# Easylife Blue Exit



## Matt Warner

Hi all, I came across this new product from Easylife called Blue Exit. It is supposed to remove blue green algae without harming anything. I was wondering if anybody has used it and what it contains to remove BGA without harming anything and if it works. Does it contain nitrate to remove it as we know low nitrate levels will bring it on. 
Cheers


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## GillesF

I've never used it. Although I really like the Easy-Life products I refuse to use such a product. Keeping healthy plants is not about killing algae but creating a good environment for your plants to grow in. In my opinion, such a product cannot produce a healthy environment.


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## Matt Warner

I know that and I agree with you. I was just wondering more than anything what it contains
Cheers


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## GillesF

The site doesn't mention anything. Have you tried contacting them?


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## Iain Sutherland

GillesF said:
			
		

> I've never used it. Although I really like the Easy-Life products I refuse to use such a product. Keeping healthy plants is not about killing algae but creating a good environment for your plants to grow in. In my opinion, such a product cannot produce a healthy environment.



while in principle you are right, IME once cyno is in the tank it is devestatingly hard to eradicate, battled it for months then  had to resort to antibiotics.


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## Matt Warner

This is the problem I have been having. I mis calculated my EI dosing and wasn't adding enough nitrate. I am now adding about 10ppm three times a week and the cyano has improved a hell of a lot but it still lingers. I dont want to do a blackout if I can help it, but then I don't want to add antibiotics and risk killing the filter bacteria or fish and shrimp. I was considering using blue exit but I'm not sure what it contains.


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## Iain Sutherland

yep, i found that i doesnt like high flow either but it has a habit of reappearing in force after you think its under control.
I do belive that you should try everything to find the cause first but im yet to hear of a successful blackout with BGA that didnt reappear at some point.  BGA seems to have the ability to sit dormant for months at a time then when it feels an opportunity it will appear like magic.
If you run out of ideas i have some enthromycin i got from the states, dosed for 4 days, has no effect on the filter or fauna and BGA hasnt ever reappeared... 6 months on now i guess. 
Im happy to send you what you need as well as the dosing schedule i ran.  Do remember that it is supposed to be a one shot wonder as the bacteria is rumoured to be resiliant after it has been exposed to it...???
PM me anytime if you want to go down that road.


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## Aquadip-Joey

If you need any more information about the Easylife products, do not hesitate to contact us. 
Via sales [at] aquadip.com. We are the sole distributor of Easylife in the UK and will be able to answer such questions. 

Thank you.


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## tyrophagus

Sorry, double post - see rant below


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## tyrophagus

easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> If you run out of ideas i have some enthromycin i got from the states, dosed for 4 days, has no effect on the filter or fauna and BGA hasnt ever reappeared... 6 months on now i guess.
> Im happy to send you what you need as well as the dosing schedule i ran.  Do remember that it is supposed to be a one shot wonder as the bacteria is rumoured to be resiliant after it has been exposed to it...???
> PM me anytime if you want to go down that road.



Be careful talking about importing antibiotics on a public forum.  It's a criminal offence. Erythromycin might be widely available in the states but it's not in the UK.  Not only as you point out do you get resistance to the antibiotic but you then empty the water back into the environment which is not ideal.  Erythromycin is a useful antibiotic to fight disease, don't use it to make your tank look nice (then complain when we you get a superbug in hospital).  There's a reason you have algae, find it.

/ end rant


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## Iain Sutherland

tyrophagus said:
			
		

> easerthegeezer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you run out of ideas i have some enthromycin i got from the states, dosed for 4 days, has no effect on the filter or fauna and BGA hasnt ever reappeared... 6 months on now i guess.
> Im happy to send you what you need as well as the dosing schedule i ran.  Do remember that it is supposed to be a one shot wonder as the bacteria is rumoured to be resiliant after it has been exposed to it...???
> PM me anytime if you want to go down that road.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be careful talking about importing antibiotics on a public forum.  It's a criminal offence. Erythromycin might be widely available in the states but it's not in the UK.  Not only as you point out do you get resistance to the antibiotic but you then empty the water back into the environment which is not ideal.  Erythromycin is a useful antibiotic to fight disease, don't use it to make your tank look nice (then complain when we you get a superbug in hospital).  There's a reason you have algae, find it.
> 
> / end rant
Click to expand...


i totally agree with you in principle, sadly, when your tank has a bacterial infection such as BGA anti biotics can be the only solution apart from a tear down.  Vets in this country will not prescribe without seeing the infection and UK vets dont home visit for aquariums, just another example of how animal welfare in this hobby is not promoted and treated as it should be. Sadly aquarium fish are considered expendable by too many. 
Do you have some suggestions as to how to eliminate cynobacteria without antibiotics?


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## a1Matt

easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> Do you have some suggestions as to how to eliminate cynobacteria without antibiotics?


up the nitrate level further. It does work. Think bigger... Try 50ppm daily.


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## Matt Warner

Does that really work adding that much nitrate to get rid of it? I am worried about adding that much each day.


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## GillesF

There's no reason to add 50ppl a day, that's just a waste of fertilizers. 30ppm per week should be sufficient (EI ratio).


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## Matt Warner

Thats about what I'm dosing now whilst before I was only dosing about 3 -4ppm 3 times a week which wasn't enough. Since dosing higher I have seen a massive improvement in plant growth and algae has decreased quite a lot. I'm definitely in agreement with you about finding the reason for algae and correcting it. My nitrate was obviously bottoming out so I am adding more to fix it.


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## niru

Hi

I had once an infection of BGA (not much but good enough to bother me). I followed guys here, did some pruning of infected plants, removed BGA from substrate, cleaned the filters that were clogged, improved the flow/circulation & temporarily had a water blasting the BGA sites. As an immediate measure, during the WC when water level is low, I injected H2O2 straight on the BGA, wait a few minutes, and refill the tank. The nascent Oxygen oxidises locally all the stuff (be careful that this is a local effect only).  This all helped, and I didnt have to go the anti-biotic way.

I guess that since BGA uses nitrogen fixing for its energy, improving water Oxygen content helps since this hinders their growth. Adding nitrates & good flow further deteriorates their condition. Plus the O2 once formed from H2O2 also helps aerobic bacteria in the filters.

Hope this helps.

-niru


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## Ian Holdich

i had a little under substrate BGA a bit ago in my corner tank, it was just in one spot right in the corner and tried to up the flow in the corners, but struggled. I opted for TPN+ capsules for under the substrate, and bish bash bosh, it never appeared again.


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## a1Matt

a1Matt said:
			
		

> easerthegeezer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have some suggestions as to how to eliminate cynobacteria without antibiotics?
> 
> 
> 
> up the nitrate level further. It does work. Think bigger... Try 50ppm daily.
Click to expand...




			
				Matty1983 said:
			
		

> Does that really work adding that much nitrate to get rid of it? I am worried about adding that much each day.



Yes, it does work.



			
				GillesF said:
			
		

> There's no reason to add 50ppl a day, that's just a waste of fertilizers. 30ppm per week should be sufficient (EI ratio).



The higher levels I mentioned are temporary, until the BGA issue is resolved.
Usually just a few days dosage is needed at this level.


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## Matt Warner

Thanks all for the tips and thanks a1matt. I have followed your advice and have added potassium nitrate straight into the tank along with my EI dosing and it seems like the bga is on the decline, it looks almost like it is being stretched before contracting into little balls, and all without algaecide.


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## a1Matt

Thanks for the positive feedback, I am glad to hear you are getting on top of it.

BGA can only appear in water with zero nitrates in it, so it is a safe assumption that after clearing the BGA your tank would benefit from a higher regular dosing level of nitrates than it was on previously. I'd try just slightly higher and see how things go.


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## Matt Warner

I was thinking the same thing myself. I will add another teaspoon or two into the macro mix I think. Thanks again!


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## tyrophagus

easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> i totally agree with you in principle, sadly, when your tank has a bacterial infection such as BGA anti biotics can be the only solution apart from a tear down.  Vets in this country will not prescribe without seeing the infection and UK vets dont home visit for aquariums, just another example of how animal welfare in this hobby is not promoted and treated as it should be. Sadly aquarium fish are considered expendable by too many.
> Do you have some suggestions as to how to eliminate cynobacteria without antibiotics?



Antibiotics are a prescription medicine for a reason. Your approach to your tank is a good example why drugs are controlled.  You don't have an infection. BGA is a reality. If you manage your tank properly you can prevent it and there are ways to to rid your tank without antibiotics.

Vets will visit to treat fish ( not get rid of algae ).  There is not a vet in the UK that would dispense antibiotics to treat what in essences is an algae infestation.   

Your understanding of what constitutes an infection is exactly why antibiotics are not available over the counter.  Look to your tank management.

I would recommend increasing your nitrates. Stop using antibiotics inappropriately and creating resistance.


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## Blue77

I've seen that product also . I'm thinking about to use or not use that .

I've read that topic and i'm confused ... at the end , do you suggest me to use or not to eliminate little infestation of cyanobacteria and long hair green algae in my tank ?

(p.s. sorry for my bad english)


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## dw1305

Hi all,


> _Antibiotics are a prescription medicine for a reason. Your approach to your tank is a good example why drugs are controlled. You don't have an infection_.


I think Tyrophagus has made a really valid point and we all have a duty to behave responsibly. If you look at the data there is a an almost perfect correlation between countries where antibiotics are available over the counter and the incidence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and this is really serious for all of us. The Scandinavians have much more prescriptive controls on antibiotic prescription than we do and a much lower incidence of MRSA
 etc. <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/antibiotic-resistance-scandinavia-gets-it/>


> .._In Europe, according to the ECDC, 25,000 people each year die as a result of multi-drug resistant infections, causing an additional cost to society of 1.5 billion Euros ($2.02 billion): 938 million Euros ($1.27 billion) in hospital and outpatient medical costs, and an additional  596.3 million Euros ($806 million) in lost productivity_...


 from:  <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/running-antibiotics-europe/#more-86894>

Even though I run all my tanks nutrient depleted, I very rarely see any cyanobacteria, other than the occasional smear on the undersides of _Pistia_ (Nile Cabbage) leaves. That is not to say it isn't present, if you look under the microscope any sample of upper sediment layers or the biofilm from leaves and structures will contain plenty of cyanobacteria.

In fact looking back through my entire aquarium and waste water career it is very much something I would associate with new tanks and systems which lack any stability or biofilm development. 

cheers Darrel


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## Brenmuk

I used erythromycin back in the mid 90's to treat a tank with a bad infestation of BGA. 
I followed the instructions from the the Krib 

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cyanobacteria.html

It was a total disaster. Initially the BGA was killed off totally but the erythromycin must have killed a whole range of other bugs causing the tank water to turn cloudy white (it is supposed to be safe for the gram -ve filter bacteria). Despite several water changes and physically removing all the dead BGA and other dead gunk we couldn't clear the cloudy water. As the tank was on display in a work place we decided to strip the tank down and start again from scratch.

My own experience and the arguments of antibiotic over use mean I would now never use erythromycin again for BGA control - ironically others in the above link had reported similar issues. 

Back then in the 'old' days it wasn't totally clear - at least to the general fish/plant keeping hobby the link between BGA and low nitrates so ppl myself included used to pull their hair out trying to battle BGA. Now I find treating BGA very simple just add more nitrates or reduce the demand for nitrates by pruning plants/lowering light levels etc. I usually take action at the first sign of BGA - little patches on stones or on plants. After battling a few outbreaks you will spot the early signs a mile away.

Reading the above Krib link again its interesting to read many of the same points of discussion we are having today.


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## Blue77

Hi guys !

I have been away from home for 2 weeks and cyanobacteria have thanked me   
When i came back to home i saw my tank very infested by cyanobacteria and by filamentous green algae   
I've tried to use BlueExit Easylife but it didn't had any effect . After 2 week of treatment , i've changed 50% of water and i've used Eritromicina . Now , after 1 week of Eritromicina , cyanobacteria are leaving my tank (very very slowly) .

A question for you : how could i remove Green algae now ? I have to wait 1 week before insert Protalon707, because i have eritromicina in water ?

Thank a lot !


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## Viv

Just thought I'd add my own experience of BGA. I've got a 125l tank for barbs. Its got a few low light plants in but I don't class it as 'planted' and I wasn't adding any nutrients. Recently this tank got quite bad BGA in it and after looking on here and seeing this was associated with low nitrates I started adding a bit of potassium nitrate (no measurements as I add my ferts to the tank dry). Every day for about 4 days. The BGA was gone in less than a week! I'm adding nitrate 3 times a week now and so far no sign of it coming back. 

Viv


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## Westyggx

Hi,

Been getting BGA in certain spots in my tank now for a few weeks, seems to have started from beneath the substrate and krept along. I scrape when i can off during water changes but comes back pretty fast, read this thread and i already dose KNO3.. shall i up my dose?

Cheers


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## CeeJay

Hi all

Mike
I would up your KNO3 dose.
I had an outbreak of BGA when I set up a 95L low tech tank a few years ago. I was dosing James' All In One at the rate recommended by Tropica (5ml per 50l per week). This I found was miles too low for the plant density that I had. I thought I'd get radical and chucked in 2 teaspoon of KNO3. The BGA was gone in 4 days   . It probably sent my ppm off the scale, but the fish and Cherry shrimp were fine. After that I increased my All In One dosing and never saw it again. The tank ran for 3 years and has only just been stripped down, but I was never bothered by it again.


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## Westyggx

CeeJay said:
			
		

> Hi all
> 
> Mike
> I would up your KNO3 dose.
> I had an outbreak of BGA when I set up a 95L low tech tank a few years ago. I was dosing James' All In One at the rate recommended by Tropica (5ml per 50l per week). This I found was miles too low for the plant density that I had. I thought I'd get radical and chucked in 2 teaspoon of KNO3. The BGA was gone in 4 days   . It probably sent my ppm off the scale, but the fish and Cherry shrimp were fine. After that I increased my All In One dosing and never saw it again. The tank ran for 3 years and has only just been stripped down, but I was never bothered by it again.



Hi Chris,

thanks for the info, i already dose 5 teaspoons in my 500ml mix so ill up to 6 and see what that does. I'm already at 400 ppm and i live in an area where the water is below 50ppm out of my tap so go figure haha.

Cheers


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## ceg4048

Westyggx said:
			
		

> I'm already at 400 ppm...


I don't think so mate. How did you get that number? Please don't tell me you measured it using a NO3 test kit...  

Cheers,


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## spill50

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Please don't tell me you measured it using a NO3 test kit...



lol I love your posts about test kits, they do entertain me


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## Westyggx

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Westyggx said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm already at 400 ppm...
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think so mate. How did you get that number? Please don't tell me you measured it using a NO3 test kit...
> 
> Cheers,
Click to expand...


My TDS Metre says Clive?


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## ceg4048

Mike,
        TDS meter can only tell you about TDS. It cannot tell you about NO3 ppm. The "T" in TDS means "Total". That means it's the sum total of all things dissolved in the water, which by the way even includes other liquids such as acids and alkaloids. 

You have to calculate the NO3 ppm, and even so, you don't have enough data to determine the final number. The total NO3 concentration will = water report value + the amount you dosed + NO3 due to biological activity (i.e. breakdown of waste products) - plant removal.

So you can get a pretty good estimate from the amount you dosed, but you don't know if the water report value is the same as what's in your pipe and you cannot know how much is being produced by the germs. We can probably throw out the NO3 content due to microbial action as being much smaller than the other values and we can assume the mean water report value to be correct (usually they give you a mean value or you can average the high and the low values to get a quasi-mean value). You can also throw out the uptake value because it will also be very low in comparison. Of course it's easy to calculate the amount you dosed, so when you do all these assumptions you are left with the amount you dosed+the water report mean value. That's very easy to do. 

The TDS value tells you absolutely nothing mate. Yes, when you dose more, the TDS will increase, but you cannot use this number as a direct indication of NO3. Absolutely not.

Cheers,


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## plantbrain

tyrophagus said:
			
		

> easerthegeezer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you run out of ideas i have some enthromycin i got from the states, dosed for 4 days, has no effect on the filter or fauna and BGA hasnt ever reappeared... 6 months on now i guess.
> Im happy to send you what you need as well as the dosing schedule i ran.  Do remember that it is supposed to be a one shot wonder as the bacteria is rumoured to be resiliant after it has been exposed to it...???
> PM me anytime if you want to go down that road.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be careful talking about importing antibiotics on a public forum.  It's a criminal offence. Erythromycin might be widely available in the states but it's not in the UK.  Not only as you point out do you get resistance to the antibiotic but you then empty the water back into the environment which is not ideal.  Erythromycin is a useful antibiotic to fight disease, don't use it to make your tank look nice (then complain when we you get a superbug in hospital).  There's a reason you have algae, find it.
> 
> / end rant
Click to expand...



EM is not prescribed much in the states for healthcare, but in the pet industry and the livestock industry, it is widely used. Thank our Big Pharm lobbyist  

The 3 day blackout in combination for any BGA killer + dosing KNO3 should be very very effective also.
 The 3 Day BO + KNO3 will kill most folk's issues, those with more persistent issues can opt for the killers.
There are about a dozen chemicals that do no harm to aquatic live stock but roast BGA and few other species.

H2O2 spot treatment is very effective for many species. Sodium percarbonate also good, large water changes, a misting of H2O2 or a diluted amount works, same for Easy Carb/Excel.


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## Ian Holdich

same here Tom, Erythromycin is now only used as a fourth line now. We use it very very rarely now. It's even been taken from our drug cupboards as most of it was going out of date.

It'll be back though, they always rotate the use of ABX, it stops us mortals from becoming resistance.


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## macek.g

Hi,buying this product :Erythromycin will help , but this product is not available at the moment in the UK . You can buy  Davercin it has Erythromycin in it and the easiest  possibility is buying Chemiclean to marine fish tank.


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## Westyggx

plantbrain said:
			
		

> tyrophagus said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> easerthegeezer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you run out of ideas i have some enthromycin i got from the states, dosed for 4 days, has no effect on the filter or fauna and BGA hasnt ever reappeared... 6 months on now i guess.
> Im happy to send you what you need as well as the dosing schedule i ran.  Do remember that it is supposed to be a one shot wonder as the bacteria is rumoured to be resiliant after it has been exposed to it...???
> PM me anytime if you want to go down that road.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Be careful talking about importing antibiotics on a public forum.  It's a criminal offence. Erythromycin might be widely available in the states but it's not in the UK.  Not only as you point out do you get resistance to the antibiotic but you then empty the water back into the environment which is not ideal.  Erythromycin is a useful antibiotic to fight disease, don't use it to make your tank look nice (then complain when we you get a superbug in hospital).  There's a reason you have algae, find it.
> 
> / end rant
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> EM is not prescribed much in the states for healthcare, but in the pet industry and the livestock industry, it is widely used. Thank our Big Pharm lobbyist
> 
> The 3 day blackout in combination for any BGA killer + dosing KNO3 should be very very effective also.
> The 3 Day BO + KNO3 will kill most folk's issues, those with more persistent issues can opt for the killers.
> There are about a dozen chemicals that do no harm to aquatic live stock but roast BGA and few other species.
> 
> H2O2 spot treatment is very effective for many species. Sodium percarbonate also good, large water changes, a misting of H2O2 or a diluted amount works, same for Easy Carb/Excel.
Click to expand...


Hi Tom, i am having consistent issues with BGA. No matter how much i scrub it away and move the substrate about where it stems from it still comes back a week later!

When you say 3 day blackout + KNO3 how much of this do i dose? Do i dose it with water mixed or dry? I want to get rid of this once and for all!

Cheers


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