A Cyanobacteria Question
- Thread starter Akasha72
- Start date
Ahh, thats annoying!
Hmm, only other suggestions that may work is your idea of blacking out the edges along substrate areas on front of glass may work.
Here is a link that may help with knowing what this is and how to eradicate it, I have used this site many times and 8.5 times out of ten its fairly accurate, may be worth trying one or two of these ideas anyhow -
Scroll down to Blue Green Algae / BGA - Algae Guide
"This isn't a true algae, but a bacteria called cyanobacteria that is able to photosynthesise. Covers everything in a blue/green slimy mat. Easily peels off but grows back again very quickly. It can smell pretty foul. It is very commonly found in the substrate and especially along the front glass where is receives light.
Often caused by very low nitrates. It is fairly common to have it growing in the substrate against the front glass from where it can spread. Sometimes it appears with new setups that have had light and ammonia present at some point. Dirty substrates and filters may also bring it on. Poor water circulation is another possible cause.
A blackout is the best method for this. Clean out as much of the algae as you can and do a 30 to 50% water change. If your nitrates are low then add some potassium nitrate to get levels to 20ppm. Remove CO2 and add an airstone. Turn off lights and cover the whole tank so no light can enter. Leave it for 3 to 4 days. No peeking and no feeding - fish will be fine without food for this period. After 3 to 4 days remove the covers and do a 30 - 50% water change. Remove airstone and start CO2. You will need to dose nitrates to keep them dropping too low again. Make sure your substrate and filter doesn't become too clogged up with mulm and also make sure you have good water circulation around the whole tank.
Another option is to treat with Maracyn which is an anti-biotic. Seems to work well but may affect the biological filter. In the UK it is illegal to purchase Maracyn without first getting a prescription for it from a vet.
If the BGA is originating from the substrate place some dark tape on the glass to hide the substrate from direct light."
Whether low nitrates is a cause, I am unsure but it will certainly be a combination of things and low nitrate may be one of them.
Hmm, only other suggestions that may work is your idea of blacking out the edges along substrate areas on front of glass may work.
Here is a link that may help with knowing what this is and how to eradicate it, I have used this site many times and 8.5 times out of ten its fairly accurate, may be worth trying one or two of these ideas anyhow -
Scroll down to Blue Green Algae / BGA - Algae Guide
"This isn't a true algae, but a bacteria called cyanobacteria that is able to photosynthesise. Covers everything in a blue/green slimy mat. Easily peels off but grows back again very quickly. It can smell pretty foul. It is very commonly found in the substrate and especially along the front glass where is receives light.
Often caused by very low nitrates. It is fairly common to have it growing in the substrate against the front glass from where it can spread. Sometimes it appears with new setups that have had light and ammonia present at some point. Dirty substrates and filters may also bring it on. Poor water circulation is another possible cause.
A blackout is the best method for this. Clean out as much of the algae as you can and do a 30 to 50% water change. If your nitrates are low then add some potassium nitrate to get levels to 20ppm. Remove CO2 and add an airstone. Turn off lights and cover the whole tank so no light can enter. Leave it for 3 to 4 days. No peeking and no feeding - fish will be fine without food for this period. After 3 to 4 days remove the covers and do a 30 - 50% water change. Remove airstone and start CO2. You will need to dose nitrates to keep them dropping too low again. Make sure your substrate and filter doesn't become too clogged up with mulm and also make sure you have good water circulation around the whole tank.
Another option is to treat with Maracyn which is an anti-biotic. Seems to work well but may affect the biological filter. In the UK it is illegal to purchase Maracyn without first getting a prescription for it from a vet.
If the BGA is originating from the substrate place some dark tape on the glass to hide the substrate from direct light."
Whether low nitrates is a cause, I am unsure but it will certainly be a combination of things and low nitrate may be one of them.
OP
OP
Akasha72
Warning - Mad Cory Woman
thanks for that Ch4rlie. If you remember I did cover it with some thin card and masking tape for 7 days and it didn't go away and that was when I tried your suggestion of sucking it out. I'm planning now on going in with a length of airline tubing and targetting it with that and sucking out again.
I'm reluctant to do a full black out when it's below the substrate but I do accept that the comment on 'dirty substrate' would fit here ... keeping sand clean isn't easy - it's not like you can syphon over it as you can with gravel. I do have thousands of trumpet snails turning my sand and with my cories constantly rooting around in it it's not as if it's not being turned over.
I did look at a product by Easylife the other day that claims to remove algae. I'll need to do more research into whether it works and whether it would work on BGA as it's not technicly an algae at all before considering buying it though.
As to low nitrates ... I honestly doubt this is the cause. I'm a lazy so-n-so at testing but the last time I did a full test my nitrates were at around 40 and that does seem to be my average on Nitrates - although we all know Nitrate tests are a pain. I never trust what it says 100%.
From your link/write up it would seem I'm back to your original idea of just sucking it out and topping up with clean sand where needed, unless someone else can come up with another idea.
The only saving grace is it's not that visable with grey/black sand as it would be with a natural coloured one!
I'm reluctant to do a full black out when it's below the substrate but I do accept that the comment on 'dirty substrate' would fit here ... keeping sand clean isn't easy - it's not like you can syphon over it as you can with gravel. I do have thousands of trumpet snails turning my sand and with my cories constantly rooting around in it it's not as if it's not being turned over.
I did look at a product by Easylife the other day that claims to remove algae. I'll need to do more research into whether it works and whether it would work on BGA as it's not technicly an algae at all before considering buying it though.
As to low nitrates ... I honestly doubt this is the cause. I'm a lazy so-n-so at testing but the last time I did a full test my nitrates were at around 40 and that does seem to be my average on Nitrates - although we all know Nitrate tests are a pain. I never trust what it says 100%.
From your link/write up it would seem I'm back to your original idea of just sucking it out and topping up with clean sand where needed, unless someone else can come up with another idea.
The only saving grace is it's not that visable with grey/black sand as it would be with a natural coloured one!
Ah, of course you did, i forgot about that you already tried the covering of the substrate at front of glass, sorry 
I do know about trying to keep sand clean, I have very fine sand in one of my tanks and its truly a pain to try and keep it clean. Drives me nuts at times, am going to change this sand for grey/black sand instead of the natural colour it is currently as it looks dirty all the time :x
Anyway, I digress, that all i can think of in regards to your cyanobacteria remedies tbh, hope somebody can chime in with some alternative suggestions
I do know about trying to keep sand clean, I have very fine sand in one of my tanks and its truly a pain to try and keep it clean. Drives me nuts at times, am going to change this sand for grey/black sand instead of the natural colour it is currently as it looks dirty all the time :x
Anyway, I digress, that all i can think of in regards to your cyanobacteria remedies tbh, hope somebody can chime in with some alternative suggestions
OP
OP
Akasha72
Warning - Mad Cory Woman
I spotted this on the shelf at my lfs last week and so I decided to buy the bottle to try it
http/www.easylife.nl/en/freshwater/blue-exit
I use easylife's easycarbo and fertilizer and so there should be no clash with chemicals. I'll let you all know if it works
Just done my water change and read the instructions and so the first dose is about to go in. No water change again for 14 days and that's my normal routine anyway so I've timed it right
http
/www.easylife.nl/en/freshwater/blue-exitI use easylife's easycarbo and fertilizer and so there should be no clash with chemicals. I'll let you all know if it works
Just done my water change and read the instructions and so the first dose is about to go in. No water change again for 14 days and that's my normal routine anyway so I've timed it right
Just thinking outside the "box" shrimp keepers are generally fanatical about water conditions and the possibility of adding anything dangerous to the shrimp in order to control cyanobacteria outbreaks. So going with a shrimp care idea could you perhaps add some Benibachi Bee Balls to your tank. These are mineral balls that are designed to improve shrimps colour and health while reducing ammonia and apparently reducing the growth of cyanobacteria while maintaining a stable pH.
Since its growing under the sand I am wondering if a good option would be to increase the sand agitation in that area to improve oxygen levels, since they cyanobactria is obviously living in anaerobic conditions.
I am guessing that this is the same tank that currently houses quite a few corydoras, but another option that may work for you would be (and I HATE to suggest it because 9 times out of 10 they become a pest themselves) burrowing snails. MTS are the most common and the plague of my tanks, but being in the UK you should be able to get some pretty nice Sulawasi snails that not only look nice but will also burrow and improve circulation of air and nutrients through the sand. Even some nerite snails will like to dig, and maybe a good option. Personally if going with snails I would aim for fresh water notopala species of snails or Sulawasi species of snail.
Another option would be add something like blackworms, these live in the substrate and eat organic matter, they will also come to the surface of the substrate and look for food. I did have a thriving population in my dedicated shrimp tank until the heater malfunctioned and cooked the worms and nearly all the shrimp. In my other tanks where the blackworms have been able to avoid being scoffed by the catfish and every other species of fish the blackworms are residing under things like timber and in the plants roots.
Since its growing under the sand I am wondering if a good option would be to increase the sand agitation in that area to improve oxygen levels, since they cyanobactria is obviously living in anaerobic conditions.
I am guessing that this is the same tank that currently houses quite a few corydoras, but another option that may work for you would be (and I HATE to suggest it because 9 times out of 10 they become a pest themselves) burrowing snails. MTS are the most common and the plague of my tanks, but being in the UK you should be able to get some pretty nice Sulawasi snails that not only look nice but will also burrow and improve circulation of air and nutrients through the sand. Even some nerite snails will like to dig, and maybe a good option. Personally if going with snails I would aim for fresh water notopala species of snails or Sulawasi species of snail.
Another option would be add something like blackworms, these live in the substrate and eat organic matter, they will also come to the surface of the substrate and look for food. I did have a thriving population in my dedicated shrimp tank until the heater malfunctioned and cooked the worms and nearly all the shrimp. In my other tanks where the blackworms have been able to avoid being scoffed by the catfish and every other species of fish the blackworms are residing under things like timber and in the plants roots.
OP
OP
Akasha72
Warning - Mad Cory Woman
Hey Baccus, I already have millions of MTS ... they all come out at night the tank is just a mass of snails. I've started picking handfuls out to try and reduce their number but they are breeding faster than I can pick em out!
I've never heard of Sulawasi snails - gonna have to google now. I have two nerites, never seen them burrow though. They tend to wander about the tank cleaning plants and wood and my glass too.
I've never seen blackworms in the U.K - other than the frozen variety to feed to fish! If I could get them I recon I'd never stop the cories digging, I'm sure they'd love seeking those out to eat!
I'm on day three of the 5 day course, tank lights are off so it's hard to tell but it does look to be dying back a bit. I'll be able to tell more later when the lights come on.
Right off to google to look at these snails
I've never heard of Sulawasi snails - gonna have to google now. I have two nerites, never seen them burrow though. They tend to wander about the tank cleaning plants and wood and my glass too.
I've never seen blackworms in the U.K - other than the frozen variety to feed to fish! If I could get them I recon I'd never stop the cories digging, I'm sure they'd love seeking those out to eat!
I'm on day three of the 5 day course, tank lights are off so it's hard to tell but it does look to be dying back a bit. I'll be able to tell more later when the lights come on.
Right off to google to look at these snails
MTS are a real pest, I hunt them out of the tanks every so often but there is a never ending supply of them and it all begins to feel a bit "ground hog day". If I could get true fresh water puffer fish here in Australia I would be set since I have a constant food source for them.
My olive nerites, which will live in fresh but really need slightly brackish for long term health used to bury themselves, but not all that often. Notopala snails will gladly bury themselves which is surprising since they can have very chunky shells. A notopala species I am sure you should be able to get in the UK would be Japanese Trapdoor snails.
The closest creatures I can think of that would do a similar job to blackworms would be live tubifex worms, they used to be a common live food years ago but seem to have gone out of popularity. Your catfish will definantly LOVE eating tubifex worms too, in fact I haven't found a fish yet that didn't like eating tubifex worms live. Even with a healthy and constant food searching pack of corydoras I still have blackworms surviving in my cory tank, the worms just stay down lower in the substrate and hang around structures that the corys cant move or burrow under.
Failing snails or worms to improve the water and air circulation through the substrate, all I can think of is scrap back the sand and manual removal. There is only one shrimp I can think of that might eat cyanobacteria but you would need to expose the algae for the shrimp to be able to get to it in your situation.
The Benibachi balls might still be a viable option too.
Is your sand 100% sand? I tend to have a blend leaning towards more sand than gravel, I find this helps the rooted plants spread their roots through the sand which in turn reduces the pockets of anaerobic bacteria.
My olive nerites, which will live in fresh but really need slightly brackish for long term health used to bury themselves, but not all that often. Notopala snails will gladly bury themselves which is surprising since they can have very chunky shells. A notopala species I am sure you should be able to get in the UK would be Japanese Trapdoor snails.
The closest creatures I can think of that would do a similar job to blackworms would be live tubifex worms, they used to be a common live food years ago but seem to have gone out of popularity. Your catfish will definantly LOVE eating tubifex worms too, in fact I haven't found a fish yet that didn't like eating tubifex worms live. Even with a healthy and constant food searching pack of corydoras I still have blackworms surviving in my cory tank, the worms just stay down lower in the substrate and hang around structures that the corys cant move or burrow under.
Failing snails or worms to improve the water and air circulation through the substrate, all I can think of is scrap back the sand and manual removal. There is only one shrimp I can think of that might eat cyanobacteria but you would need to expose the algae for the shrimp to be able to get to it in your situation.
The Benibachi balls might still be a viable option too.
Is your sand 100% sand? I tend to have a blend leaning towards more sand than gravel, I find this helps the rooted plants spread their roots through the sand which in turn reduces the pockets of anaerobic bacteria.
OP
OP
Akasha72
Warning - Mad Cory Woman
hi again, I did look at the snails but I've not seen them anywhere in the U.K but I shall be keeping my eyes open now just in case. As to these balls you speak of I forgot to look for those. I'll make a note of it and have a look online.
I can't have shrimps in my tank ... not for any other reason than I find them creepy ... I really can't stand looking at them. They freak me out and I don't know why!
I'm looking at the cyanobacteria now and it does seem to be shrinking in size. There doesn't seem to be as much as there was but that might be wishful thinking on my part.
The only good thing is it's confined to this one spot under the gravel and no where else. If I see it appearing above substrate I'll have to go with a complete blackout
I can't have shrimps in my tank ... not for any other reason than I find them creepy ... I really can't stand looking at them. They freak me out and I don't know why!
I'm looking at the cyanobacteria now and it does seem to be shrinking in size. There doesn't seem to be as much as there was but that might be wishful thinking on my part.
The only good thing is it's confined to this one spot under the gravel and no where else. If I see it appearing above substrate I'll have to go with a complete blackout
If you could get over your freaking out at shrimp, I am sure you would grow to love them
. My cherry shrimp I enjoy looking at just for their intense colour especially some of my super reds and the blacks. My chameleon shrimp I love because of their constant changing patterns and colours. My Darwin Red Noses remind me of helicopter Pinocchio's and have pretty subtle markings too. My typhus too I like because of their colours and patterns. But my all time favourites would still have to be Riffle shrimp, I never tire of watching them wave their filter feeding nets about in the water.
You should be able to get Benibachi balls from ebay or even some dedicated shrimp selling sites will sell shrimp supplies.
You should be able to get Benibachi balls from ebay or even some dedicated shrimp selling sites will sell shrimp supplies.
Baccus said:
What are Benibachi balls? I am intrigued......
Sorry Akasha for hijacking your thread about this, but i HAD to ask
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