How Do You Get Rid Of Cyanobacteria?

fishnovice · Jun 29, 2010

Someone gave me a lovely live plant, looks like large anubia, that is unfortunately covered with black slimy stuff he said was cyanobacteria. I wiped it clean of black stuff and have been keeping it in a plastic tub. What's the best way to kill all the bacteria and would it be safe to put plant in my tank after cleaning?

RadaR · Jun 30, 2010

Cyanobacteria aka Blue Geen Algae (BGA) can crop up due to a few reasons.

Dirty filter/substrate containing lots of physical organic waste which is leaching ammonia (levels can be so small that they are undetectable)
Low circulation/flow. BGA loves deadspots.
Low nitrates. Typically under 10ppm but can be higher if the plant's needs are greater.
Too much light from a window.
Lack of water changes allowing undetectable ammonia levels to rise as well as algae spore levels.

By trial and error, go through these causes and you should find the right one. Manual removal and blackouts quickly remove the BGA, but the underlying cause must be treated otherwise it will coem straight back.