Nasty Algae All Over and Little Plant Growth

[Fresh2o]

. Never used a UV system enough said not going to argue with u using a chemical is the way to go please smh

Would you please provide links that mention UV as a treatment for Cyanobacteria?
Or you can provide personal observations: How bad was the BGA/cyano infestation? How many days did it take to treat it? Any reoccurrences? What UV sterilization model was used? That would be helpful.

 

[Fresh2o]

I’ve used API erythromycin in the past to eradicate cyano. It works though you are basically nuking your tank. If you have a high bioload tank, be prepared to deal with managing a potentially compromised nitrogen cycle. Fortunately I had a low bioload, heavily planted tank at the time. No ammonia/nitrate spike detected.
Understandably, antibiotics are not always available or not the preferred solution. Addressing light and organic waste issues should get to the root of the problem.
Dr Tim’s has a natural product called Re-Fresh that is a blend of microorganisms that help reduce the organic matter which may contribute to cyano growth. It is not snail or shrimp friendly from what I’ve read.

 

[ZxC]

I agree medication shouldn't be the first line of defense, but my situation was a classic case of where medication was absolutely needed.

I followed every guideline for months on end, my tank was in perfect shape, I got my plants growing very well, fish happy, water crystal clear and I was certainly way ahead of the cyano, but, it was still there, creeping across any part of the tank where flow was reduced, out of sight etc.... but I knew I was ahead of it, and if I took it out with chemiclean I knew it would not come back because I removed the root cause. Now, after the treatment, I know I killed any that was left after fixing the root cause. Chemiclean is nitrogen cycle safe, plant safe, shrimp/snail safe, fish safe and overall it will clean up any nasty bacteria in the tank. Even us as people will eventually need some meds at some point to overcome an illness, so in my opinion a 1 or 2 time dose of chemiclean is well worth it, and shouldn't be viewed as an ill practice in fish keeping.

 

[TMaier]

I still swear by adding more water movement.

Yoo-hoo. Did you read this. Coralbandit mentions flow as well.

I had it pop up in 2 separate tanks. Increased the flow and it never came back. Small nano circulation pump in the dead areas was all I needed. No meds. No black out periods.

 

[ZxC]

Yoo-hoo. Did you read this. Coralbandit mentions flow as well.

I had it pop up in 2 separate tanks. Increased the flow and it never came back. Small nano circulation pump in the dead areas was all I needed. No meds. No black out periods.

Not always the case, I increased flow dramatically and nothing happened. I think it really depends on the strain of cyano. Just like normal algae's, some like more flow, some like less flow and everything in between.

Of course we can simply add more flow, its easy, it just doesn't always work. It's worth a shot, just like blackouts/large water changes/organic material removal etc. etc. but when all else fails, it's time to bring out the heavy hitters. Nuke the tank, and then increase flow to ensure it does not come back.

 

[cherokeeluvr]

It’s been 48 hrs post dose 1 of Chemiclean. I can see minor die off of the Cyanobacteria in some areas. I did a 40% water change and did a second dose. In two days I’ll do a water change and evaluate if it needs another dose or not. I’m glad some death is already happening!

 

[ZxC]

It’s been 48 hrs post dose 1 of Chemiclean. I can see minor die off of the Cyanobacteria in some areas. I did a 40% water change and did a second dose. In two days I’ll do a water change and evaluate if it needs another dose or not. I’m glad some death is already happening!

Exactly what happened with me. 2 doses was enough. 2 days after the second dose there was zero, no cyano left at all.

Now, because you've killed off 99% of it, you should look into for flow, larger water changes and clean clean clean = keeping most of the organics out of the tank. This should ensure the cyano does not come back.

 

[cherokeeluvr]

Exactly what happened with me. 2 doses was enough. 2 days after the second dose there was zero, no cyano left at all.



Now, because you've killed off 99% of it, you should look into for flow, larger water changes and clean clean clean = keeping most of the organics out of the tank. This should ensure the cyano does not come back.

Good to hear!

Thanks!

 

[cherokeeluvr]

I just did the same thing as 2 days ago. The Cyanobacteria looks pretty much the same as it did Sunday, not much more has died, but no new growth. I just redosed again. Is there a limit as to when you should stop redosing to prevent harm to fish or plants? Or is it ok to keep dosing as long as you’re doing water changes every 2 days before redosing?

 

[ZxC]

I just did the same thing as 2 days ago. The Cyanobacteria looks pretty much the same as it did Sunday, not much more has died, but no new growth. I just redosed again. Is there a limit as to when you should stop redosing to prevent harm to fish or plants? Or is it ok to keep dosing as long as you’re doing water changes every 2 days before redosing?

I think you can redose after performing water changes, I never ended up doing 3 doses, the 2nd dose really took it out after a few days. Within a week it should be completely gone.

 

[cherokeeluvr]

Just did another water change and redose. Today looks much better! It’s hanging on in a few places, but the remaining green is starting to fade in color. Yay!!

 

[cherokeeluvr]

Wohoo! All the Cyanobacteria is gone/dead now! I siphoned our what I could of the dead stuff and the tank looks 100 times better. Thanks for all the help tackling this mess!!

I really hope it doesn’t come back, but at least I have a good weapon against it now.

 

[ZxC]

Wohoo! All the Cyanobacteria is gone/dead now! I siphoned our what I could of the dead stuff and the tank looks 100 times better. Thanks for all the help tackling this mess!!

I really hope it doesn’t come back, but at least I have a good weapon against it now.

Yep, it says on the box you can use it as part of your regular maintenance schedule, I personally would not use it unless I see the stuff coming back.

 

[russianaquarium]

Could you post a picture of what it looks like now? Im interested in seeing the results. Thanks

 

[cherokeeluvr]

Could you post a picture of what it looks like now? Im interested in seeing the results. Thanks

Sure! Here is post treatment.

https://ibb.co/mNJUEc

 

[TMaier]

Much better. Awesome