My Continuous Battle with Green Cyano

[lmw80]

I have had green cyano for about 2 months now. It hasn't gotten too bad, because with every weekly water change, I take out all I can see and rinse everything off, so it only grows back as much as it can in one week.

Recently, it has started on my driftwood. I rinse the cyano off the driftwood, but do you think it could have sunk into the wood and that's why it's coming back every week? I don't want to remove the driftwood because I have a pleco, but if need be, I will purchase new drifwood. What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[lmw80]

Now please, don't everyone jump at once to give your input...there's plenty of space for everyone...

 

[grimlock3000]

I believe that cyanobacteria will not grow in areas of strong current. If you could put the driftwood in front of tha filter outlet, or point a powerhead at it, it might clear up from that spot.

I dealt with Cyano a while back by blocking out the lights to my tank for 3 days. I used pieces of cardboard and some 3 ring binders to block the light. When the lights came back on, "normal" algae started to grow and the cyano never came back.

 

[lmw80]

I will definitly try moving the driftwood. As far as the light being out of the tank for 3 days....sounds a bit rough on the fish...

 

[Guest]

Fish can take a blackout, I've done a 5 day blackout before, all fish lived, even all the plants did too.

Cyano can be stubborn stuff, I've only ever been able to get rid of it with Antibiotics.

 

[lmw80]

I have heard of a name of a product to remove it....it started with an E....can't remember the name though

 

[grimlock3000]

Probably erythromycin, which is also sold as Maracyn. I tried killing my cyano with a half dose of it over the reccomend timeframe, it did not seem to do much except put a dent in my bio filter. The darkness is likely much safer than using medicine.

My fish were fine after I did it. When the three days were over, I took the blinders off during the night, so when morning came the tank gradually lit up as the sun rose.

 

[shawmutt]

I went through a full cycle of erythromycin, one tablet per 10 gallons for 4 (or 5) days. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. I cleaned the tank as well as I could and added it. Only side effect was a weird layer of bubbles on the top while I was adding the stuff. All my cyano was eradicated, I did a 40% water change and added carbon to the filter. It's been a few weeks, no sign of cyano and no side effects so far to the fish. Two things--1. make sure you dose the tank as long as the box says (4 or 5 days, I forget) even if you don't see the cyano anymore, and 2. you really want to order the erythromycin online...it's a lot cheaper. Make sure you check the label...there's Maracyn, Maracyn 2 and Maracyn Plus. Maracyn, the right stuff, will list erythromycin as the active ingredient.

 

[Madame_X]

I too cured my cyanobacteria with erythromiacin (Maracyn). I got it in both my planted tanks from some infected cabomba I got at PetsMart. It smelled funny when I got it but never having had cyanobacteria I was unfamiliar with the smell (not anymore!). Even disinfecting it didn't help. I tried blackouts and frequent water changes, both of which definitely helped slow it down but would not keep it from coming back.

It didn't cause a noticeable affect on my biofilter; there was never any measurable ammonia or nitrite after the treatment. However, both tanks are fairly well planted and this may have been what kept the levels down.

I walked by a tank of cabomba at PetsMart the other day and it had that same familiar smell. I mentioned it to a guy working in the department and he just looked at me like I was crazy. I've bought other plants from them with no problems before but wherever they have gotten their recent shipments of cabomba is definitely infected. You can't miss that smell once you've been exposed to it! :|

 

[Fruitbat]

Right you are, Madame_X!!! The most common cyanobacterium found in tropical fish aquaria is Oscillatoria. It has a VERY distinctive smell. Another cyanobacterium, Anabaena also has a similar smell and it releases a mild toxin into the water for good measure. Anabaena, fortunately, is relatively rare in aquariums.

 

[Sinuhe]

I've had some cyanobacteria in all of my tanks, and in one of them it got pretty bad. Surprisingly, I beat it with frequent gravel vacuums and keeping the lights off. No medicine needed. I'd do more frequent gravel vacuums than once a week for a while, at least like 3 times a week, and keep the light off for most of the day for several days as well (you can turn the lights on to check on things, feed the fish, and so on).

 

[lmw80]

Well, after reading all the posts related to this, I think I am going to try the medicine. I have been batteling this for quite a while now, and the smell is just horrible. I will definitly let you know how it goes.

 

[grimlock3000]

Let me know if the medicine creates a wretched foam on the surface or you water. It did that in my tank for some reason, and to shawmutt mentioned it too, I want to know if it was normal