# "Blue-green algae" and Cherries



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Sometimes I throw pieces of algae-infested plants in my cherry-infested tanks, and they quickly clean them up.










Out of curiosity, last night I put a Ceratopteris (Water Sprite) which was covered partially with cyanobacteria. This morning it is clean!!

Still need to actually see Cherries eat that stuff, possible that my 10 gal tank has some sort of algaecide/bactericide properties, although I doubt it.

I've always heard that NOTHING will eat blue algae, because it is poisonous, Alzheimer-causing nasty stinky stuff. So far, all the Cherries seem to be doing okay :icon_bigg


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## GraemeK (Apr 8, 2004)

when you say "Alzheimer-causing nasty stinky stuff" does that mean i would have to eat it to cause alzheimers?! or could it being on my hands be enough over a period of time? i hear that 60% of whats on your skin is absorded


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Nah, I was just kidding. Actually I have no clue.


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## GraemeK (Apr 8, 2004)

ah ok!

you scared me then! i'm still trying to kill it off with KNO3.

G


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Did the BGA infested plant exist in the tank and you added the cherrries or did you add the BGA infested plant to a totally new environment?

There is a huge difference and it has nothing to do with the cherries or snails or whatever herbivore you are interested in.

Once the BGA is dying, it is no longer toxic and becomes tasty to herbivores.

Packs of shrimp prevent algae from getting a hold since they pick at many surfaces constantly. But I've never seen them eat healthy existing BGA, nor Amano's.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

I dropped the BGA infested plant into another tank/totally new environment. Like I said, it's possible that this alone killed the BGA in a few hours, but I doubt it, just seems too fast. 

Could be it was dying and got detoxified, as you suggested. Easy enough to verify, if I find another BGA infested piece of Watersprite I'll repeat and clock the little monsters.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

Wasserpest said:


> Easy enough to verify, if I find another BGA infested piece of Watersprite I'll repeat and clock the little monsters.


Or move a few little monsters to the tank with BGA , if there are no predators there of course.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

shalu said:


> if there are no predators there of course.


That's the problem... they only have a chance of survival if they (without looking left or right) go straight to the canister filter inlet :fish: 

Four hungry Festivums are just a little too much for Cherry survival in that tank.

Maybe I could build some kind of shark cage with a bunch of Cherries, to verify things in the big tank...


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## Safado (Jul 10, 2005)

For a test, you could take some of the Algae infested water sprite with some of the same tank water, so it won't be the water killing the BGA. Then add a few shrimp to the new container. I can't imagine the BGA getting killed off that quickly by adding it to different water. I would think it hardier than that. I had some Java Moss from a Nano which had more BGA than Moss, and my 15 Cherry Shrimp made short work of the BGA. I too dropped the moss in the shrimp tank.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Safado said:


> For a test, you could take some of the Algae infested water sprite with some of the same tank water, so it won't be the water killing the BGA. Then add a few shrimp to the new container.


That's a good idea, probably easier than a "shark cage". Hope that doesn't lead me to setting up yet another tank :tongue: 

I too think that BGA should be hardier than this, immediately dying off in a new environment (with approx the same water, fertilizer routine, CO2 level).

So to approach this from a different angle... Has anyone added Cherries to a BGA infested tank? Any results? (Not talking about 2 Cherries added to a 55 gal tank...)


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## RedDelPaPa (Oct 1, 2005)

In all my years as a kid growing up, and my Dad keeping a dozen tanks and a few plants, I distinctly remember seeing him move guppies and swordtails into BGA infested tanks. And those guppies and swords would immediately begin shredding the stuff. They'd rip off sheets of the stuff as large as they are, and spend as much time as needed choking it down. Then tear up some more. The next day, the gravel would be covered with little green turds, and all the guppies and swords looked they were going to explode with their fat bellies. My Old man always had a large fish load, with undergravel filters running in some of his tanks, and a circulating system which circulated all the water between his dozen tanks. He used incadesent lighting in all his tanks, and about 2 of them were planted. His plants grew well, but every once in a while, I remember a tank would get overrun with BGA. So he'd just move his guppies and swords into those tanks. And within a week, the tank would be clean, then he'd move them to the next tank that needed some cleaning. He almost never changed water, and all his tanks were in the 40ppm range for NO3.

Here's what I think. My old man and I have talked about it quite a bit. I think much less likely, but I still think you can get an accasional breakout of BGA in a high nitrate tank. But, I think when it happens in a high nitrate environment, it's tasty. Cause I know very well what I've seen happen in my Dad's tanks. Guppies and swords just ripping the stuff to shreds, and eating so much of it they look like they're going to pop. And the gravel being covered with green poop everywhere the next day.

And I've also seen the stuff in a low nitrate enviroment just take over, and nothing will touch it.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Interesting idea... might be worth to try for those who keep livebearers.

I repeated the test, watching them Cherries every moment, and found that they were cleaning the plants, but not eating the BGA. They sort of played with it and in the process it fell off the plants. :fish:


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## Jerm (Sep 26, 2005)

Note to all out there, blue green algea is very poisounos and can kill. I live on a lake that gets infested with it every year, and every year many peoples dongs who drink from the lake die, because of the algae bloom, and many a beach has ben closed because of it. If you are just removing the stuff, and shouldn't be left where someone/something may accidentally eat it (children, dogs ect)


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## Safado (Jul 10, 2005)

Jerm said:


> every year many peoples dongs who drink from the lake die


I truly hope you meant dogs... :icon_bigg Regardless I am still laughing.


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## Jerm (Sep 26, 2005)

:icon_redf oooops :icon_redf i hope i did 2 lol


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