Green slime/algae?

[namru9]

So I have a new tank I am setting up. Cycled for about 1 week with no fish and a few plants. Had a small battle with Brown diatoms, but finally some green algae appeared and it cleared up on it's own. Over the past month or so, I've added 6 Neons, 3 clown coaches, 2 Cory's, 2 Panda cats, 3 Flying foxes, and a Clown Pleco. The last 2 weeks have been a battle with this green sludge covering my glass, sand and plants. I've been manually removing and hoping the foxes would take care of the rest.

Any help in identifying and hints on how to fight is appreciated. As I am working on this being a planted tank, I don't think a black out will work. My quick research makes me feel it is cyanobacteria. Hoping not, but perhaps someone who know better will let me know.

 

[namru9]

Forgot the pics

 

[Bob]

It does kind of look like bacteria to me =(

 

[vtran86]

is there any water movement in your tank? I find that that type of "algae" really likes stagnant water.

 

[namru9]

There is pretty good current in my tank. I have a pump that pulls down and tows across the bottom.

 

[keman]

Too much light??

 

[namru9]

Yeah, probably too much light as I increased my light cycle in an attempt to boost my plant growth.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

So I have a new tank I am setting up. Cycled for about 1 week with no fish and a few plants. Had a small battle with Brown diatoms, but finally some green algae appeared and it cleared up on it's own. Over the past month or so, I've added 6 Neons, 3 clown coaches, 2 Cory's, 2 Panda cats, 3 Flying foxes, and a Clown Pleco. The last 2 weeks have been a battle with this green sludge covering my glass, sand and plants. I've been manually removing and hoping the foxes would take care of the rest.

Any help in identifying and hints on how to fight is appreciated. As I am working on this being a planted tank, I don't think a black out will work. My quick research makes me feel it is cyanobacteria. Hoping not, but perhaps someone who know better will let me know.

Hi namru9,

Yes, that is cyanobacteria (AKA Blue-Green Algae / BGA).

 

[namru9]

So I have a new tank I am setting up. Cycled for about 1 week with no fish and a few plants. Had a small battle with Brown diatoms, but finally some green algae appeared and it cleared up on it's own. Over the past month or so, I've added 6 Neons, 3 clown coaches, 2 Cory's, 2 Panda cats, 3 Flying foxes, and a Clown Pleco. The last 2 weeks have been a battle with this green sludge covering my glass, sand and plants. I've been manually removing and hoping the foxes would take care of the rest.

Any help in identifying and hints on how to fight is appreciated. As I am working on this being a planted tank, I don't think a black out will work. My quick research makes me feel it is cyanobacteria. Hoping not, but perhaps someone who know better will let me know.

Hi namru9,

Yes, that is cyanobacteria (AKA Blue-Green Algae / BGA).

Ugh, was hoping I would get lucky. Guess it is time for multiple and more frequent water changes, coupled with mechanical clean up. From what I read, a lights out is an effective way, but I am curious as to what it will do for my live plants. Perhaps I'll try to cut back my lighting to just a few hours a day to hopefully starve out the bacteria but not my live plants too much. Or any of you live plant experts feel just a 3-4 day blackout won't hurt the live plants too much?

I did read that you can use Erythromycin to clear it up, but can potentially un-cycle your tank.

 

[flamechica]

Sorry to hear you are having this issue. Wish I had some advice for you. I just want to follow this thread, because I once had this in a tank a few years ago. It was a small 4g tank with one fish, so my solution was to move it to another tank and nuke the tank, since I didn't know what else to do to get rid of it. Really the only thing I have useful to add, is that it might be due to too much light, as this 4g tank I had, for some reason the little heaters they sell for small tanks just didn't work well with this tank or I just didn't have a good one, so I left the incandescent light on most of the time, as it provided most of the heat for the tank.

 

[namru9]

Just for a quick update, here is what has been done and where I am at now. I have been upping the water changes to 2 times a week, cutting back light, food, and manual removal of the bacteria. This has slowed the growth, but it is still a constant re-occurrence growing on everything.

So at this point I have given up on starving it out, as it seems to come back anyways. I have just did a 50% water change, removed my carbon filters and am applying Erythromycin. Hopefully my good bacteria survives and it kills off this Cyanobacteria mess. Looks like I dose today, again in 24 hours, do a 25% water change and repeat. After that if all looks clear, I can then move forward with adding back a carbon filter and keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Anonymous]

If it's cyanobacteria that's what I would do. To be honest I just used this medication in my 17 gallon. Best and quickest results if you remove what you can 1st then dose. The stuff was gone in just one dose in my tank.