Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 heya had an outbreak and under instruction from john at organism been siphoning gravel each day and its almost all gone but a real small amount keeps returning each day, anything to finish the bugger off completely? read a few past posts on it and i have half a bottle of vodka i dont drink so can anyone help with info on that method and wether it will finish the algae off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Try removing as much as possible then doing a total blackout for 3 or 4 days. This will upset the plants a little but they will recover. If this fails, I can offer some erythromycin (a prescription only drug) that will kill it. Always best to try non med or chemical options first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 ok well i dont have any plants at the moment as got rid of the ones i had as told by stupid guy at animates, which was before found this place so total black out is cover it up fully or just have no lights on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Cover it totally. The fish won't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 ok cool il give them a feed and start it now , il be at totally tanked on sat so if able to have sum erthyrhromycin available would be real handy and il see how it is goin just before i come. thanks heaps for the help, am happy to give some $ for the meds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 The blackout method worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I can't find my secret stash and I am sure I replenished it recently. Hmmm, if I can find them I will bring some with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 There's probably some junky out there somewhere that has no bacteria in him at all now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljtan55 Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Sorry to bring up an old topic, but I'm battling cyanobacteria in my tank at the moment, its all but smothering my java ferns. I've done mechanical removal, completely darkness and phosphate removers, and water conditions are pretty good so I hate to do it, but I think erythromycin might be the only thing left to try. I'm worried that it will wipe of all my nitrifying bacteria, and if it will risk my tank and its inhabitants it may not be worth it to sacrifice the fish and plants to remove it. But I was reading a little about it online, so 200 mg of erythromycin phosphate per 10 gallons would be a more or less safe dosage? By removing the filter media from my hood filter and replacing it after a couple of days, as well as mechanically cleaning the remains, would I be able to help reduce any ammonia spikes? Thanks in advance for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 I have used S.A.T. lately along with water changes and removing what I can and it is slow but working. The vet gave gave me the big no no a few weeks back so I think antibiotics are going to be harder to get and alternatives more atractive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimebag Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 i have used erythromycin a couple of times successfully, without any effect on the filter. kept a close eye on it too as its probably a tad overstocked. didnt notice any spikes at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimebag Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 200mg per 10 gallons seems like a really high dose? i seem to remember using 100mg per 100l and it wiped it out in a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 These pills are usually 400mg each. I read articles that suggested anything from 400mg/100L to 250mg/100L I seem to remember using 4 pills in my 250L tank which was probably overkill but I didn’t know the dosage at that point and it certainly worked without harming the filters or fish. Dissolve half the pills in about ½ cup of water. They dissolve very slowly as they have a coating on them. Give them a stir every now and then to speed up the process. Once dissolved add it to your tank, swirling the water around to spread it quickly. The stupid fish will think it is food and try to eat it but don’t worry about that. You should notice the cyano dying off within 24 hours or so. It is important to keep siphoning up the stuff as it dies or it will pollute the tank. After 3 days, dissolve and add the other half of the pills, siphoning out the dead cyano remains often. People worry about it killing the bacteria in the filters but I kept my filters running the whole time and noticed no difference. I was told the bacteria in the filters is the wrong sort and is unaffected by the erythromycin. Something to do with gram -ve and gram +ve bacteria. Of course, the cyano may come back depending on why you got it in the first place. Mine was a result of adding infected plants so once I got rid of it, it didn’t return. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljtan55 Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Thanks that was more informative than anything I've read online! One more quick question tho, I dun suppose if you know if theres a difference between erythromycin stearate and erythomycin phosphate? The article I read said the latter, but I can only source the former. Shouldn't make much of a difference should it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 There is little difference except in the salts added to the erythromycin (ie the stearate or phosphate). From a human point of view you could use either, and there is little difference (according to my GP) but I would suspect from a fish point of view you don't want to add more phosphates to your tank so the other would be preferable. A lot will depend on whether you can get any at all as it is a prescription only drug. I have a bottle here with a lovely label made up on it by my Dr friend at the hospital (who supplies me with a bit of erythromycin when needed). It says "Mr Guppy. Take ONE times daily until tank is clean" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Did covering your tank work for you Slightly Blue Dalmatian? Just spotted a couple of strands of cyano in my floating ricca today :evil: Pulled what I could see out, and now have a heap of towels draped over the tank to block light... Been reading up on it, I don't want a total tank takeover like some people have described Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljtan55 Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Dosed my first 2 400mg tablets today for my 255L tank. Fingers crossed everything goes to plan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazara Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I have a cyno outbreak I just havent been able to kill off - a quick raid of the medicine cupboard turned up some Augmentin tabs 500mg amoxycillin+ 125mg clavulanic acid would these work Caryl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I am more concerned about why you have some left in the medicine cabinet! When given this drug it is important to finish the whole course. Amoxycillin is a broad spectrum penicillin whereas E-mycin (recommended for cyano) is an antibacterial, macrolide. I do not know enough about them to advise but wonder if the Augmentin may attack other types of bacteria and so also kill off the good filter bacteria and maybe/or maybe not the cyano. Sorry I can't help at the moment but, once I find out a bit more about cyano I will ask my medical friends (they will need to know more about the cyano before they advise) and get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazara Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Thanks Caryl! The good lady was prescribed it by the midwife as a precaution. When I pressed why it was needed - all I got was "better to be on the safe side". We both decided if there was no real reason to take a full course whilst breastfeeding a newborn, it wasnt going to happen! I'm a cheap bugger so it would be great if this can finally fix the problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 The Dr says he can't say as the cyanobacteria is not a human pathogen so he doesn't know what does, or doesn't, affect it or whether it would also affect the filter bacteria. Wanna try it for us and let us know? 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazara Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 I'm going away overnight tomorrow - what sort of dose would you use with the other one you recommend - my tank is measured 220L but with gravel & stones I guess 180. The spec on the tablets I posted above. Looks like I have a few guinea pigs then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 The erythromycin tabs I have are 400mg and I would use 2 of them. Amoxyl can be used at much higher doses than most antibiotics (I used it when importing goldfish) so it should be safe . Antibiotics are usually used on fish at 10ppm. You should make sure you use enough to kill it off or you will be selectively breeding a resistant strain of cyano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazara Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Bugger - I didn't use enough - 1 week later I had some die off, but not enough... time to dose again or double dose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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