# Cyanobacteria outbreak



## osullivanmichael2 (14 Sep 2015)

Hey guys,

It's my first post here,  I've been looking around for ages on the site and it's a great resource! Thanks for it. 
A little bit of background on me, I'm 38 years old and living in Ireland.  If kept fish without a break since I was 7.  Have had lots of tanks and spices of fish over the years.  The last ten years or so I've kept and bred tropheus.  For a change I have decided to switch to a planted aquarium, low tech now but slowly moving towards high tech by Christmas all going to plan.

I've had a problem though how the hell do I get control of this menace, Cyanobacteria in my tank !! 

I've tried spot dosing with a 2.5 ml syringe directly onto the algae with hydrogen peroxide (3% solution)  3 or 4 syringes once a day.  This works and was getting control but it killed two Cardinal tetras.  One two days ago that I put down to one of those things, but the second dead this morning so can't do that to them.

My tank in total including the sump is a little over 500 liters (Tank 460l sump 100l) I changed it over from an African cichlids about 6 months ago to my Amazon type planted tank with angle fish and tetras.  Fish only went in about 2 weeks ago. 

I was changing 50% a week to get ph down before fish arrived.  Have been doing one or two changes a week since of about 30% 

Sump filter system is fully cycled as has been on the go for 6 years or so.  The ph has been changed from 9.2 down to 7.4 to accommodate the change of fish but slowly over the 6 months.  

There is 3 54 watt planted tank and two 35 watt bulbs.  On for 10 hours.  Reduced this to 8hrs today with only 2 54 watts on at the back away from the bacteria at the front of the tank.  

The tank is moderately planted as shown in video and photos attached.  I add tropica plant growth specialised fertiliser 6 pumps a day and easycarbo 10mils a day.  I don't run co2 yet but will start in the next few months.  

Any help experiences of advice would be really appreciated 

https://goo.gl/photos/k9KdPmVJmPUbYQEG7

https://goo.gl/photos/cdJPvD6WaUfLKwTY9

https://goo.gl/photos/rw9yEtRfn37R9CBk6


Regards 
Michael


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## Iain Sutherland (14 Sep 2015)

Hi Michael, welcome.

Best bet for cyno is a total 3 day black out with no peaking. 

After it will need a good clean up, it's also worth stirring your gravel at the front during water change as cyno often starts below the substrate at the front or side wher ambient light hits the tank and substrate circulation is poor.  Lack of nitrate can also bring it on.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## osullivanmichael2 (14 Sep 2015)

Hey Iain, 
Thanks for reply and welcome  

I'll give that blackout a go !  I have just in the last week or so got 4 corrie sterabi and two ottos.  Is this sufficient clean up crew for now or would more than this be necessary to deal with this black out? 

Do you think my dosing of ferts is sufficient for now, I know it's very basic.  The plants are in there 3 weeks and most doing well enough. Are the lights sufficient or over the top.  I have one more 54 watt bulb to add when I get co2.  All lights are t5.  

Sorry for all the questions! My first planted setup so trying to learn as much as I can! 

Regards 
Michael


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## dw1305 (15 Sep 2015)

Hi all, 
The plants look healthy, and I would suspect the cyanobacteria will eventually go away of their own accord as the plant mass increases. I'd just syphon it of the sand for the moment. I know they aren't to every-ones taste, but Malaysian Trumpet Snails would also help.

You could add a few more plants for the while. They don't have to be a permanent addition. A floater like Amazon Frogbit (_Limnobium laevigatum_), or some sub-surface floaters like Horn-wort (_Ceratophyllum_ spp.) or Indian Fern (_Ceratopteris thalictroides_).  

If your sump has a lot of organic matter I'd try and give the filter a clean, and if it has a plenum for denitrification, I'd get rid of it. In a planted tank you are nothing like as reliant on the filter bacteria for biological filtration, as you would have been with the _Tropheus_.

cheers Darrel


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## osullivanmichael2 (15 Sep 2015)

Good idea with the extra plants floating ! I will get these after my lights out experiment for 4 days of the weekend when I'm going to the country! 

Good spot on the sump ! When this craze got out of hand first thing I did was check out the filter sponges.  I had only cleaned them out 3 weeks ago but I did lots of scaping  planting and pruning!! The mechanical filters were dirty, lots of sand substrate and rotting bits of plants,  was very surprised by the amount! I gently cleaned the sponges and siphoned most of the detritus from this section,  cyno hasn't improved much but I suppose it's a waiting game from now till after lights out at the weekend ! Thanks for the help so far guys ! 

Michael


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