And as far as bacteria go, it’s pretty weird. I got rid of BGA by doing a full black out of the aquarium for three days. In fact, the saltwater variant of cyanobacteria doesn’t look blue/green at all. What can you do to remove the algae? I wonder if this stuff comes in the treated tap water? 1)I have no experience with clown loaches but have I have personal experience using it with kuhli loaches and they had no issues at all. Start by fishing out the scum from the top of the tank and removing the layer at the bottom of the tank. thanks so much. Hello fishlab! The only fertilizer I’m not adding right now is phosphorous, beyond the small amounts present in the comprehensive solution. I have a 55 gallon aquarium..with a marine lab filter made for a 100 gal tank….with one 12 year old flying fox and a variety of young barbs. No noticable change in water parameters yet. I did a deep cleaning….scrubbing plants and walls and tube of the slime. Otherwise just follow the instructions and test your water parameters each day, keep a particular close eye on nitrate spikes, since as the algae dies, it will decompose. Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to share photos – I’m not very good with computers and was never able to set up that functionality on this website. Why isn’t that listed? I also agree that minor BGA growths wouldn’t bother many aquarists. I have, multiple times, and it’s the first thing I’d recommend. I doubt it – not without lots of places where denitrifying, anaerobic bacteria could get established in a tank. Removes Cyno Bacteria, FREE SHIPPING OVER $100* This helped me very much, thank you! How do you get rid of blue-green algae? Will try the blackout first. No need for Water changes or Removal of Carbon Filtration. I know other treatments will, so that’s why I’m asking. A week on and the plants are growing again as they’re no longer competing for nutrients and light with the blue-green. Started adding liquid carbon when the plants stopped growing and that made a big difference and all was well until the blue-green showed up, which I understand suggests low nitrates, so I have started dosing with nitrogen and potassium as well (was already using a comprehensive for trace elements). However, the converse is not true – the second part of your claim – that elevated nitrate levels will eliminate BGA. Added the 2nd dose last night as instructions indicated if it was required after 48 hours. It took 6 months for it to completely kill my amazon sword plant, by compleatoy covering every leaf. That’s awesome news! There is a bit of residue in one or two of the heavy spots, but it’s no longer green….clearly dead. 2)I would leave both in, just in case they are contaminated too and cleaning them leaves behind small traces. After 2 weeks it hasn’t come back. Well, unlike true algae and plants, they are capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere dissolved in aquarium water into forms that they need to grow, namely ammonia and nitrate. Scrub the mixture into algae and allow 15 minutes for the seaweed to die before rinsing with a clean hose. Do not feed your fish too much. Chlorine, Hydrochloric Acid or algaecide will do the trick. 72 hours in and all of the desirable life forms remain well. Thanks again for your insight. So i got BGA in my shrimp tank it’s heavily planted i would consider at least. Remove the dirt from the bottom and clean the filter. Commonly found in climates with warm, humid summers, it does no damage to the roofing, but it certainly does looks bad. Even though both of these are cyanobacteria, they look completely different, right? Dont Let ugly Blue Green Algae destroy the beauty and delicate balance of your freshwater aquarium. I’ve not allowed it to get that bad and there’s no gasping. Product doesn’t work. And each one is different. If you have eradicated it, and your water parameters are within the expected ranges, I wouldn’t expect it to come back. After this I will definitely not be using the same equipment for both tanks. Anecdotally tank owners with red cherries and amano shrimp have had huge success using this BGA killer. That could kill BGA. This is something typically only seen in plants. I’ll be very interested to see how the blue-green slime treatment goes, every person I have recommended the UltraLife brand to has had amazing results. 1 run 2 filters on this tank. One type smelled really bad when you lifted it out of the water. On the fish dying, the only way it could have killed your fish to this degree is if it got so out of hand it caused the oxygen levels in your tank to drop. I added a bunch more plants. End of day 5 and the BGA has all but vanished! Before I removed as much possible with an old tooth brush. Anecdotally, there are plenty of other reports of using blue-green stain remover in shrimp heavy tanks, such as Amano, or Cherries. I see that you’ve asked for comments from people who’ve had success with the black-out method. However, I can suggest two alternate treatments that I have seen work. Blue-green algae are naturally occurring bacteria in our waterways and storages. I’m a big fan of the weekly water change and do not believe it is too much. I have my fingers crossed the solution is as simple as this for you! Even the really beat-up moss is bouncing back. Although I must admit, my old memory isn’t what it used to be so take this with a grain of salt. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t find the same success that the majority of others experience. Like with any chemical you add to your aquarium, make sure that you follow the instructions exactly and monitor your water parameters during treatment. Ultralife Blue Green Algae Remover 20G $39.99 or 6 weekly interest-free payments from $6.66 with what's this? Unfortunately, blue-green algae is not very well understood. I'm here to teach you everything there is to know about fishkeeping. Thanks At this stage, you should realize that something’s up. Truly a product you should not be without. 4.3 out of 5 stars 3,677. P.s I had to laugh at your creative way of swearing, I’m going to steal that line! I’m really happy to hear you won your battle with BGA! Until a concrete confirmation made, this advice has helped some fishkeepers get rid of their BGA, (whether they indirectly did something else in addition is up for debate) so I’ll leave it in the guide for now. However, the best method is to keep green algae from accumulating. The next one is erythromycin. Every week I’m peeling it off my ornaments. Let me know in the comments below! Vinegar is effective for getting rid of weeds and green algae is no exception. Details: I’ve had cyanobacteria in tanks at home, in the classroom, and in my laboratory fish tanks. Ultralife has always worked for me and members of the local fish club, I am sure it will work for you too! The more minor places the BGA was trying to get a foothold have all but vanished!. Also, Ultralife Blue Green Slime Remover is a powder. Next remove any rocks from the bottom of … Your aquarium has a blue-green algae bloom! I know they are sensitive to medications. We immediately got and used UltraLife Blue-Green Slime Stain Remove as directed, took two treatments and was gone!!! 2. Below you see spots of blue-green algae at the bottom of a bucket…. [5]” I completely get where you are coming from and, logically, I agree with your thoughts. The problem with looking this up on Internet forums is that from my observation I don’t think those people who answer posts have actually had this problem so they give answers like, “your tank is out of balance”, do more water changes etc. It can turn your bright and colorful aquarium into a slimy, dark-green wasteland. Also, cyanobacteria are able to photosynthesize – that is, use light to create food. If you intend to dose or spot-treat with hydrogen peroxide, I highly recommend following the advice from someone who is experienced with this treatment because…. I used it for its 5 days then waited another 5 days as required. and how do we UP the nitrates ?? EcoClean Solutions Mold, Mildew & Algae Remover | No … Ha, explaining fish purchases to the wife… I know that feeling all too well as she does the budgeting in hour home. I was very interested myself. We had a BGA outbreak and with much research was thrilled to find your information. I bought the Ultralife remedy but haven’t use it yet, but read good review comments. There are many different varieties of blue-green algae. Optionally you can add potassium nitrate, in order to increase the nitrate content. I hope the Slime remover kills your blue green algae for good, it feels like a losing battle otherwise. Thank you for the article and advice. Instead, it’s a slimy, reddish-brown color, as you see below…, Let’s compare that to the cyanobacteria commonly found in freshwater aquariums…. If you still aren’t sure that you are dealing with blue-green algae, then I have a simple test you can do. That post I shared on the nitrate phenomeon is on the barr report, where many planted tank owners share their experience. Well, this guide is about freshwater cyanobacteria, specifically the type found in your aquarium. I have a cold water 20 gallon with only 7 small Daimos & Golden algae eater (who eats nothing looks like) but have the black beard starting in the heated tank upstairs with Tetras and Clown Loaches. or 6 weekly interest-free payments from $6.67 with. Now you can finally remove that unsightly blue green algae quickly without harm to freshwater fish or plants. Bag grows like weeds. I’m kinda thinking I should start from scratch. It’s no secret that many types of blue-green algae are toxic.[6]. Still have BGA. It is easy to use, just mix a small amount of aquarium water, with the appropriate amount of product, using the included measuring spoon according to your … Blue-green algae and erythromycin by -at-Tony.Clementz.mikrbiol.lu.se (Tony Clementz) Date: 7 Feb 92 Newsgroup: rec.aquaria. It might be called a “stain remover,” but this stuff stops a full-blown blue-green algae bloom in its tracks. In fact, at the time of writing this, there are no known fish or invertebrates that consume blue-green algae. They unrealistically expect their tank to be perfectly immaculate. I’m hoping this easylife blue green exit stuff I’ve just started using today works. Blacking out your aquarium will have mixed results. I do have the airstones now, so hopefully everything will go well. I do have my lights on for 9 hrs a day could that be the problem? The low nitrate hypothesis makes logical sense. When you remove algae is removed from your swimming pool, often stubborn green algae staining may still be visible on the pool surface. This product removes algae by fighting fire with fire – using its own type of algae (a good kind) against nuisance pond algae (the bad kind). Very nasty stuff, smells horrible, can’t be good for tank inhabitants. PS- I tried to add a bit of humor to this foulf smelling, slimy situation….and keep it PG. No negative signs from the plants or animals. Is this an issue with the Ultralife? As for increasing O2, it’s as simple as you say. So, if you are not careful with how you remove it, you could be helping the blue-green algae spread faster than before. Good to know about the nitrates I will test and add N if needed. So, if you see this, you can be certain you are dealing with blue-green algae. I then got some tetra & an otto. I have large hot water tanks I use for food prep , so how can I effectively decontaminate the hot water heater tanks after the city water warning has lifted? I especially like the theory on how the cells die, it makes a lot of sense. They would also be using water from the same supply. It’s also considerably more expensive than Hydrogen peroxide, so I would make that the starting point. It’s such a horrible thing and frustrating that you can’t tell since ammonia and nitrite levels remain at 0. Hi So it’s not a chemical/antibiotic designed to kill BGA/cyanobacteria like, for example, Erythromycin. Do you use an aquarium test kit to regularly check your water parameters? I’d start by testing your water with a test kit. After vacuuming the substrate and refilling the tank, add one full dose of Maracyn (which is 1 packet per 10 gallons of water), and let the aquarium sit for one week before doing another water change. Thank you for this article. Thanks! My preference would be to not add any chemicals and I’m just wondering if anyone has had success with manual removal combined with addressing the underlying nutrient imbalance. Ugh, I feel for you. It smells bad. Your link takes one to … another web blog – not a scientific source. Next you should carefully scrub and scrape the glass of your tank. How? Don’t know what to do other than the blackout and this product. No no, you should question everything! Pressure washing and bleach aren’t the best options for cleaning green and black algae. Can anyone verify that I can use the ultralife bluegreen stain remover with snails and shrimp? I had absolutely no idea what I was up against. Would you like to share your secret as to how you did it? Let’s look at this product, Blue-Green Slime Stain remover. I just assumed it was algae. or 6 weekly interest-free payments from $6.66 with what's this? You did well to see get rid of it with just with manual removal – Impressive! I don’t test the water. My 150 gallon freshwater tank has suddenly fell victim to this nuisance. However, this is typically easily observable – fish show very obvious symptoms such as gulping at the top of the tank. The problem with adding rooted plants to the aquarium gravel is that BGA uses the plant surface as one more place to grow. The reason I’d recommend black-out as the first method of treatment is that it’s free (assuming you already own things like towels) and reversible. I’ve been fighting it for months…This stuff keeps coming back! Wish I could say the product works because BGA is a real problem in my tank – it doesn’t. Only ever read experiences in online forums. 80 $25.49 $25.49. or are there traces left behind? Personally, I’d wait and see if it returns first to see if this step is necessary or not. Hi. However, not all types of blue-green algae have a scent. I’m very careful with what I feed them & I’ve always kept the tank clean but it was second hand. This has to be one of the best articles on the subject. For more information, please refer to our Comment Policy. This is the only written location I could find it but anecdotally, it has been repeated in the local fish keeping groups I have been to that low nitrates are a potential cause. If it has that terrible smell, it is cyanobacteria. Let me try to explain: It is true that BGA can exist when nitrate levels in water are zero (so your first claim is correct). I think that a probiotic treatment is a legitimate method to treat CBA theoretically. If it was just a lowering nitrates and nitrates, we would see 100% water changes be comparitively effective. I have ordered the Ultralife remedy and it should be delivered with in the next few days. Finally took the plunge and ordered Blue Green Slime Remover from the States as it is not available in UK. Ian, Never drink potentially contaminated water, and keep pets and family members out of visible blooms. Would definitely recommend Ultra Life versus the messing around with manual removal or darkness or anything else. It is worth mentioning that the blue-green algae floating on the surface of your pond (pond scum) is different than the blue-green algae in your aquarium. Our city water supply has become contaminated with Cyanotoxins. Came the black out method doesn ’ t take long for these small chunks to and... Nitrates alone will kill off all the good bacteria in our rivers, streams and channels about average for tank. 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If this stuff stops a full-blown blue-green algae, right cheering on the nitrate phenomeon is the. Freshwater fish or plants any impact on removing blue green-algae combat BGA blooms aquarists need to bring nitrate...