How to get rid of cyanobacteria? Is it harmful to fish?

[Galactik]

So I've been struggling to eradicate cyanobacteria from my tank for a while but so far I've been unsuccessful.

Basically everything get coated over time in slimy sheets and it looks awful.

I have basically removed all my sand (this was the worst spot) and went bare bottom in order to clean everything really well and not have many surfaces for it to keep spreading. However I now see that it is starting to form on the bottom glass as well (not as bad but its there)

I have tried reducing the light (less than 8 hours a day) and also checked my nitrates (around or below 10). Tank is otherwise very clean, no debris anywhere and gets 50% or 60% weekly water changes.

My question is, is there any method available that does not include antibiotics or harsh chemicals?

Also, I understand cyano is a bacteria and from what I've read its main threat are plants, but does someone know if it does have an ill effect on fish or humans?

As a last resort- is there anything you'd recommend using that is fish safe? I've read some about people using chemiclean on reefs and what not but I'm skeptical.

Thanks!

 

[duanes]

Growth on wood in planted tank

 

[fishguy1978]

Boyd Chemi clean works like a charm. Remove as much as you can and then follow dosing instructions.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; A few years ago I fought that same battle. I will add an old post about my experience. This has worked now for a few years. The cyanobacter has not returned. A lot of work.

Hello; Over the years had cyanobacter algae. Tried the EM (erythromycin). Kinda worked but did come back. A few years ago had it in my three set up tanks. Too many gallons to treat with EM in terms of cost effectiveness and as Duanes points out the risk of making a strain resistant to the EM.
I got rid of it and did it a very hard way. Did one tank at a time.
Emptied a tank of plants and fish.
Put the fish into a fourth holding tank.
Put the live plants into five gallon buckets with a strong dose of EM and left them a few days. Used a lot less EM that way and had the dose up to more lethal levels.
Cleaned a tank well and filled it with a water and Clorox solution.
Put all nets and other tank equipment in buckets with a Clorox solution. ( be sure not to use disinfected stuff around tanks not yet cleaned. Have two sets of nets and things. One set for the untreated tanks and another for the treated)

Once everything was cleaned, treated and disinfected I set up a tank. Had some prime on hand to neutralize the Clorox. I was not sure if the fish would carry the cyanobacter. I decided not to expose the fish to the EM and turns out they did not carry the cyanobacter.
Had to start the first clean tank from scratch in terms of a cycle as I was not willing to seed it from the infected tanks. After the first tank was clean and set up I did the other two.

I was more careful after all this with light cycle and feeding. Had I known of the Rid-X idea would have tried that first. I have done Rid-X since and it works or at least does not cause problems. My tanks are free of the algae for years now.

 

[Galactik]

Growth on wood in planted tank

Hi Duanes

Thanks for that, very informative. So just to be clear. Is this the same rid x you are talking about?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rid-X-19-oz-Septic-Cleaner/3180383?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-google-_-lia-_-208-_-draincleaning-_-3180383-_-0&placeholder=null&gclid=CjwKCAiAiML-BRAAEiwAuWVgglJs1l8xM1T5da0F1BlowMOxn88iosCK7-WZKI-b9CIQWA2-BZOVxRoCxksQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If so, how would you go about dosing about 140 gallons of water volume (including sump volume)

I do like this seems to be a more natural approach but just want to make sure in case there's a risk of over dosing?

Thank you sir!

 

[phreeflow]

Try feeding less and increasing flow. Phosphates in food cause blooms. Also, unlike algae, cyano can’t stick well in good flow

 

[Galactik]

Hello; A few years ago I fought that same battle. I will add an old post about my experience. This has worked now for a few years. The cyanobacter has not returned. A lot of work.

I guess I had not considered nuking the entire tank. This is certainly doable as I have other empty tanks. I can perhaps start a new cycle separately before the big cleanup to avoid cross contamination.

Lot of work tho.. Holy molly lol

Thanks for the tip tho, this might be my plan B. I much prefer this than messing with antibiotics and harsher stuff

 

[skjl47]

I can perhaps start a new cycle separately before the big cleanup to avoid cross contamination.

Hello; I started from scratch on the cycle. Could not be sure any item from contaminated tanks would not transfer after cleanup. As time has passed I might try to same some beneficial bacteria (bb) if I ever do such again. I keep some spare sponge bodies in the back of filters. Might set up a bare tank with one and a few fish and let it run for a few weeks to see if the algae is present. Not real sure just how to do it.

I tried the RID-X and had no problems. I dosed it by letting some rid-x sit in a jar of tank water for an hour or two. Then I poured the result thru a coffee filter and only added the liquid to a tank. The Rid-x has some bran in it that makes a mess if added directly to a tank, but it did not hurt the fish . Just made a cloudy mess for a while

 

[skjl47]

Lot of work tho.. Holy molly lol

Hello; yes it was. I also did a good rinse and cleaning of a few hundred pounds of substrate before soaking it in clorox.

 

[duanes]

Hi Duanes

Thanks for that, very informative. So just to be clear. Is this the same rid x you are talking about?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rid-X-19-oz-Septic-Cleaner/3180383?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-google-_-lia-_-208-_-draincleaning-_-3180383-_-0&placeholder=null&gclid=CjwKCAiAiML-BRAAEiwAuWVgglJs1l8xM1T5da0F1BlowMOxn88iosCK7-WZKI-b9CIQWA2-BZOVxRoCxksQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If so, how would you go about dosing about 140 gallons of water volume (including sump volume)

I do like this seems to be a more natural approach but just want to make sure in case there's a risk of over dosing?

Thank you sir!

Yes I believe it is the same stuff.
Because it is made for large septic systems (not for small aquariums), I started out experimenting with just a Tbsp in a filter sock per month.
It doesn't really become an overdose situation in that way, like it might with a med, that small amount just encourages a better population of a competitive form of bacteria to outcompetes the Cyano.
And its not something that out right kills the Cyano, such as an algaecide, because in that situation, the Cyano it just comes back due to the circumstances that allowed it to begin in the first place. Its use continues to outcompete, as those good bacteria continue to repopulate..
By using a competitive bacterial population, it not only eliminates Cyano, but that population of good bacteria continues to prevent it from coming back later.