# Dr. Tim's for Cyanobacteria?



## York1 (Dec 18, 2014)

Boyds chemi clean has worked for me every time ive had a problem with cyano


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## Laney Coleman (Jan 13, 2017)

Does that pose any risk for your stock? I've got serpaes, peppered corys and a BN pleco.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

I find erythromycin to be pretty safe for nitrifying bacteria and I believe Cory of Aquarium Co-op has had a similar experience (he uses it as one of his standard quarantine meds). Shouldn't result in a resistant strain as long as you don't shy away from dosing as instructed.


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## Aquaticz (Dec 26, 2009)

FWIW when I get cyano I up NO3 to 40ppm and it's gone


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## York1 (Dec 18, 2014)

Laney Coleman said:


> Does that pose any risk for your stock? I've got serpaes, peppered corys and a BN pleco.


I have never lost anything while using it


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

Thumbs up for considering Erythromycin as last resort. It's not just a worry of creating antibiotic-resistant cyano bacteria though, it's more of a worry of creating other super bacteria that are harmful/deadly to fish (even humans!).

I am a supporter of some of Dr. Tim's products as he is a real scientist and provides the proof. Never looked into the two products you mentioned, but a quick search and it seems Waste Away is just another heterotrophic bacteria product, used to break down organics/mulm. Which in my opinion is most often never necessary as heterotrophic bacter grow extremely fast anyways (dosing could actually be problematic if you have extreme amounts of organic build up -ie. ammonia would be produced even faster-). The Refresh product sounds like a concoction consisting of certain ions that bond with organics in the water, causing the free floating organics to become larger and heavier so they settle on the tank floor or get collected by mechanical filtration easier (clearer water), and it seems to possibly have some microorganisms that consume free floating algae spores (rid brown/green algae water). Neither product seem to be effective for cyanobacteria.

I would recommend Boyd Chemiclean as another has mentioned. Have always heard success using it to treat cyano and no negative impact on fish or filter bacteria. They don't publicize their ingredients, but at least they state it does not contain the antibiotic Erythromycin.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Dosing it at close range with hydrogen peroxide (H202) using a plastic syringe or test kit pipette will usually destroy it overnite, or within 2 days, with one extra dosing the following day to catch it all.
Just turn off your filter(s) and lower the water level to the point where you can easily access the cyano with the syringe.
Leave the filter(s) off for about a half hour to allow the H202 to work. When you see bubbles accumulating on it, and then soon rising to the top, you'll know it's working.
It's fully safe on fish, plants and your nitrifying bacteria when used in reasonable doses - i.e. no need to overdo it. Just avoid blasting it in any of your fishes' faces. It dissipates very quickly in the water column without harming anything besides the cyano that you've dosed directly unto the cyano.
Check it the following morning - it should have disappeared by then.
To prevent it from returning, you'll want to improve the circulation within your tank - particularly in the area where the cyano is persisting. A small circulation pump, an airstone, or a good power bar should do the job.


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## Laney Coleman (Jan 13, 2017)

discuspaul said:


> Dosing it at close range with hydrogen peroxide (H202) using a plastic syringe or test kit pipette will usually destroy it overnite, or within 2 days, with one extra dosing the following day to catch it all.
> Just turn off your filter(s) and lower the water level to the point where you can easily access the cyano with the syringe.
> Leave the filter(s) off for about a half hour to allow the H202 to work. When you see bubbles accumulating on it, and then soon rising to the top, you'll know it's working.
> It's fully safe on fish, plants and your nitrifying bacteria when used in reasonable doses - i.e. no need to overdo it. Just avoid blasting it in any of your fishes' faces. It dissipates very quickly in the water column without harming anything besides the cyano that you've dosed directly unto the cyano.
> ...


I did do a peroxide soak to rid my plants of the cyano but my substrate (pool filter sand and eco-complete mixed) is full of it. No matter how much I remove from the surface or do a deep gravel vac there is always cyano mixed into my substrate. How would the peroxide method work in this case? I don't think I have any dead flow spaces in the tank. It's a 55 and I'm running 2 penguin 350s.


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## mgm53 (Jan 9, 2016)

Use the chemiclean. It's safe and it works.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Laney Coleman said:


> I did do a peroxide soak to rid my plants of the cyano but my substrate (pool filter sand and eco-complete mixed) is full of it. No matter how much I remove from the surface or do a deep gravel vac there is always cyano mixed into my substrate. How would the peroxide method work in this case? I don't think I have any dead flow spaces in the tank. It's a 55 and I'm running 2 penguin 350s.



Not sure what you mean by a 'peroxide soak', but if it's what I think it is - like a 'widely dissipated water bath of H202 through the tank', that will not do the job.
You need to dose the peroxide directly, and at very close range, right unto the patches of cyano. Do it by area, a moderate patch at a time, syringing it right above, and very near, the problem areas, and allowing it to take hold with the filters off, so that bubbles develop on the cyano, and remain for a while before dissipating to the surface. 


And while you think you don't have any 'dead flow' areas, it's a combination of problematic conditions that are the culprits - lack of proper water circulation, particularly near/above the substrate, limited oxygenation, lack of suitable tank & substrate cleanliness, & higher than normal nitrate development. Please consider all of these facets.


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## Laney Coleman (Jan 13, 2017)

discuspaul said:


> Not sure what you mean by a 'peroxide soak', but if it's what I think it is - like a 'widely dissipated water bath of H202 through the tank', that will not do the job.
> You need to dose the peroxide directly, and at very close range, right unto the patches of cyano. Do it by area, a moderate patch at a time, syringing it right above, and very near, the problem areas, and allowing it to take hold with the filters off, so that bubbles develop on the cyano, and remain for a while before dissipating to the surface.
> 
> 
> And while you think you don't have any 'dead flow' areas, it's a combination of problematic conditions that are the culprits - lack of proper water circulation, particularly near/above the substrate, limited oxygenation, lack of suitable tank & substrate cleanliness, & higher than normal nitrate development. Please consider all of these facets.


By a peroxide soak I meant I took everything out of the tank and soaked them in a 50/50 peroxide and water solution for about an hour then scrubbed them. Everything in my tank is clear of the cyano now except the substrate. I do twice weekly 30%-40% water changes with a good gravel vac each time. My parameters are 0 ammonia/0 nitrite/10-20 nitrate. My tank is pretty understocked at the moment. All of these considered I suppose the most likely issue is I need more flow near my substrate? 

I'm about to remove all of this substrate anyway to re-scape my tank. I'll clean the emty tank really well with more peroxide before I set it all back up and I'll do another peroxide soak for my plants and rocks. Maybe that will help to finally rid my tank of this beast!


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