# Green slim algae



## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

I have read the best way to treat this type algae is with Maracyn or Erythromycin. But I have a few concerns:

1) Will they harm My Biological filter?

2) Will they harm my shrimp or ADF?

I would perfer not to use this method however it may be the only way.

1) Does anyone know a better way of getting rid of slime algae?


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

A friend of mine had a large outbreak of this stuff. He used Maracyn at half the recommended strength. He didn't have shrimp at the time so I can't help you there. 

I had a small out break a month or two ago. At first I tried manually removing it on my maintenance day and changed the water with a python to suck up the bits and pieces that I missed. That didn't work so well. I eventually started dosing nitrates, something I never used to do in the past and the slime receded. 

I concluded that my potassium/nitrate ratio was out of whack. I Bought a nitrate test kit before dosing at my nitrates were around 5 ppm. I can't find a potassium test kit locally so I guess I can’t really say for sure. 

Sorry about the rambling nature of the post. Hope it helps


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Is it really skinny? (sorry, couldn't resist!)


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## Ace (Dec 10, 2003)

How is the answer going to help him?


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

> Is it really skinny? (sorry, couldn't resist!)


 :hihi: It took me a while before I got it. 

Trenac, I use Maracyn half dose before. I think it did effect the bio filtration abit after the treatment because I could see that the water wasn't that clear a week after I clear the medication. But after that, it came back to normal. Nothing to worry since it's a planted tank anyway. Not sure about the shrimp though.


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

I was in a hurry when i wrote that post so I'll try to clean it up and correct a mistake. 

1) Maracyn: The half dose cleared up the slime, ammonia levels did not increase so impact on biofiltration was not measurable.

2) Nitrates: Blue-green algae can be a problem in tanks with very low nitrates. That’s why adding nitrates helped me. According to the algae articles at this and other sites, high phosphates not potassium (my bad:icon_roll ) may also be a factor. 

In short make sure your nitrates are at or around 10 ppm, and If you use medications, half the recommended dosage on the bottle worked with no ill effects on the biosystem.


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

Clone...I keep my N03 at a 10ppm maybe I will try raising it a bit too 12ppm. My P04 is keep between 1-2ppm. 

Thanks for everyones help.

I just order some Maracyn on line so as soon as I get it I will start the treatment.


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

I wouldnt dose maracyn at half levels. I would dose at regular max strength for the five day period. If you dose less you run the risk of developing a super strain that is resistant to erithromycin or other antibiotics..this isnt good for you and isnt good for anybody else. I found no effect on my bioload...I did however notice a really large growth spurt after treatment of my plants..this was great. The marcyn fixed the problem and it hasnt returned...btw blue green algae isnt algae but bacteria...it can cause sickness so if you handle it...wash hands afterwards...it smells to.


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Maracyn is sold as a treatment for "fin and tail rot, popeye, and body fungus", according to the label. The recommended dosage is for those maladies, not BGA.

Most people recommend using a half dosage to kill BGA. That works for me. It disappears.

Of course, antibiotics prescribed for human consumption should be taken as prescribed, because resistant bacteria can develop if they are not.

Bill


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Are we sure we are talking about BGA? Only then will EM work. If it is blue-green and stinky indeed, it should work. EM will not harm shrimp or fish, and half dose should work for BGA.

Just wasn't all sure that the "green slim algae" :tongue: really is BGA.


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## Joey88again (Jun 17, 2004)

Do you use regular tap-water or purified RO water? Your source water can cause it. I am more into saltwater and if you use tap water you get all kinds ofugly algae I had a problem with green slime algae. Water flow can eliminate it as wel angle your filter to where it is.


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

Joey...I use tap water & aiming the water flow is impossible since it is over the entire tank.

I just got the Maracyn today from Big Als, so I will start dosing tonight.


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

Well Maracyn is widely used for treatment of Cyanobacteria which alot of people mistakenly refer to as algae. I know alot of people who advocate half doseages which for some have worked. However half doseages in some cases have not worked or when the cyano bacteria has come back it has been resistant to EM treatment due to its not being fully killed of by a half doseage...Why would you take this chance? A full doseage isnt harder on the fish or the bioload...its just alittle more money is all.


Of course, antibiotics prescribed for human consumption should be taken as prescribed, because resistant bacteria can develop if they are not.

Bill

Bill interesting quote...but BGA is no different from the some of the drug resistant strains that plague people. Its a bacteria like any other....partial treatment with antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistant strains...I dont think anybody wants a tank full of drug resistant toxic stinking cyanobacteria...

Maracyn is just veterinarean grade Erythromycin, You could use the same stuff at the same level from your pharmacy with the same results...


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Hi,

Cyanobacteria are a link between algae and bacteria. They are neither an algae nor a bacteria, according to current thinking.

BGA. algaes, and many pathogens are permanent residents of many aquariums. They don't become apparent until conditions are such to provide the stimuli to cause them to start to reproduce. 

I haven't seen any references to drug resistant strains of BGA. 

The dosage on the label of Maracyn is for several bacteriological infections of fish. The preponderance of opinon seems to be that one half of that is sufficient to curb a BGA outbreak without harming the biofilter or causing other problems.

Of course, BGA and other nusiances can recur. No cure is permanent.

Bill


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

See the Krib article for info on this...
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cyanobacteria.html


Lowered doses, and shortened dosing periods, significantly raise the
chances of producing resistant strains. If you use the medicine at 
recommended strength for the entire recommended duration, you are 
less likely to build resistance.

About nitrifying bacteria being affected: Erythromycin is primarily
effective against gram positive bacteria, and I belive most nitrifying
bacteria are gram negative. That being said, I have had instances
where the tank had to re-cycle after it was treated with Erythromycin.
Go figure.

Shaji
-- 
Shaji Bhaskar bhaskar-at-bnr.ca
BNR, 35 Davis Dr, RTP, NC 27709 (919) 991 7125

Theres lots more articles on the web both on this site and several other ones regarding drug resistant strains of cyanobacteria. I guess all I am trying to say is that if you do manage to create a drug resistant strain of cyanobacteria by half dosing....and it does take hold really strong then you might as well junk the tank and bleach it out...Awhile ago I had a massive amount of cyanobac. in my tank, which I think was caused by low nitrates in the water column. The only thing I noticed was a sudden nitrite/ammonia spike after initial large dosing, as more than likely the large die off caused a sudden spike in the bioload. I run 2 large canisters and I noticed even as the die off progressed with the bacteria turning brown on day 2 the water params rapidly returned to normal. I chose not to do a water change as I didnt want to dilute the drug level. 

The stuff is pretty toxic, looks bad, is hard on plants, poisonous to people and fish and smells like crap...The tank is in my office..so It had to go. Since the dosing I have experienced great plant growth and stable steady water paramaters...I saw no indication of a complete nitrifying bacteria drop off at large doses of Erithro over 5 day period. 

For me this way worked.


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

I reviewed the articles that you cited at The Krib. There were four or five references to "resistant strains" of BGA. Four merely repeated the assertion that the dosage specified on the package should be used to avoid producing them; one, by Roger Miller, a recognized authority, stated, in part: "I haven't heard of any erythromycin-resistant strains of cyanobacteria. To that extent the warnings about developing resistant strains are theoretical, so can you can accept or reject the idea as you see fit."

Interested readers can go to The Krib to satisfy themselves that the references that you cited support or do not support your contention. 

As far as the "proper" dosage is concerned, you must remember that Maracyn is sold as a medication for certain fish diseases. There is no reason to believe 
that the dose listed on the package is also ideal for killing BGA. Following your logic, if an antibiotic used to treat infections on elephants was also found to kill BGA, one should use the same dosage in the aquarium as would be used on the elephants!

I will repeat my contention that half of the dose used to contain the fish infections works quite well against BGA and causes fewer unwanted side effects that does the larger dosage. This seems to be accepted by most experienced plant growers. This can be verified by perusing the archives of the APD at actwin.com.

Bill


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

aquabillpers said:


> Hi,
> 
> Cyanobacteria are a link between algae and bacteria. They are neither an algae nor a bacteria, according to current thinking.
> 
> Bill


Actually, this is incorrect. Cyanobacteria has been scientifically classified as a bacteria for years. The only similarity is that this bacteria contains chloroplast like other eukaryotic algae's. Every other aspect of Cyanobacteria shows that it is a simple unicellular bacteria (usually).


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Yes, you are right, of course. Cyanobacteria is one of the three phyla in the kingdom Monera, bacteria. Some see it as a "bridge" between plants and bacteria, mainly because it photosynthesizes, the only member of that kingdom that does that (I think). It used to be in the plant kingdom, as algae, as years ago, was bacteria.

Sorry for the mistake.

Bill


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

As far as the "proper" dosage is concerned, you must remember that Maracyn is sold as a medication for certain fish diseases. There is no reason to believe 
that the dose listed on the package is also ideal for killing BGA. Following your logic, if an antibiotic used to treat infections on elephants was also found to kill BGA, one should use the same dosage in the aquarium as would be used on the elephants!


well I have to disagree, theres upteen evidence that bacteria when exposed to lower doses of antibiotics eventually builds immunity to them. Erithromycin is a general wide based antibiotic that is used by both Vets and GPs to treat multiple types of infections. I dont see what you mean by your elephant analogy. Are you aware that most common forms of penicillin arent widely proscribed anymore due to the fact that they have little to no effect on most bacterias. Unfortunately due to the fact that useage of antibiotics as a cure is a relatively recent phenomenum all things considered...

some more info on the subject

http://www.microbeworld.org/htm/aboutmicro/microbes/types/bacteria.htm

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/heal-cn.htm

I am not trying to be an alarmist, but if you use antibiotics you should consider alot of issues during treatment. The prescribed doesage for Erithromycin is based on treatment of standard bacterial cells and their wall thickness, which share similar attributes to their cousins cyanobacteria. With this in mind doesnt it make more sense to use the regular amount during treatment? The other issue is that alot of antibiotics other than a few commonly available grades require a prescription from a Vet in most areas...which is a pain if you end up having to use something stronger to treat due to drug resistance. 

I think most oppose full doseage because of perceived kill off of helpful nitrifying bacteria in the tank. There seems to be little evidence to support this. I really do believe that the spike most people see is the waste generated by the elimination of large amounts of cyanobacteria and its subsequent decomposition.

However if you disagree, can you show any links where half doseage treatments of bacteria is beneficial vs. full doseage treatments? Other then speculation?


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

OK, you are missing my point which is, in essence, that experience has shown that that one half tablet of Maracyn per 10 gallons kills BGA a minimum of side effects. Your checking of the APD site should have shown you that.

Also, as far as I know, there is no credible evidence of any resistant strains of BGA developing from that dosage.

Your general comment about antibiotics is valid. Smart people always take all of everything that their doctor prescribes. But as far as I know, nobody has come up with the optimum dosage for BGA, and years of experience has shown that half of the popeye dosage works just fine. (Again, the recommended dose on the Maracyn package is to cure that in fish, not to kill BGA.)

I didn't check your links because The Krib links that you cited earlier were irrelevant, just padding. That is the kind of stuff that gets inexperienced PhD candidates and young lawyers into trouble.

I am almost as tired of this thread as are the people who are following it. I'm done with it. 

Keep your dosages up. <g>

Bill


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

If your that tired...why bother with the lengthly reply...I think your the one whos misinformed. But thats your choice...and your entitled to your opinion...no matter how erroneous it may be..

The krib article is just a good overview for others...

you keep citing the fact that Maracyn is for other ailments...

Do you not realize that the majority of those parasites, bacterial infections ect..share commonalities in cellular structure with BGA?

You cant be bothered to read any links...so Im done posting.


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9705/msg00153.html

http://www.intelipet.com/NewFiles/fishquest.html
(near the bottom, a vet recommends 200mg/dose)

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9705/msg00200.html

lol thats enough...I have had to read so much junk Biotech stuff since school anyways...theres alot more for anybody whos interested...if your not..save yourself the read, and just follow the recommendations on the Maracyn box. 

Have a good weekend.


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

On Thursday I started dosing Maracyn at half dose but to play it safe I am going to increase it to the full dosage tonight. In the enclosed info in the Maracyn box it says "When used as directed they (Mardel products) do not interfer with the biological filter". This was what I was really worried about. So thanks guys for all the info (debate) on resistent strains of BGA.


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## techbearus (Apr 21, 2004)

Does full dosage of EM kill good bacteria? 

Let me post some experimental results here. After reading all the different opinions, I thought this is something that I can possibly experiment and figure out. Well for the experiment, I used my 10 gal tank and a LFS 40 gal tank. My 10 gal didn't have much of green slime, some of it here and there in corners where the flow of water was very low (example, near the bottom of dwarf sags). Well it kind of looked ugly, so thought to get rid of it by EM. And another tank with my LFS which was a 40 gal and had a bad infestation of green slime. I dosed both the tanks with regular dosage of EM tabs (1 tab for every 10 gal), and observed it for the next 4 days. In both the cases the algae was gone. On the first day you observe it getting loose and getting into water and then within the next two days, don't know where it has gone, but its completely disappeared in both the tanks. In the 10 gal, I didn't observe any nitrate or nitrite spikes, the tank was normal as ever, fish seemed to be perfectly happy. But in the 40 gal there was a nitrate increase from 10ppm to around 15ppm, but no sign of any loss of good bacteria. It surely made sense, the spike was caused by the decomposing dead slime algae.


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

I finish with dosing on Monday and everthing looks great. All fish & shrimp survived without any stress. For two days I dosed half dose then went to full dose for the remaining three days. When I did my water change I just swaped the syphone over the plants and the dead stuff just came right off.


Thanks for everyones help :fish:


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

If you have any carbon handy you might want to run alittle in your filter to absorb any left over Maracyn that your water changes missed. Run it for like 1 week maximum or less if its a high turnover filter, then remove and discard.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

I am gonna try that too. My lfs recommended that em stuff but said it could hurt the bacteria in my filter. They never mentioned Maracyn though. But they said EM is what they use and besides the good bacteria getting hurt the results are great.


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## GreenTank (Mar 2, 2004)

Marcyn is Erithromycin. Just another trade name by Mardel Labs for the stuff.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

i realize this is a relatively old thread, but i came across it when searching for info on EM treatment of BGA with shrimp, as I've developed a nasty patch in my cherry shrimp tank. I'd like to add a dimension to this thread that seems to have been ignored, or at least inadequately covered:

1. when treating with EM, you're treating the water column, not the individual animals, so the elephant analogy is useless... if you're treating 2000lbs of elephant or 2000 lbs of human it will take roughly the same amount of antibiotic to safely destroy the bacteria. in this case if you're treating 30 gallons of water with 2 fish or 50 fish, the dose for 30 gallons is the same. 

2. drug resistance is a well known phenomenon that results in "super-strains" of bacteria. whether it is possible or not to develop a resistant cyanobacteria shouldn't even be the issue. every tank has bacteria, including the ones that cause some nasty fish diseases, floating in the water at all times. whether they ever get a foothold and are able to infect your fish is dependent on many factors, most of all water quality. Let us suppose that in a 10 gallon tank with 3 black mollies and 2 gouramis there has been no visible sign of bacterial infection for 6 months, and no previous outbreaks in the tank. One day cyanobacteria gets a foothold and starts to spread like mad. the owner of the tank reads up on this and other forums on dosing EM to kill it off... they decide to use a diluted dose (1/2 recommended value) since it's not a fish disease, but a nuisance "algae", and have read that 1/2 dose should kill the outbreak. *here's the part that keeps being overlooked, and the part of antibiotic resistance that's so important...* even if the desired target is eliminated, there are still LOTS of bacteria in the water, and if they full dose is not used, it is quite possible that they will not all be eliminated by the dosing. so 3 weeks after the last of the cyanobacteria has disappeared, everything is fine (except for a slightly higher nitrate reading). suddently a gourami and a molly in the tank start showing signs of illness... hanging at the surface, not eating well... one ends up with an obvious bacterial fin and gill infection, the other appears ok on the outside, but is definitely ill. so now it's time to medicate the fish... uh oh. the bacteria are resistant, and the fish die before a secondary antibiotic can be administered. now if the plants, substrate, filter, driftwood, fish, etc. in this tank ever move to another tank, the resistant cultures move with them, quite possibly making it to stores, vendors, hobbiest breeders, etc.

the same is true in human healthcare. you shouldn't halfway treat a mild infection in a flesh wound even if it will kill off the offending bacteria because of the *other* types bacteria that might remain and become resistant. this causes lots of people to end up on some potent and dangerous antibiotics(see vancomycin and intestinal side effects) and in intensive care units with sepsis, vre, mrsa, and others. sadly, lots of them die. I realize the tank situation is both hypothetical and dramatized, but the point remains. Using antibiotics in any way other than the recommended dose and duration is a very dangerous thing to do. unless you're involved in the research and development area of a company that deals with these drugs and the bacteria they're intended to treat, you really don't know exactly how effective a half dose is going to be, and when it boils down to it, you're risking a disease outbreak to save a few bucks on a cheap antibiotic. it might not happen to you, in fact... it probably won't. but sometime it will... and if it happens 10 times, and to people who trade on aquabid, forums, or with dealers/breeders, that's all it will take to spread a new strain of a nasty bug that is much more difficult to eliminate. discussion and criticism is welcome, as i'm sure it's bound to come up.

that being said, tomorrow i'm buying some EM to treat my tank, so long as I don't come across anyone who has had experience in losing shrimp to the treatment.


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

Oqsy... Great post, makes a lot of sense to me. When I started dosing EM I started with the half dose because that was what the census was at the time, then others like you started disagreeing with the half dose method, so that made me think and I changed to the full dose the remaining of the treatment. I am still glad to report that the treatment was a success; BGA has never returned. 

The two tanks I treated had shrimp in both with no losses :icon_bigg


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

What an interesting thread this is... 
I couldn't help but ask, does anyone have a working dosage for erythromycin?
I have 500mg capsules and 55-gallon tank, my assumption is to use 250mg per 10-gallon.
Any other insights?


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Hello,

I have used 100 and 200 mg per 10 gallons with good results. After several treatments the BGA disappeared and stayed away. The two tanks in question were heavily planted but newly set up when the outbreaks occurred. Now they are lush.

By the way, there is little if any evidence that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found in aquaria. Some try to draw parallels with human experiences but those don't appear to be valid. If you are interested try doing a Google search in the Actwin domain, via Google's advanced features.

Good luck!

Bill


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## trenac (Feb 15, 2004)

The E-mycin tabs I used where 200mg each and I added 1 tab per 10 gallons, every 24 hours for 5 days.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

aquabillpers said:


> By the way, there is little if any evidence that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found in aquaria. Some try to draw parallels with human experiences but those don't appear to be valid.


you could be right. however, it doesn't make sense to me that bacteria would behave one way once inside or around humans, but then behave entirely differently once near or in an aquarium. pseudomonas is a very prolific and quite common bacteria found absolutely everywhere. it is known to cause sinus infections in humans, and can also be found in large numbers in every tank owned by every member of this board (probably in extremely reduced numbers in those with UV sterilizers, but most likely still there) pseudomonas can quite definitely become resistant to antiobiotics when inside a child's sinuses. why would it be any different when it's in your fish, or even just floating in the water or stuck to the filter media? like i said at the beginning of this post, you might be right, but it seems highly unlikely that this bacteria will react to antibiotics so differently in these two instances. that's not to mention the millions of other kinds of bacteria, for better or for worse.

two links quickly pulled from google about pseudomonas resistance:

http://www.dermapet.com/articles/anitbiotic.html
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20020419/02/


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Hi, Oqsy.

I agree. Since antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found everywhere, it would not be logical to presume that they would not be in aquariums since, as you pointed out, they clearly are. They also are inside our bodies in countless numbers, and usually do no harm.

When this thread began, the discussion was concerned with the proper dosage of Maracyn (erythromycin) needed to kill BGA. Marycyn is sold to treat fin and tail rot, pop eye, and body fungus, at a rate of 200 mg per 10 gallons of water. Some plant growers maintained that half that amount would be better, to avoid unwanted side affects. Others said that the full dose (for fish) would be better, in part because it would reduce the chance of producing antibiotic-resistant BGA.

My point was that there seemed to be no evidence anywhere (that I could find) that referenced problems caused by resistant strains of bacteria in aquariums. That doesn't seem to be an issue in the hobby.

The fact that resistant Pseudomonas sp. are found in aquaria is unarguable but also not particularly relevant. (BTW, some Pseudomonas species have a natural resistance to some antibiotics.)

In any event, I have used Maracyn in newly set up, substrate rich planted tanks with success, at both dosages. Both work fine, with no discernable side effects. 

Good luck.

Bill


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

aquabillpers,
excellent post, and well put. you're right about both the naturally resistant pseudomonas spp. as well as the lack of a problematic resistant bacteria in the hobby. thanks for your input on the topic, and i plan on dosing with EM to put a damper on my bga issues (i have since rectified macro inbalace in the new tank that led to the outbreak) and the remaining patches just seem to have too strong a grasp on my x-mas moss to give up without a fight.


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## sanj (Jan 11, 2004)

*where do you get it?*

hello i min the UK, i have just started getting blue-green algae in one of my plants, particulalry around the dwarf Sag at the front of the tank, i suspect low circulation area.

Is this E-mycin bought from the chemist? I cant find mycin mail order in the UK?

I have an algae treatment which i got last year, but never used. Esha Protalon 707. It says it treats all algae including Blue-green, but it doesnt show its ingrediants.

Anyone used it?


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Hi, Sanj,

Here in the US the antibiotic erythromycin is often sold as Marycyn. It is packaged by Mardel. It is readily available in pet shops and, by prescription, through druggists (chemists). If you took the latter route, you would want 100 or 200 mg tablets.

It is also available on line, but I don't know if there are any restrictions on its purchase where you live.

As an antiobiotic, erythromycin focuses on bacteria and has no effect on higher plants. Other purported algacides attack plant cells and can kill the 
"good" plants as well as the bad ones. I know nothing about the brand that you mentioned.

Another approach is that of the blackout as developed by Tom Barr. He described it again just today in a posting at the APD site.

Good luck! 

Bill


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## sanj (Jan 11, 2004)

Hi Bill,

thanks for the info. I think i can mail order it from a site called inhouse pharmacy. Hope so anyway. Problem is that I am going to India for two weeks this sat and so i cannot do anything for a while. It has spread a little just hope i dont come back to a disaster. The aquarium is densley planted.

I will order when I get back. Seems like it does the trick though from the posts I have read.

Sanj


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Hi, Sanj,

If your plant is well planted and the plants are growing, you have just ablut solved the problem. Let us know how things work out, OK?

Enjoy your trip!

Bill


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

aquabillpers said:


> The fact that resistant Pseudomonas sp. are found in aquaria is unarguable but also not particularly relevant. (BTW, some Pseudomonas species have a natural resistance to some antibiotics.)


great thread, bill et al.

you are correct in stating that several bacteria have a "natural resistance" to some antibiotics. for example, using a cell wall active agent vs an organism lacking a cell wall is an obvious exercise in futility. the sad thing, friends, is that most cases of antibiotic resistance can be described at best as darwinism. i find it discouraging that usage of antibiotics can be so inappropriate at times. certainly, though, i think we have "cleaned up our act" somewhat over the last couple of decades. however, i'm sure very few people are aware that over 50% of antibiotics, by mass, are used in animal feeds. why? because the animals grow faster. thus, millions of pounds of potentially life saving antibiotics are released into the environment every year. and now, of course, we have, for example, streptococcus pneumoniae that shows alarming rates of resistance to penicillin. :icon_roll


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