Is this Cyano?

[Arbarbash]

I have these black spots that keep forming on my sand.  I will clean the sand during my weekly water change but within a day they are back.  Is this Cyano?  It’s more black than any of the pictures I see.

Thanks in advance.

[T. Payne]

Does not appear to be, cyano is green and slimey looking.

[JoeQ]

Is there an odor coming from your tank? In the early stages it'll smell earthy; similar to a green house smell.

[Arbarbash]

No smell.  It is a black film on the very top of the sand.  When I remove it it comes up as one sheet of algea 

[JoeQ]

Is this a new tank? 

[Arbarbash]

No, it’s been running for about 6 months.  Nothing new added to the tank in the past four months and this algea started about 3-4 weeks ago.

I dose easy green once per week(10ml) and easy Carbon daily(10ml).  Both of these have been being dosed for four months since adding the plants. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Arbarbash

[tike]

Definitely cyanobacteria, I have this black form of it in the past. I would cut back on adding nutrients for a bit and increase water changes to once a week. Give it a month and see if that helps clean it up.

[Arbarbash]

Should I stop doing both Carbon and Easy Green?

[tike]

On 12/24/2023 at 2:33 PM, Arbarbash said:

Should I stop doing both Carbon and Easy Green?

I would, just for a month.

[JoeQ]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, tike said:

Definitely cyanobacteria, I have this black form of it in the past. I would cut back on adding nutrients for a bit and increase water changes to once a week. Give it a month and see if that helps clean it up.

I've never seen or even knew that there was black version. Do you know what causes the diffrent colorization? Is this version normally orderless?

[tike]

Can cyanobacteria be black?

 

 

 

Blue-green algae (BGA) is not actually an algae but rather a cyanobacteria – a very diverse and resilient group of bacteria that uses photosynthesis like plants. In freshwater aquariums, it's known for its vivid blue-green color, but it can also appear in shades of brown, black, or even red.