# strange stuff



## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

Guys, here is a pic of part of my tank....
there is some strange stuff on the coral ( fake) and in the gravel, the coral was white when i put it in... anyways here is some pics, hopefully someone knows what all that black/very dark green stuff is. 

looks almost like some kind of mold....


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2008)

It's possibly some sort of algae. Maybe cyanobacteria, beard, or brush algae from your description. It's too hard to tell from the photos.

Have a look here.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

If you go online to some algae sites you can get a close up of lots of them. Depending on what it is you can get an idea of the best way to solve that problem. Some of them are not a problem at all, just somewhat unsightly, and others are more of an issue like cyanobacteria, which is a bacteria not an algae.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

its cyanobacteria.... :help:

i think it can be only treated with an antibiotic....


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2008)

It doesn't look like it's too bad in your tank. Believe me, I had a case where it covered everything in a 10g, everything. If you think it's cyano, add an air stone or two or a pump in the places it's showing up. Cyanobacteria usually shows up when there isn't enough movement in the water. It's worth a try before you decide to treat with antibiotics.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

ok, so here is the news... 
i bought some powdery stuff that is supposed to kill BGA, the freaking thing doesn't have an active ingredient list, so what it is no one knows. Being the only thing the had against BGA i didn't have a real choice... lmao 
Hopefully it will kill the alien bug... lol
ill keep posting results...


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2008)

Didn't you think it was Cyanobacteria, not BBA? They're two very different things and need to be treated differently, plus I'm not a big supporter of odd chemicals with no ingredients list. I wouldn't use it 

Keep us posted.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

the link at the beginning of the thread says that BGA is not considered an algae anymore, apparently its a cyanobacteria... 

i just want the thing gone..... :fish:


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2008)

My mistake, I was thinking BBA. I'm used to calling cyanobacteria cyanobacteria


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

Ichthius said:


> My mistake, I was thinking BBA. I'm used to calling cyanobacteria cyanobacteria


never the less: how do i kill it? i want my tank pretty again... lol... ;-)


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2008)

My guess is that your mystery med is either diluted erythromycin or contains copper. Are you sure there are no ingredients or mention of what it's made of? If it's erythromycin, then it will _probably work._ Without getting too technical, this antibacterial doesn't generally work too well on this group of bacteria, but cyano is sometimes an exception. It's a bit of an extreme and risky treatment, IMO. One, because if you have fish in there then you are effectively treating them, even in a diluted amount, of an antibiotic. This can cause resistance to the drug in the fish _and_ the bacteria if not done properly. Also, if it works and the bacteria is killed off, you're likely to have an increase in ammonia/nitrite/or nitrate levels. So, if you choose this route, keep an eye on it.

Anyway, what I've found to be most effective in the past is upping the water movement via filtration, water pumps, or air pumps. You don't have a particularly bad case of cyano. I'd carefully remove all that you can and up the water movement.

Another thing to consider is your water chemistry. Cyano feeds off of high nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels, to my knowledge. So, give your params a look and make sure you're doing regular water changes as well as keeping your tank from being stagnant in areas.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Bymer- head over to your nearest Big Al's. Ask a clerk there for the best cure for whatever it is you think you have. They will most likely refer you to a good general purpose algae fighting chemical. Post its name here and share your success/ failure.

BTW- I *love* your avatar!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

COM-algae fighting chemicals won't work for BGA, it's a bacterial infection. 

I used erythromycin (maracyn) over the course of 3 days, and the BGA disappeared.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

COM said:


> Bymer- head over to your nearest Big Al's. Ask a clerk there for the best cure for whatever it is you think you have. They will most likely refer you to a good general purpose algae fighting chemical. Post its name here and share your success/ failure.
> 
> BTW- I *love* your avatar!


Thanks... lol... I like it too ^:razz:

Ok, the mystery stuff is called "blue-green algae remover" made by UltraLife Reef Products. Made in good ol' USA. Its a little can with this pink powder that you need to pre mix... 

bought it at Big Al's :fish:


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

trashion said:


> COM-algae fighting chemicals won't work for BGA, it's a bacterial infection.
> 
> I used erythromycin (maracyn) over the course of 3 days, and the BGA disappeared.


where do i get erythromycin though?


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2008)

Bymer, you should be able to find it at most fish stores. The medication is called erythromycin, but the product name will be Maracyn.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

Ichthius said:


> Bymer, you should be able to find it at most fish stores. The medication is called erythromycin, but the product name will be Maracyn.


god i hate big al's personnel... 
was at the store yesterday, asking for erythromycin, the fools couldn't find it in the store, now im looking thru there catalog, and surely there it is; Maracyn.


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

ok, so i went and bought Maracyn. It says to use it everyday for 5 days.
Is that recommended in my case or now. Also how do i know that the BGA is dead? does it go away, or just starts floating all over the place, how does it work?


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## Bymer (Aug 22, 2008)

update: day 2, the BGA is still here


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2008)

Are you dosing as the instructions say for disease/illness? If so, that's probably too much. I believe you're supposed to lower the dose. I'm not sure how much, so you should probably do a search on treating BGA with erythromycin.


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