# Bacteria



## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi, I have this terrible bacteria in my tank. It is a green gooey bacteria that is on my moss wall, sunset hygro, vals and red mellon sword. Please help me with this. Is there any type of species or a tablet I can purchase to get rid of this awful thing.

Thanks

Rocky


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

Are you talking about cyanobacteria? Others call it Slime algae, etc.

Similar to these pics below?










If that's correct you could first try a 3 day blackout, where you completely wrap the aquarium in garbage bags to block light out.. personally for me that only worked for a week then it came back.

What worked for me was Maracyn (erythromycin), basically it's a fish medication used for some other fish dieases but it's the only thing i was able to use to get rid of cyanobacteria, any aquarium store should carry it. I found mine at Big Als in Calgary


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

YES thank you Nick, You are a life saver. This stuff has actually taken over and it has just kills the beautiful look of my moss wall. I will look into this THANK YOU!


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

Yea that stuff is nasty, i battled it a few times in my Rimless 24 gal i think it was. Surprisingly it's some of the easiest stuff to get rid of with the maracyn i used.
Maybe a combination of both that and the blackout would work good.

Once you have it solved you might want to investigate into why it's taking over. Here is a tidbit i got from another site tropicalfishkeeping



> B) Best way to prevent cyanobacteria in your aquariums:
> The best way to keep your tank free of cyanobacteria, is to keep up on your water conditions. Don't over feed, keep water quality at perfect or near perfect levels. The most important being the nitrate level, like plants, the cyanobacteria uses nitrates as food. Light is also important. Cyanobacteria, like plants use photosynthesis to survive. Phosphate levels also need to be in the right range. Make sure you have good filtration, good oxygen levels and good co2 levels.
> 
> Read more: Cyanobacteria​


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The blackout works for most people, but if any remains then it can come back, especially if you don't correct the conditions. I wrapped everything in plastic bags and then threw a blanket over top so there was still some airflow from underneath. No peaking, no feeding, nothing for 3 days. To do that I fed the fish well in the morning, then did a big water change, 50% or more, and took out as much of the BGA as possible and also do a gravel vac, and then covered it up and unwrapped everything. And immediately did another water change before feeding again.


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

Wheels I'm a bit confused. You said no feeding for 3 days but then you said you fed them only in the morning.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Feed clean, cover for 3 days without peaking. Then open up clean and feed.


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

hmmmm ok Ill try that maybe it will work. Hopefully it does. I think I may pick up come maracyn from petsmart if they have any.


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

Ok, Just started the Blackout now. I havent picked up any maracyn. So should I leave the blackout longer? Think my fish will be hungry?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Fish don't need to eat every day. We just think they do. They'll be fine for 3 days.


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

Thanks guy with all your help. I did the blackout and most/all of it is gone. I used no maracyn and added new plants. Thank you


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

thats good news to hear!


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

rocky i think you will fare better with this issue as well if you get a few algae eaters...

personally i like oto cats and amano's but it depends on your stock

for a while i would up your water changes as well, like 15% WC two times per week

with those small changes you should see that slime algae dissapear...


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Not to sound like a know it all, but algae eaters (ie Amanos, Ottos, bristlenoses, etc) will NOT eat cyannobacteria (aka green slime or blue/green algae). It is usually a nitrate/circulation issue and is an indicator that something is amuck in a tank. Good to hear your tank is better, Rocky.

Best Regards,

Stuart


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

Interesting, well I'm just speaking from personal experience... Mine went away after I added those guys and I didn't change anything else


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