Cyanobacteria GRRR

[BigBossPants]

I've been told that the slimy stuff growing in my fighters tank is cyanobacteria, and that I need to use antibiotics to treat it. Where would I get these from? I work in a pet store so should be able to get em in if they're an OTC type thing...

Will antibiotics harm my fighter? I'm guessing it'll wipe out my good bacteria too...

Is there another effective way of getting rid of it or are antibiotics my best option? I've heard that TLC can help because it out-competes the cyano for nutrients and stuff... TLC SAT maybe?

Also will antibiotics harm my bichir or JD, as I think I see a few patches in their tank too.

Fighter tank is 23L planted with a little light bulb, 5W I think?

Big tank is 240L planted with a flouro bulb. Both have sand and plants from the same source.

[davidb]

erothomycin (sp.) Will take care of it. I think its prescription only though. correct me if Im wrong. Better to figure the cause of the cyano though, rather than just try `and get rid of it...

[Ira]

Hehe, I think Caryl is the local E dealer...

[alanmin4304]

Erythromycin will control cyano but if you don't correct the balance in the water it will come back again. I am using SAT at the moment but I understand that it can take a while. The other thing that may work (used in fish ponds but I have not used it) is barley straw concentrate.

[alanmin4304]

Erythromycin is a prescription only drug and my vet would not prescribe it.

[Stella]

Try your doctor or dentist as well, they can prescribe it too. You could even ask a pharmacist, I got some through one I know. Always tricky and you wind up looking like a nutter.... but eventually it will work. Think about your family and friends, do any of them work for such people?

400mg per 100 litres. I was told one dose would kill it by the next day. Didn't. Then I found another site that said repeat the dose daily for up to a week. Slowly it just dissapeared.

That was mid March and there still isn't a speck of cyano in there, in a tank that was always full of it! So good to be rid of the damned stuff.

ON the other hand, how bad is it? How long has it been present? How long has the tank been set up?

Sometimes something just tipped the balance and manual removal is an option.

[alanmin4304]

If you use erythromycin you should use it properly. 2.5PPM day one, 2.5PPM day two and 2.5ppm day eight. Siphon up all the dead stuff you can otherwise it will get to cause an ammonia spike as the protein is broken down by the bugs in the filter. Cyano is gram negative and so are the bugs in the filter but the cyano is more sensitive to the erythromycin. ppm is grams per litre and erythromycin tabs are 250mg and 400mg I think. If you don't use it properly you will be selectively breeding a strain resistant to the antibiotic. Blue green algae can produce toxins under certain conditions and can be a problem in water supply reservoirs.

[Stella]

Well that is the first time I have heard that 'One True Method'. I guess all the other sources must be wrong. :roll:

So what is a workable measure out of 2.5PPM?

Cyano is indeed able to produce toxins. I am fairly sure it was killing my melanopsis snails. Then again the E killed off the tiny snails in my tank, they are only just starting to return.

[dimebag]

i have some erythromycin, pm me if you want to pick some up?

[alanmin4304]

Usually the tabs are in 250 or 400mg. It is not too critical but I had 400mg tabs so a little over half in 100 litres. It does not disolve easily. It is probably open to debate and I have used it at 4ppm and again 3 days later at 4ppm but I suspect at that dose it may be giving the gram neg bugs in the filter a bit of a head ache. You do a water change 30-50% after day 3 and after day 9 and try to remove all the dead stuff you can to avoid NH3 spikes.

[alanmin4304]

Offers to sell or give away prescription drugs might be better confined to PM.

[alanmin4304]

Another solution I have been advised of is that the main cause of cyano blooms is too much phosphate and not enough nitrate. Do water changes to strip PO4 and NO3 then bring NO3 up to 20ppm by adding nitrate. Haven't tried it but may have to yet.

[Slightly Blue Dalmation]

for the small tank if you siphon most of it out and then put the tank in complete blackout for 3 or 4 days ie wrap it in something no light will get through that also works, not so practical for big tanks

have used the blackout method more than once and always worked on small tank

[Caryl]

Most Erythromycin pills are 400mg each. It as been suggested 400mg/100L. Someone else said 250mg/100L. I seem to remember using 4 pills in my 280L 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.

I dissolved 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 another dose, siphoning out the dead cyano remains as required.

Erythromycin is a prescription only medication.

[BigBossPants]

Wow lots of replies! It isn't TOO bad just now, was worse before but I gave it a good clean, got it off all the plants and it's just on the sand now, but it is spreading.

Would the blackout method harm my fighter at all? And should I still feed him during that time?

I might try that first and see if it helps, then have a chat with my vet. I think he'll give me AB's cos he knows I've had training

Thanks for all the advise, I'll let u know how it goes

[Caryl]

Blackouts can upset the plants (but only if longer than 3 days) but the fish don't care. Don't feed them for the 3 days the tank is blacked out.

[BK]

I was talking to my vet and he has Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate but is unsure if this is ok as he think the Ethylsuccinate could be harmful. He said that it comes in 4 forms Ethylsuccinate, Esrlate, Lactobionate & Glucertate. Sorry about the spelling but the vet wrote these down and Its no easier to read than a scribe from the doc’s. What are people using to treat their tanks? Nearly all my tanks have some, I think I got this using river sand that I may not have cleaned well enough and I feed a lot but remove daily any waste or uneaten food.

[alanmin4304]

I have used it at 400mg/100litres without troubles but alsO at that conc and lost fish (suspect it killed off the filter). I have a bit at present and am trying SAT. I have not had a problem at the regime I suggested but prefer not to use antibiotics. Will report on if SAT works.

[BK]

Allan is that the Ethylsuccinate.

[alanmin4304]

Don't know exactly---label reads Erythromycin E.S. TA 400mg (PAC).

Quite what that is doctorspeak for I am not sure.

[Caryl]

It will be - says she from work at the doctor's office

[dimebag]

the one i have is the Ethylsuccinate one.