Algae Issue from Empty CO2 bottle

[Fiske]

I get tics everytime someone suggests using erythromycin against BGA. For exactly the reasons Darrel and Edvet stated. Please fix the underlying problem, instead of treating symptoms with antibiotics. My children and their children would very much like for those to work in the future too.
/rant mode off

Not wishing to start a ruckus, but yeah, I see this suggested WAY too much.

 

[dukydaf]

Bacterial antibiotic resistance genes can and will be lost from the population when no selective pressure is added. Just FYI, not that erythromycin treatment created resistance in ~30 years in BGA. Do you also worry about bacteria becoming resistant to H2o2? They can via catalase production.

Anyway, now we are 2 moths in from the last post. How did the blackout go OP? How long? Did it work?

 

[amritc1]

Hi Dukydaf,

The issue with my tank has been fixed by doing the following:
So a massive Thank you for all contributing and the suggestions.
1. Blackout for 5 days
2. Reduce lighting
3. Increased CO2
4. Manually removed as much as algae as possible
5. And a heavy trim.
6. Started dosing El salts as per recommendation on the packets.

Within a few weeks I started seeing better plant growth and colour. Also just kept on top maintenance well until the last month where did not do a water change for 3 weeks. A bit of diatom but now back to the usual weekly water changes and keeping an eye on the dosing bottles and CO2.

This was a slow process but very rewarding in the end.

A quick pic - ignore the patch as I was trying to grow HC there which lifted out recently.



Thank you.
Amrit

 

[Edvet]

 

[Fiske]

Bacterial antibiotic resistance genes can and will be lost from the population when no selective pressure is added.

Which is the reason for arguing NOT to misuse it for problems that don't warrant antibiotics.

Just FYI, not that erythromycin treatment created resistance in ~30 years in BGA.

Overuse and wrongful use of antibiotics, eg. erythromycin, has been linked with rising bacterial resistance for way more than 50 years. That BGA seems to be unaffected is hardly a cause for worry. Even then, it is still unneeded to solve a BGA problem with antibiotics, and falls clearly under wrongful use. Also please guarantee that the only organisms affected by wrongful use of antibiotics are BGA. Oh, you can't...

Do you also worry about bacteria becoming resistant to H2o2? They can via catalase production.

Not even gonna waste time on this.