGA removed each day so that it doesn't affect your tank balance.

This method works well for me:
1) Clean out all visible bacteria you can.
2) Treat for 5 days with 1 tablet per 10 gallons. Crush it first to help it dissolve.
3) Clean up all the dead algae that will float into the water everyday. This is very important because it will make your ammonia and nitrite levels rise as it decomposes.
4) Do a thorough gravel vac and water change at the end of the treatment. 25-50% Water change.

I've had no problems with this method at all, fish were happy and BGA has not returned.

HTH
~Nisha

 

[stevensdrs]

For those wishing to obtain Maracyn to treat BGA, I got mine from a company called shophereandsave. WWW.ebaystores.com/shophereandsave.

24 tablets cost $8.99 + postage of $1.95 total $10.94.

Ensure to order Maracyn and not Maracyn2 as that is a completely different spectrum antibiotic and wont work on BGA.

No need to worry about the good bacteria in the filter as this will not be harmed.

Allow 10 days for delivery.

 

[donkey]

Do they ship to the U.K ?

 

[Sanj]

The only thing is Marcyin is not removing the cause of BGA. It will remove it for a while , but if the cause is not removed it will come back.

 

[Sanj]

A blackout does seem to have a positive effect on cyanobacteria, but many people report it returning shortly afterwards. I've heard that you should dose KNo3 after the blackout to stop nitrates from falling too low. My nitrates are always in the 10-12mg/l range so I didn't bother.

I have been looking into this and i think this might be an answer.

I have purchased KNO3 from here: KNO3

Here is a dosing calculation: Calculating KNO3 dosage

One the above website is also information on controling algae and the KNO3O4 relationship.

If it gets out of sink can lead to BGA issues.

 

[Ob1]

Hi Sanj I will have a closer look the url - I hope you found the missing the link?

donkey did ever locate Marcyin in the UK?

cheers

Ob1

 

[donkey]

yes . but it has to come from the U.S.A one place is ebay and the other want £22 for it .it dont come cheap

 

[rdd1952]

I have had several people, online and in the LFS, strongly advise me against using Marcyn on the BG Algae. Most everyone says it is only a temporary fix. I am working to get rid of it naturally by adding plnats and cutting down on my feedings. It is slow but I am seeing less and less of the junk each day.

 

[guppygirl]

Ok I have a question. I am just gettting BGA in my 5 gallon. I've had it before in another tank, and I guess it got contaminated. I haven't seen it for months, and now it's in my tank. It's not exactly bad, but if I let it go it will take over. So here's my question, would water changes make the BGA not want to be there? Maybe I could do Maracyn and then do a big water change, then keep up weekly or bi weekly water changes? Because I've sorta slacked off on water changes this month.

 

[iggy01]

So here's my question, would water changes make the BGA not want to be there?

That all depends on the quality of your replacement water. I tried bi/tri weekly water changes when I had cyanobacteria, but my tap water contains high phosphate and this just seemed to feed it.