# Fight Blue Green Algae



## niceguy1234 (Nov 11, 2012)

After 3 months of my planted tank set up, my HC were all suddenly dead within a week. I removed all the dead HC and tried to pull out as many roots as possible. A while later I got many screen film on the water surface, and I believe those organic matters are from the remaining dead HC roots. I also found bubbles underneath the ADA aquasoil after the photo period. I used a BBQ stick to release the bubbles and it had stinky smell, and I could confirm it was the Blue Green Algae / cyanobacteria. Most of them were located underneath the substrate, and some at the corner of the substrate surface, non on the plants yet. There was no ill effect on the fishes and shrimps at this moment.

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I decided to use erythromycin to kill it. I dissolved the erythromycin powder into a small cup and injected the solution into the soil using the little plastic pump came with ADA drop checker.


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## niceguy1234 (Nov 11, 2012)

To continue:

Dosing erythromycin schedule as follow: (20% water change before dosing, no fert add, photo period for 8 hours /day)
Day 1: 200mg
Day 2: 100mg
Day 3: 100mg
Day 4: nothing
Day 5: 100mg
Day 6: nothing
Day 7: 100mg
Day 8: nothing
Day 9: 100mg
Complete

Now it does not have any more bubbles in the substrate; however, I am not sure those Blue Green Algae are completely die either.

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During the process, fishes are okay, while there are some red cherry shrimps die. After day 9, I resume adding ferts as normal.


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## niceguy1234 (Nov 11, 2012)

More info for my tank:
ADA aquasoil II
ADA mini-M 5G tank
Do!Aqua CO2 starter kit
ADA drop checker
ADA Aquasky361 LED light
AC20 filter

Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
kH: 3
gH: 4
Co2 injection: 30ppm (light green color)

Fish: 2 Oto, 1 SAE
Shrimp: 5 RCS


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

watch out for no3 especially the day after water change, and keep it high!! 10 to 15 ppm sounds good. em would help, but if no3 is low or zero it will come back right away. hope that helps


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## niceguy1234 (Nov 11, 2012)

I pfert Nitrogen every 2-3 days now to keep up with the NO3


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## niceguy1234 (Nov 11, 2012)

I have staghorn algae out break after the BGA die off. It probably caused by the ammonia spike when killing BGA. I can remove those on the rock by using my hand and toothbrush. But there are a lot of staghorn at the bottom of my rotala that I have to use the Excel spot treatment, I guess. I am finding hard time with my planted tank. Why I need to fight algae one after the other all the time.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Unfortunately when you get a bit more than enough algae you don't have much choice but to cut it out.
However, as Tom Barr has always said, just focus on growing plants and you'll keep the algae away. Good ferts, good CO2, and water changes. Especially water changes whenever something dies (plants, fish, bacteria, algae, etc). 
I've had very little problems with algae in the past, but after a week out of town, and a tank sitter that didn't dose properly in combination to some meds that seemed to kill certain plants, even after 'righting' a tank, I still have a little bit of thread algae. Now I've got a bit more work to do to pull them all out, but I'm focusing on good water parameters for growing plants and the algae have not gotten worse.

I'm not sure what the other planted guys keep their NO3 levels at but I keep mine at around 20-30ppm at all times for plant health and also to keep BGA away.


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