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Thread: Algae or Cyno?

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    Default Algae or Cyno?

    Hi guys, it's been a while as no news is usually good news with the tank thriving up until it was impossible in the UK to get C02! I am currently experiencing alot of green as despite daily water changes and vacuuming the gravel substrate is coated in a green film within 24 hours and the plants, swords, anubias, and Java are getting a green layer relatively quickly. Water conditions are fine .5ppm N03 and no other changes in the tank. Could this be due to a lack of C02 or an excess of light, there are 2 LED strips which again haven't changed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. B

  2. #2
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Why not get a group of Bristle Nose Pleco's. They do a great job. Also you might try lowering the intensity or duration of the light and see how the plants react.
    Mama Bear

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    Homesteader Paul Sabucchi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    If it is cyanobacteria nothing will eat them though. Can you post some photos?

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    Platinum Member fljones3's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    What's the phosphate levels? IME, high phosphate levels encourage algae.

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    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    If it is a recent set up,it is common for a tank in the early stages especially if you have a silica based substrate.Three days of black out will get rid of it(cover the tank with a blanket).I had a break out this summer but I think that was due to a warm tank with extra light.Erythromycin will also work but is not needed if you black out the tank.The darkness will kill the algae the are inside the bacteria the feeds it.You will never forget the smell of the stuff.Do you have a bad smell in the tank?

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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Thanks guys, I'll address your points in reverse order. The tank has been running since 2007 and although the lighting was upgraded to LEDs earlier in the year everything was working relatively well whilst I was injecting C02, albeit I did suffer from green water there as well for a time which was dealt with by reducing the lighting period. P04 hasn't been checked but given that nothing in my regimen has changed and the N03 is 5ppm then I wouldn't have considered this as being the problem. The film that appears over the gravel is a slick dark green but I did notice today when carrying out the daily vacuum that the water had a green tinge to it? Perhaps reducing the lighting period to say 5 hours a day may help? they're on for 7 at the moment. B

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    Homesteader Paul Sabucchi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Dark green (particularly if sludgy) sounds more like cyanobacteria to me, please post pictures

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    Registered Member sanjay21's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    My LFS guy is pretty knowledgeable on planted tanks and he has posters on types of algae and how to treat them here is something on blue green algae-
    A90EA4C6-831D-479B-8ADC-17B72CCD8EFD.jpg

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    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Smell it!!!!!!That's all you need to do to find whether it is cynano or not.

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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    From that picture it looks like blue green algae, plus the water has a green tint to it when I syphon the tank daily. No smell in the tank as far as I can assess. B

  11. #11
    Registered Member gotwins86's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    I have used Blue Green Slime Stain Remover in a planted tank before to get rid of cyno. Didn't affect plants or fish.
    Not sure how it would effect discus. I'll let others chime in if they would recommend to use it with discus or not.

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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Just a thought, would the lack of water movement in the tank cause the onset of such a bloom, or cyno? The reason I ask is that the filter, which I've just cleaned thoroughly had a blockage which over the past couple of weeks had reduced the water flow from the spray jets to a trickle? B

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    Homesteader Paul Sabucchi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Definitely sluggish water favours the bloom of cyanobacteria.

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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    Thanks Paul will be monitoring everything this week to try to get to the bottom of it. B

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    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Algae or Cyno?

    It's been five days now.If it was me with cyano it would be gone by now.I had it this summer for a couple of days.It comes in from the air;it's every where.This is one of the most primitive life forms and will survive just about any where it can get a foot hold.Black the tank out for three days usually is all it takes along with cleaning and large WC's.Plants will go that long with no effect on them.If it don't work the first time;try it again but this time without peaking so you don't let any light in during that period.I've had this a number of times over the years and the black out method and cleaning always got rid of it.The treatment will also work for algae.

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