My 250l tank's been suffering from this algae/bacteria for at least 6 months. I tried every single recommendation I've found but with no results.
I tried:
- Increasing the water flow from 800l/h to 1200l/h. It didn't help at all. In fact, Cyano happily grows in areas that have the most flow.
- Extensively vacuuming the gravel. While certainly better for the whole tank, didn't even make a dent.
- Cleaning the filter from the excessive debris. Better for overall tank health, but no use for Cyano.
- Increased nitrates and lowered phosphates. Nitrate levels were 10-15mg/l with phosphates being 0,25-0,5. By Redfield ratio chart I was way into the GSA territory. But in reality, none of GSA was there, slowing Cyano only a little bit, if at all.
- Added more fast growing plants like Ceratophyllum, Ludwigia & Rotala. Great for tank, zero for Cyano.
- Easylife Blue Exit. Absolutely worthless. Nothing happened. It's basically a salicylic acid and aloe vera. Don't know what were they thinking, but no use.
What temporarily helped:
- Physically removing the patches of the Cyano. It helped the overall look of the tank, but required almost a daily maintenance of the gravel and glass walls.
So now I'm finally using the last resort: Erythromycin. I dosed slightly more than 2,5mg/l and will see how this goes. I will report here as the days go by. My plan is to dose the antibiotic for 7 days.
I tried:
- Increasing the water flow from 800l/h to 1200l/h. It didn't help at all. In fact, Cyano happily grows in areas that have the most flow.
- Extensively vacuuming the gravel. While certainly better for the whole tank, didn't even make a dent.
- Cleaning the filter from the excessive debris. Better for overall tank health, but no use for Cyano.
- Increased nitrates and lowered phosphates. Nitrate levels were 10-15mg/l with phosphates being 0,25-0,5. By Redfield ratio chart I was way into the GSA territory. But in reality, none of GSA was there, slowing Cyano only a little bit, if at all.
- Added more fast growing plants like Ceratophyllum, Ludwigia & Rotala. Great for tank, zero for Cyano.
- Easylife Blue Exit. Absolutely worthless. Nothing happened. It's basically a salicylic acid and aloe vera. Don't know what were they thinking, but no use.
What temporarily helped:
- Physically removing the patches of the Cyano. It helped the overall look of the tank, but required almost a daily maintenance of the gravel and glass walls.
So now I'm finally using the last resort: Erythromycin. I dosed slightly more than 2,5mg/l and will see how this goes. I will report here as the days go by. My plan is to dose the antibiotic for 7 days.