# Green Slime Algae wont go away



## wkndracer

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
hope this helps


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## tetra73

With a 100g tank, I do wonder if you have enough CO2. What is the color of the drop checker? 3 bps? Which bubble counter are you using?


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## livingword26

tetra73 said:


> With a 100g tank, I do wonder if you have enough CO2. What is the color of the drop checker? 3 bps? Which bubble counter are you using?


And how are you diffusing your co2


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## mxzxr

I am using the bubble counter that comes with the setup from Green Leaf, then after the counter it goes through a reactor to break up the co2. I've kept many aquariums, fish only with a plant or two, but never had this green slime algae. wkndracer i will take a look at that thread shortly. Thanks


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## tetra73

mxzxr said:


> I am using the bubble counter that comes with the setup from Green Leaf, then after the counter it goes through a reactor to break up the co2. I've kept many aquariums, fish only with a plant or two, but never had this green slime algae. wkndracer i will take a look at that thread shortly. Thanks



You mean the glass bubble counter? Those are awfully small bubbles!!! 3bps from that bubble counter is more or less equal to 1.5 bps counted directly from the CO2 tubing. If you don't have a drop checker, get one with the 4kdh solution. You may not have enough CO2 level.


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## livingword26

They say that low nitrates and good flow are the prime cause of BGA, but you seem to have that covered. 4 x t5ho seems like a lot of light, but I don't know what your tank dimensions are. Aside from that, consistent, regular NPK and Micro ferts, vacuuming and water changes. If you have all that covered then hit it with the Maracyn, (erythromycin).


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## happi

are you talking about cyanobacteria, its very difficult to get rid of. but Erythromycin will get rid of it.


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## mxzxr

Yes it is cyanobacteria. I have some tetras and clown loaches, along with some inverts (snails, and amano shrimp), will treating with erythromycin kill everything in the tank though?


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## Hoppy

If you haven't calibrated your nitrate test kit, don't assume that it is giving you meaningful readings. If you follow a dosing method, like that in the sticky, you can forget about measuring the nitrates, and just rely on knowing that it will be enough, and will be limited to an amount that will still not be too much.


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## oliverpool

Is using erythromycin the only way to get rid of BGA? I have a spot of this at a spot near the right side along the glass of my tank. I have tried to move the plants/rock near that location to see if it was the flow issue. It did not seem to improve and that spot of BGA seems to be growing bigger by the day. I really hate to use medicine if there are other way to get rid of this.


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## willbldrco

If one uses erythromycin to get rid of BGA, other bacteria in the tank are killed too, including beneficial bacteria driving the nitrogen cycle of the tank. I've read that one must watch their tank very closely for several weeks after administering erythromycin. Does anyone have experience in doing this? What changes happened to the tank (other than the BGA dying off)? Are any special steps helpful in restor
ing the good bacteria?

I'm pretty sure I have it in my tank. Here are some pics:


























Note that in the last one the algae sort of streams off the leaf tips into a thread or hair-like algae. But it's not thread/hair algae as it doesn't remain in that shape after lifted out of the water (it's just slimy like the other BGA spots).

Will


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## livingword26

I have killed BGA in 2 freshwater and 1 saltwater tank with Erythromycin, and never had any signs of a cycle. If you look on a package of Maracyn, it says that it kills gram positive Bacteria. From what I have been able to find on the internet, nitrifying bacteria is generally gram negative, and less susceptible to the Erythromycin in Maracyn.


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## willbldrco

livingword26 said:


> I have killed BGA in 2 freshwater and 1 saltwater tank with Erythromycin, and never had any signs of a cycle. If you look on a package of Maracyn, it says that it kills gram positive Bacteria. From what I have been able to find on the internet, nitrifying bacteria is generally gram negative, and less susceptible to the Erythromycin in Maracyn.


Very good to know, thanks for the info!

Will


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## m00se

Your animals will be fine.

Not to get off topic but I notice that erythromycin is getting awfully scarce out in the wild and I've heard rumors that there's only one company that made it and they're not making it anymore. Anyone heard anything about that? If true we need to find another effective drug to kill this stuff.


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## kamikazi

I also dosed 2 freshwater tanks with Maracyn. No ill effects on plants, fish or cycle. Got rid of the cyano! All I did was follow the directions on the maracyn box..


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## radfish

I am also having problems with GSA in my 90 gal tank. I'm thinking of getting some ferts from Rex Rigg to increase my nitrate levels then blacking the tank out. Anybody ever tried his ferts? Is he still in business? I'm also debating about using erythromycin instead. Those of you who've used erythromycin-how did you get it? (Perscription?) And how did you figure out the dose?


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## IxIBluepitIxI

radfish said:


> I am also having problems with GSA in my 90 gal tank. I'm thinking of getting some ferts from Rex Rigg to increase my nitrate levels then blacking the tank out. Anybody ever tried his ferts? Is he still in business? I'm also debating about using erythromycin instead. Those of you who've used erythromycin-how did you get it? (Perscription?) And how did you figure out the dose?


GSA is the acronym for green spot algae I remember reading that it's a sign of low phosphates. I had of GSA at one point. I regulated my CO2 supplementation and started dosing Fleet(not much is need per dosing). You may want to search for threads that pertain to GSA for more particular advice in managing it.


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## jart

My suggestions:
1) try reducing your light and/or photoperiod. Check out the sticky in the lighting section on PAR.
2) search the forum for BGA and blackouts. A blackout can work for this type of algae, but only if it is done correctly.
3) do you have enough water circulation? I have found that BGA would grow in areas that had very poor flow.


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## livingword26

radfish said:


> I am also having problems with GSA in my 90 gal tank. I'm thinking of getting some ferts from Rex Rigg to increase my nitrate levels then blacking the tank out. Anybody ever tried his ferts? Is he still in business? I'm also debating about using erythromycin instead. Those of you who've used erythromycin-how did you get it? (Perscription?) And how did you figure out the dose?



If you meen Green Slime Algae, then this is what you need<










You can get it as Petsmart or many places online. I have heard that people have ordered from Rex, and not gotten any replay. I would email him first or you can get dry ferts from:

http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizer.html


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## m00se

Rumor has it that Rex has passed away.


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## Jeff5614

radfish said:


> ...I'm thinking of getting some ferts from Rex Rigg to increase my nitrate levels then blacking the tank out. Anybody ever tried his ferts? Is he still in business?...


ATM, you'd probably be better off buying from another vendor such as GLA, Aquariumfertilizer.com or one of the other vendors who's name I can't remember if you're looking for dry ferts.


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## livingword26

m00se said:


> Rumor has it that Rex has passed away.


Rex never struck me as old, but I guess that doesn't mean anything. I hope he is alright. He could be sharp to deal with, but he did a lot for the hobby.


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## atsaunders

*How to fix green slime algae.*



mxzxr said:


> I cannot get rid of this algae no matter what i do. 100 Gal. planted tank. (4x39 watt) 156 total watts of hagen life-glo T5 HO light. CO2 is 3 bubbles per second, and this runs for 10 hours a days with the lights. Nitrate is 30ppm. Nitrite is 0 ppm. PH is 7.7. Filter is a FX5. If I do a water change of 30% a day or don't do a water change for a month nothing changes. Any suggestions would be great.


There is only one permanent fix to this problem. Sufficient aeration of the water. 

The ONLY time EVER that I've seen green slime algae become a problem in ANY tank regardless of water quality is when there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water. With sufficient aeration, it goes away completely on it's own. Without, it'll be back, probably sooner rather than later.

It makes sense, cyanobacteria require a low-oxygen environment to live. If anyone has a bead on another common and plausible cause, I'd be interested to hear it. But I've never encountered it before. The advice online is good... water quality... etc... etc. But when I see it, I'll believe it.

The fish seem to survive just fine in a low-oxygen tank covered in green slime, but mine seemed much more lively once I fixed the problem.﻿

I realize I'm responding to a very old post. But after wrestling with the issue myself for a while, I want others who find themselves here via Google to benefit.


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