Please Help Identify This ... This ...

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This Old Spouse

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This just developed today! Just in a small section of my 55g, but I've never seen it and I need to know if it's going to hurt things. Please help! Red fungus or algae I guess. Not great photos, especially the second one, but you get the idea. Thanks for any help.

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i dont know personally but i googled this ''red algae'' you were talking about and found some stuff called Cyano you could google 'Cyano in aquarium' and see if thats what your's looks like, based on your pictures it does to me but as i said im no where near an expert but it would be worth a shot?? if it is Cyano it talks about cutting back on feeding and doing extra water changes. hope this helps!
 
Does look to be cyanobacteria, at least some form. As stated do water changes and siphon it out as you do so. Have your water tested if possible for phosphates, high levels are the number one cause.
 
Sry no help here but....Do you have piranhas in that tank? lol It looks like a crime scene!!! :hyper:
 
Yes, freshwater. I keep this tank very clean, always have. 50% water changes each week. I just started dosing Seachem Flourish a few weeks ago. Could that be the problem?
 
Yes, freshwater. I keep this tank very clean, always have. 50% water changes each week. I just started dosing Seachem Flourish a few weeks ago. Could that be the problem?

I would say so. Anything which upsets the balance of nutrients in the water usually has knock-on effects.
 
If thats what you've changed it could well be it :)

I'm suffering some thread algae problems as a result of dosing ferts.
 
I was battling some brown algae, mainly on my pennywort, so I started dosing Flourish on a recommendation. The pennywort is fabulous now, but then this junk appeared. What a balancing act!! I've been thinking of starting a CO2 system, but it just looks wildly complicated. How does one find just the right balance??
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Does look to be cyanobacteria, at least some form. As stated do water changes and siphon it out as you do so. Have your water tested if possible for phosphates, high levels are the number one cause.
Wrong. Phosphates do not cause algae, nor do they cause cyanobacteria.

Yes, freshwater. I keep this tank very clean, always have. 50% water changes each week. I just started dosing Seachem Flourish a few weeks ago. Could that be the problem?
No. Flourish is not the problem either. Sometimes overcleaning is the issue: cyano is more likely to grow in a low nitrate environment as it has the ability to fix it's own nitrogen. Low flow is also a causal factor.

There is a red type of cyanobacteria. Cyano is treated by:
1. manual removal.
2. blackout (between 3-7 day total blackout, depending on how bad it is)
3. increasing flow
4. increasing ferts (both of the last two to come into effect as soon as the blackout ends)
 
Perhaps it's time to get that Siamese Algae Eater you've always secretly wanted but could never justify. :lol:

Actually you could try moving the bristlenose plec in to see if he likes it.
 
Perhaps it's time to get that Siamese Algae Eater you've always secretly wanted but could never justify. :lol:

Actually you could try moving the bristlenose plec in to see if he likes it.
If it's cyano that won't work - nothing eats cyano. However, if it's algae then it's possible that an algae eater may take care of it. You'd have to ID it definitively first though.
 
Does look to be cyanobacteria, at least some form. As stated do water changes and siphon it out as you do so. Have your water tested if possible for phosphates, high levels are the number one cause.
Wrong. Phosphates do not cause algae, nor do they cause cyanobacteria.

Wrong. They most certainly do. Phosphates may not be the problem here but they play a role in other algae.


Yes, freshwater. I keep this tank very clean, always have. 50% water changes each week. I just started dosing Seachem Flourish a few weeks ago. Could that be the problem?
No. Flourish is not the problem either.

I disagree.

There is a red type of cyanobacteria. Cyano is treated by:
1. manual removal.
2. blackout (between 3-7 day total blackout, depending on how bad it is)
3. increasing flow
4. increasing ferts (both of the last two to come into effect as soon as the blackout ends)

You're taking a very simplistic approach to the subject. There are numerous interacting processes that lead to algae (or cyanobectaeria). It's that very reason that makes it so difficult to totally eliminate all algae in the tank at all times.

Perhaps it's time to get that Siamese Algae Eater you've always secretly wanted but could never justify. :lol:

Actually you could try moving the bristlenose plec in to see if he likes it.
If it's cyano that won't work - nothing eats cyano. However, if it's algae then it's possible that an algae eater may take care of it. You'd have to ID it definitively first though.

I'm not convinced it is cyanobacteria although I admit I'm not sure exactly what it is. It looks more like an algae to me.
 
It looks like algae to me too. There are actually little stems that I can see but I couldn't get a good photo. When my husband gets home tonight I'll have him take a look.

I think 50% water changes each week are just right. I don't overclean it as I like to see some natural growth take place (note the algae to the right of the red stuff on the driftwood). I'm going to keep googling to see if I can find something, and I'm more than happy to see other suggestions here. It's something I haven't seen before so maybe this could be a learning experience.
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