# How can I get rid of cyanobacteria?



## Timothy13 (Aug 23, 2018)

Hi, I keep a 10 gallon planted aquarium with only shrimp and snails.
It is a low tech tank, and I don't have any special lighting. In fact, the only source of growing light that my plants get is from a large window. Nevertheless, my two different types of plants (one of which I believe is pearl grass, and the other is some type of small sword), were growing quickly and thriving.

Recently, however, my tank started growing cyanobacteria at an alarming rate. I followed some instructions I found online and cleaned the tank, mechanically removed all the bacteria I could, and then left the lights off for three days. I also had the blinds on the window closed during this time. But while stopping my plants from growing, this did not stop the bacteria at all. Whenever I remove the stuff, a few of my plants are always strung with it the next morning.

Is there any way I can stop it for good? If not, I will just have to remove it every day to keep it from poisoning my shrimp.


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## diverjoe (Oct 21, 2016)

Ultralife Red Slime Stain Remover Cleaner. Simple two dose process that has been shown to be safe for pretty much everything. $15 at Amazon chewy petco etc

BTW darkness does little good. It is a bacteria and not an algae as we know it. 

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## Timothy13 (Aug 23, 2018)

Thanks for the help!


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## frogmanjared (Feb 21, 2008)

diverjoe said:


> Ultralife Red Slime Stain Remover Cleaner. Simple two dose process that has been shown to be safe for pretty much everything. $15 at Amazon chewy petco etc
> 
> BTW darkness does little good. It is a bacteria and not an algae as we know it.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


I have used blackouts to clear out BGA. 2-3 days with no lights, an air stone, and algicide with blankets over the tank for complete black out. A multiple day blackout with the product listed above seems like a great idea! BGA needs photosynthesis to survive, so adding a blackout should help with total eradication.


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## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

I've come to think that cynobacteria is the result of high nitrates and phosphates. Perhaps increasing the volume/frequency of water changes may address the root cause.


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## Quicksilver2299 (Feb 19, 2019)

diverjoe said:


> Ultralife Red Slime Stain Remover Cleaner. Simple two dose process that has been shown to be safe for pretty much everything. $15 at Amazon chewy petco etc
> 
> BTW darkness does little good. It is a bacteria and not an algae as we know it.



Spot on - it's a bacteria, not an algae. Darkness will have no effect on it - only plants and algae.




AbbeysDad said:


> I've come to think that cynobacteria is the result of high nitrates and phosphates. Perhaps increasing the volume/frequency of water changes may address the root cause.



Agreed - I had cyanobacteria in my 5 gal once, and an increased frequency of water changes got rid of it.


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

Quicksilver2299 said:


> Spot on - it's a bacteria, not an algae. Darkness will have no effect on it - only plants and algae.
> 
> Cyanobacteria is photosynthetic like algae. Darkness may work, but it can affect plants negatively too.
> 
> ...


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

msjinkzd (Rachel O'Leary) recommended chemiclean to me when I mentioned my cyanobacteria issue while we discussed sale of endlers.
"I actually like using chemiclean (its for red slime algae which is a sw cyano) for dealing with cyano in my fw tanks-it works great and doesnt kill your biofilter."

I've used it on 2 of my 3 infected tanks. Did about a week of treatment following directions-dose, after 2 days do water cahnge, repeat. So far it has cleared up the cyanobacteria nicely. No issues with my fish, plants, beneficial bacteria, or my 'pest' snails (i like them for diatom control). Started doing my 3rd tank today (had to wait to free up the spare air pump to run an extra air stone during treatment-the extra aeration/water movement noticeably helps with treatment).


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## Wantsome99 (Nov 27, 2016)

Your bioload isn't heavy enough to keep the cycle going. BGA produces it's own nitrogen and can be a sign your tank is deficient in nitrates. Shrimp and snails might not be enough to keep your biological filtration going. If you're doing large water changes that could lower your nitrates further. Chemiclean isn't fixing the root of the problem. 5 day black out would clear it up. The bad thing about BGA is it releases toxins when it dies. It's also toxic to people so don't handle it. Add fish cut back on water changes and make sure you have enough flow and biological media in your filter. Your biological filter needs waste from the fish to sustain itself. 5 day black out clean what ever is left manually. You can get a syringe from the drug store and spot treat with peroxide. Look up online on how to spot treat with peroxide in the aquarium. It can harm your livestock if you overdose so be careful.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Wantsome99 said:


> Your bioload isn't heavy enough to keep the cycle going. BGA produces it's own nitrogen and can be a sign your tank is deficient in nitrates. Shrimp and snails might not be enough to keep your biological filtration going. If you're doing large water changes that could lower your nitrates further. Chemiclean isn't fixing the root of the problem. 5 day black out would clear it up. The bad thing about BGA is it releases toxins when it dies. It's also toxic to people so don't handle it. Add fish cut back on water changes and make sure you have enough flow and biological media in your filter. Your biological filter needs waste from the fish to sustain itself. 5 day black out clean what ever is left manually. You can get a syringe from the drug store and spot treat with peroxide. Look up online on how to spot treat with peroxide in the aquarium. It can harm your livestock if you overdose so be careful.


If its lack of nitrates that's amusing (for me) as my tanks that got cyanobacteria are ones with only my slow growers (anubias). Guess I need some large snails to poop in there.


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## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

Uhm...disagree - blue green algae thrives in nutrient rich water. I had it once when my nitrates were very high! You might use chemi-pure or some other adsorbant (prolly even activated carbon would help), but I still think a few water changes would be very helpful.
Blue green algae in the aquarium


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

Something you might pick up locally:

https://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=631#.XIlIGBNKiRs


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## diverjoe (Oct 21, 2016)

ERYTHROMYCIN will kill cyno but for the same reason it kills lots of other things. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic. Chemicleqn and the other I mentioned up top do not jank with the bacteria bed


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## CatsMeow (Nov 9, 2009)

So, maybe an ignorant question, but I am confused here. Is cyanobacteria the same thing as BGA? I thought they were different.


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

CatsMeow said:


> So, maybe an ignorant question, but I am confused here. Is cyanobacteria the same thing as BGA? I thought they were different.


Same, Blue Green Algae is another term for cyanobacteria.

Michel.


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