Blue green algae

[Jason181]

Blue green algae has infested my tank, covering parts of the glass, gravel, heater etc. I have red cherry shrimp in there and am wondering if it is deadly? The bacteria most likely grew because I decided to leave dead shrimp in there which has probably decomposed into ammonia for the bacteria to grow off, I also leave the lights on for around 14 hours a day. Is this bacteria deadly to my shrimp? Three of my shrimp died and I have no idea how, maybe from eating the bacteria? It won't bother me if it isn't deadly, just want to keep my shrimp safe. Sorry for asking a question on this thread.

 

[Colin_T]

Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacter bacteria) does release toxins and bottom dwelling organisms are more likely to suffer from it.

Do a big daily water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks. Try to physically remove the blue green algae. Increase aeration/ surface turbulence. educe the amount of dry food going into the tank.

 

[Jason181]

Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacter bacteria) does release toxins and bottom dwelling organisms are more likely to suffer from it.

Do a big daily water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks. Try to physically remove the blue green algae. Increase aeration/ surface turbulence. educe the amount of dry food going into the tank.

Should I use medication alongside this and shut lighting off for a few days? Also is there a way to stop my shrimp from getting stressed out when I remove ornaments etc. When I removed an ornament and did a water change yesterday they went mad.

 

[Colin_T]

Medication/ chemicals do not affect blue green algae and neither does turning out the light.

Just clean the tank up and reduce dry food and it should clear up on its own.

If you have old fluorescent lights on the tank you might change the globes but don't bother doing that unless the globes are more than 12 months old. If you do change globes, get new globes with a 6500K (K is for Kelvin) rating. And replace the fluoro starters when you replace the globes.

 

[Jason181]

Medication/ chemicals do not affect blue green algae and neither does turning out the light.

Just clean the tank up and reduce dry food and it should blear up on its own.

If you have old fluorescent lights on the tank you might change the globes but don't bother doing that unless the globes are more than 12 months old. If you do change globes, get new globes with a 6500K (K I for Kelvin) rating. And replace the fluoro starters when you replace the globes.

I do not like using medication from advice and the side effects it can have on fish I have previously had. However, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006ZR46W0/?tag= I found this online and it is not an antibiotic and does not hurt shrimp or fish, think that will be fine?

 

[Colin_T]

I don't know what the ingredients are but the link mentioned biocide and that usually indicates chemicals of some sort. It also says to remove carbon from the filter so it doesn't adsorb the treatment. This all suggests it is something chemical based and that means it can harm the fish.

The info online also recommends follow up treatments as a preventative.

Personally, I would not use it unless you know exactly what the ingredients are. As for using it as a preventative afterwards, that is a company trying to get you to buy more of their product. When you get the tank cleaned up the blue green algae doesn't normally come back and you don't need to add things to prevent it recurring.

Doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate regularly, and minimising nutrients from uneaten food will normally prevent it from coming back, and is also how you treat it.

 

[utahfish]

Turn the temperature down in your tank as well. Turning out the lights will help. Cynobacteria photosynthesizes.
When i had cynobacteria i did a complete black out. Turned off lights turned down heater didnt feed increased turbulence on filter and did daily large water changes. I put a towel over the glass so absolutely no light would get in, i also took all the ornaments out which was wood at the time and scrubbed them.
Took about a week before it was all gone.
Good luck.

 

[Jason181]

Turn the temperature down in your tank as well. Turning out the lights will help. Cynobacteria photosynthesizes.
When i had cynobacteria i did a complete black out. Turned off lights turned down heater didnt feed increased turbulence on filter and did daily large water changes. I put a towel over the glass so absolutely no light would get in, i also took all the ornaments out which was wood at the time and scrubbed them.
Took about a week before it was all gone.
Good luck.

Will the lack of light not hurt my plants, I have a lot of java moss and a couple of marimo moss balls, or my shrimp?

 

[Colin_T]

A total blackout will affect your plants.

You don't have to do a total blackout and I never bother when it popped up in my tanks. I simply did more water changes and gravel cleans.

Changing temperature won't make much if any difference because it can grow in cold or warm water. It can also grow in total darkness or bright light.

 

[utahfish]

Will the lack of light not hurt my plants, I have a lot of java moss and a couple of marimo moss balls, or my shrimp?

Definitely wont hurt the moss balls they like shade, the plants should be fine for a few days without light where as the cynobacteria wont.
Algae needs 8 hours of continuous light to grow plants dont.
Plus the cynobacteria is stealing nutrients from the plants anyway and if left unattended will eventually cover plants decreasing their ability to photosynthesize and plants will die.
Give the black out about 3 days and see how it goes. Then when you turn the lights back on id knick it down under 8 hours. 7.5 hours on a timer. The plants will be fine the algae not so much.

 

[Jason181]

A total blackout will affect your plants.

You don't have to do a total blackout and I never bother when it popped up in my tanks. I simply did more water changes and gravel cleans.

Changing temperature won't make much if any difference because it can grow in cold or warm water. It can also grow in total darkness or bright light.

Thanks for all the help, just decided I'm going to scrub off as much as I can and dose with easy life blue exit. Before I buy anything or do anything, what I'm seeing is definitely blue green algae right?

 

[utahfish]

A total blackout will affect your plants.

You don't have to do a total blackout and I never bother when it popped up in my tanks. I simply did more water changes and gravel cleans.

Changing temperature won't make much if any difference because it can grow in cold or warm water. It can also grow in total darkness or bright light.

Colder water limits bacteria. Decreased light limits photosynthesis.
Cynobacteria is still an algae and decreasing light and nutrients will effect it the same as any other algae.
The plants wont die in 3 days. They wont be happy but either will the cynobacteria. If one is worried about plants during the black out turn on lights for a few hours no longer than 8 to limit algae.

 

[utahfish]

Thanks for all the help, just decided I'm going to scrub off as much as I can and dose with easy life blue exit. Before I buy anything or do anything, what I'm seeing is definitely blue green algae right? View attachment 102018

Yup.

 

[Byron]

Do not use easy life blue exit. This is obviously some chemical concoction, though the manufacturer's site does not say what is in it, and this alone worries me.

Cyanobacteria is caused by organics in the presence of light. The water changes, substrate cleaning, cleaning filter, feeding less, not overstocking, reduce plant additives if any, that other members suggested--all this helps deal with it. The only way to rid the tank of cyanobacteria is to resolve the cause: organics beyond what the system can handle normally.

Light blackouts will help thwart it but unless you deal with the organics, it will return as soon as the light comes back.

As for this blue exit being safe...let them prove it. Additives in the tank water get inside fish, plants and invertebrates. No matter what these chemicals are, this is harmful. It is not "safe."

 

[seangee]

The bacteria most likely grew because I decided to leave dead shrimp in there which has probably decomposed into ammonia for the bacteria to grow off,

No that's not the cause. There is an imbalance somewhere that needs to be corrected - but one, or even several, dead shrimp won't cause a problem in a balanced system.