A few questions on blue-green algae

[Country joe]

it appears I have blue-green algae, Cyanobacteria,
I have sent away for Slime Out, to get rid, it receives good reviews, my questions are,
they say to increase aeration during treatment,by using an air stone, I just have my internal filter in my 125 juwel Rio tank, I can get a good deal on ebay with a pump and stone for a 50 litre tank, would this be enough, or would I have to go for their 100 litre pump, if I finished treatment would it be worth using an air stone permanently with my filter? Or would I get away with not using one whilst doing treatment.i was also going to gravel vacuum most of it off my gravel , but I'm just finishing my fishless cycle, and could be adding fish next week, would vacuuming the gravel kill off bacteria ?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I'm an advocate of rectifying issues as naturally as possible without using meds until absolutely necessary...cyanobacteria is a pain but you can get rid of it by finding the balance in your tank. It loves light and still water, excess nutrients wont be helping matters either. Remove as much of it as you can by hand, it lifts away very easily in sheets so you can siphon it out off the gravel. If you don't have any live plants then turn the lights off for now

 

[Colin_T]

If it's in a newly set up aquarium, it will usually go away once the tank ages a few months. However, if you want to treat it then go for it.

If you have a power filter with the outlet near or just above the water, it usually provides enough oxygen for the fish. However, it's always a good idea to increase aeration when treating the tank with any chemicals. Using an air pump with a small airstone is normally sufficient for tanks up to 3 foot long. If the tank is longer than 3ft, use several airstones.

You can buy plastic multicoloured airstones that can be taken apart, cleaned and put back together. These put less back pressure on the pump and last for years. whereas normal sand airstones block up and need replacing regularly.
Some have a weight in the bottom of the airstone to hold them down and these are the ones to buy. Amazon sells them. I can't post a link because google has fuplied up the search engine and none of the links work.

If you get a single outlet air pump, get a big one so it has a bigger airchamber and diaphragm inside and will produce more air. Alternatively get a 2 outlet air pump.

Vacuuming the substrate won't make any difference to the filter bacteria.

 

[Country joe]

If it's in a newly set up aquarium, it will usually go away once the tank ages a few months. However, if you want to treat it then go for it.

If you have a power filter with the outlet near or just above the water, it usually provides enough oxygen for the fish. However, it's always a good idea to increase aeration when treating the tank with any chemicals. Using an air pump with a small airstone is normally sufficient for tanks up to 3 foot long. If the tank is longer than 3ft, use several airstones.

You can buy plastic multicoloured airstones that can be taken apart, cleaned and put back together. These put less back pressure on the pump and last for years. whereas normal sand airstones block up and need replacing regularly.
Some have a weight in the bottom of the airstone to hold them down and these are the ones to buy. Amazon sells them. I can't post a link because google has fuplied up the search engine and none of the links work.

If you get a single outlet air pump, get a big one so it has a bigger airchamber and diaphragm inside and will produce more air. Alternatively get a 2 outlet air pump.

Vacuuming the substrate won't make any difference to the filter bacteria.

I'm due to add my weekly plant fertiliser should I still add it, and if I buy a pump and airstone will it be okay to use it permanently with my air coming from my filter in a tank with Harlequin Rasboras and small Tetras ?

 

[Colin_T]

Depending on what plants you have and how many plants you have will determine whether you should add plant fertiliser to the aquarium. If you don't have enough live plants or enough fast growing plants, they won't use the nutrients and the Cyanobacteria will use it instead.

If you are trying to get rid of Cyanobacteria, I usually recommend people stop adding plant fertilisers until the Cyanobacteria is gone.

Yes it's ok to use an air pump and airstone 24/7 in a tank with rasboras and tetras, as long as they have a few calm areas to rest and the fish don't get blown all over the tank by the current it produces. If you're unsure, you can post a video on YouTube then copy and paste the link here. We can watch the fish and see if they have to swim extra hard in certain areas. That would indicate strong currents there. If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone in landscape mode.