Cyanobacteria aka Blue-Green Algea Questions

[BettaBabe94]

I have a 5 gallon tank that I’m almost positive has an outbreak of Cyanobacteria (see pics below). Last night I moved the betta to his new setup (pre-planned) and dosed the tank with chemiclean the best I could since the directions are for a 10 gallon tank.

Today I was thinking about how all I want from this tank is the sponge filter and the plants. The decorations will be cleaned and put away for another time, and I’ll probably just throw away the sand. I plan on sterilizing everything with peroxide. My question is….if I just scrub all the Cyanobacteria off of the plant, will it grow back and infect my other tanks? Is there a way for me to “sterilize” the plants without killing them? 
Any other tips on dealing with Cyanobacteria is appreciated. 

[Matt B]

It will be interesting to hear what others opinions are on this subject. 🤔  When I  had a Cynobacteria bloom in a 10gal, I  dosed  Fritz Mardel Maracyn several times and it killed the Cynobacteria.  It's been several months and it has not come back!  ☠️  ☠️

[Gamegurl]

Bleach your plants.

Pull any algae you can off first then. Use a 5% solution equals to 5 Tbsp per gallon of water. Mix your bleach solution, then in another bucket mix plain water with triple the amount of Dechlorinator that you use Dip your plants for 1-2 minutes in the bleach solution, then directly into the fresh water. Smell them to make sure no scent of bleach is present. If you still smell it rinse them quickly under the tap or re-rinse in the fresh water.  I do this with any plants I order or purchase and have had no leaf melt or detriment to my plants at all. I actually have a miserable case of Brown algae in my main tank and pulled up and bleached all the plants in there with no issues to them. Hope it helps

Edited May 1, 2023 by Gamegurl

[BettaBabe94]

@Gamegurl bleach scares me, but I did google to see if there was a peroxide version and there is. Thank you for the idea though lol

[Littlefish]

I used the blue-green algae remover off Amazon, and while it did completely remove the cyano, without changing things in the tank or changing my routine, it always came back.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

@Cory has talked about using Maracyn to kill the algae. I’ve never done it as I’ve never had it, but I trust his testing and what has worked for him. 

[Gamegurl]

I understand your fear of bleach. I used peroxide at first as well but I'd have to find the sheet a plant seller included with plants I ordered.

I'd have to look it up as I cannot remember if Peroxide kills algae. It does not kill snails which is why I switched.

I really don't like adding "fixes" to my tank water. I've been semi lucky and only have gotten brown algae, the bane of my existence and spot green algae. I use Nerite snails and they do a pretty good job and are pretty.

Good luck!!

Edited May 1, 2023 by Gamegurl

[Stef]

I have had Cyanobacteria in two of my betta tanks and treated it successfully with the Fritz Slime Out product. It works pretty fast. Does your “algae” have the characteristic stink and sticky/slimy feel?

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/30/2023 at 7:15 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

@Cory has talked about using Maracyn to kill the algae. I’ve never done it as I’ve never had it, but I trust his testing and what has worked for him. 

Steenfott has some videos on this method.

On 4/30/2023 at 10:29 AM, BettaBabe94 said:

Any other tips on dealing with Cyanobacteria is appreciated. 

On the anubias, I do not think that is BGA. It looks like black beard algae in the early stages.

The stuff on the substrate, I've heard everything from salt to other things working. Manual removal is your friend. First I would try to remove it and siphon it off the gravel.  Blackout the tank for a week and then siphon it off. During the blackout, every 1-2 days you'd want to perform a water change to remove BBA spores in the water column.  UV or Maracyn would be the next step for me.

In terms of cause, is the tank near a window? Have you considered blocking out the back/sides of the tank with something like window tint film to reduce algae issues?

It's very likely that this stuff came in on a plant or some decor.

[Nana Finopolis]

This worked for me:

Remove as much as you can, manually.

Use Maracyn as directed. 

You may have to repeat the Maracyn. Worked great.

 

[BettaBabe94]

@Stef OMG yes it stinks. They weren’t kidding when they said the smell is distinct.

@nabokovfan87 So the tank isn’t near a window, but it is near another tank so maybe it got extra light from the other tank. 
What I ended up doing because that tank was coming down anyway: I threw away the substrate because I didn’t like it anyway. I put the sponge filter and decorations in a bucket of peroxide and water. After 24 hours I rinsed it off, then did another soak in peroxide and water for another 24 hours. Lastly I filled the tank with water and added peroxide. Tonight I’m going to empty it and probably redo it again. Everything still stinks so maybe I will put the sponge filter and decorations in Maracyn. 

[Matt B]

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a vinegar solution to sterilize a used tank, hang on back filter or sponge filters? 🤔

[Guppysnail]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:05 PM, Matt B said:

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a vinegar solution to sterilize a used tank, hang on back filter or sponge filters? 🤔

I’ve not tried vinegar. I use grocery store hydrogen peroxide. It works great with no chemical residue. I use it full strength 

[dasaltemelosguy]

@BettaBabe94, neither of these ideas below may be practical but I thought I'd mention them just in case. 

One way is if you don't mind lugging around 5 gallons worth of seltzer or club soda. Or you could fill 3 or 4 empty gallon bottles with water and place them in the center to take up some volume so you can just use 1 case of seltzer to fill a 5-gallon tank. 

Cyano, algae and bacteria (good and bad) will perish, and the plants will probably like it. 

A bit more costly but these things turn cyano into literal liquid. You wave this device close to it, and it flies off and liquifies. That duration won't harm the plants. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X9BR63N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Peroxide sound easiest though! But I thought I'd mention it.