Cyanobacteria / Blue Green Algae / BGA

Discussion in 'Algae' started by Laure, Jan 18, 2010.

  1. Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    Hi all

    Just to let you know I now believe, after experimentation, the best and cheapest way to kill off BGA is erythromycin (EM).

    Dosage = 200mg/10 gallons
    You can buy Purmycin capsules (manufactured by Aspen) on perscription from a pharmacy for next to nothing, as it is no longer a very effective anti-biotic for humans. They come in 250mg capsules. Just break open the capsules and mix in a cup filled with you tank water.

    For example, in a 50 gallon tank you need 1000mg, so that would be 4 capsules.
    ____________________________________________
    Day 1.
    Remove Purigen and Activated carbon
    Cut all dead leaves
    Syphon organic waste
    Clean out prefilter
    50% WC
    Add EM dosage as calculated
    Day 2.
    Clean out prefilter
    Prepare water with dechlor added
    Day 3.
    Syphon
    Clean out prefilter
    50% WC
    Add EM dosage again
    Prepare water with dechlor added
    Day 4.
    Syphon
    Clean out prefilter
    50% WC

    Now you need to address the root cause, which is low NO3 or and imbalance between NO3 and PO4, along with possibly too much light. Add daily 5ppm of NO3 until you get Green Spot Algae (GSA) on the glass. Calculate the total ppm of NO3 added during this period and that will be your weekly NO3 dosage between water changes, which you can divide in 3 dosages per week or you can dose daily, as I do.

    I have also found that by adding high amounts of PO4 does not cause the kind of N:p imbalance that will result in BGA. It is most likely very low NO3 along with high light.

    Regards
    Lauré

    P.S. Blackouts are also very effective, but you don't kill the BGA, you just make it go away for a while...
     
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  3. JaguarCichlid

    JaguarCichlid Jaguar Cichlid

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    Cool, thanks Laure. Have you been looking at my tank??????

    Who do you get the script from?? My GP is too switched on for that one......
     
  4. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    I think you need to have a good understanding with your GP, or maybe go to your vet. I am lucky in that I have a pharmacist friend who trusts me and understands that any medication I ask for is for the fish and not for personal "abuse"!
     
  5. Henk Hugo

    Henk Hugo

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    you HAVE to get a script from your GP as it is the LAW.... your mate can get arrested for dispencing without a script
     
  6. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    The issue to be discussed in this thread is the successful treatment of BGA with EM, not the law.
     
  7. Henk Hugo

    Henk Hugo

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    if the medicine is come by illegally the discussion will have to unfortunately move in that direction. I think there's parts of the EULA and forum rules about illegal activities....
     
  8. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    Point taken. Then we should stop discussing how to acquire the medicine and continue to discus the effects. Anything that is against the EULA should be taken offline.
     
  9. butcherman

    butcherman Administrator

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    I'm with henk, whats the use of discussing the effects of illegal drugs or drugs that we cant acquire?
     
  10. Henk Hugo

    Henk Hugo

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    Butcherman - you can get it - you just need a script for it
     
  11. butcherman

    butcherman Administrator

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    true but surely there are easier ways to get the job done?

    surely dosing your tank with antibiotics might cause imbalences in the tank. maybe even kill off your bio filter causing amonia spikes maybe?
     
  12. Henk Hugo

    Henk Hugo

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    yea i'm not a fan of using antibiotics
     
  13. butcherman

    butcherman Administrator

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    ill use them in a quarinetine tank but not in my main tank.... way to risky
     
  14. Zoom

    Zoom Retired Moderator

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    I think the point that Laure is trying to make is that his personal studies indicate that erythromycin (EM) is a successful med that get's rid of BGA. As he has a friend who is a pharmacist, I would guess that he is getting help from him to source the stuff, and hence the stuff is found in Purmycin . I am sure that if there were other (legal) ways of obtainins erythromycin Laure would have used that route rather.

    I agree with Henk that we should all keep it above the Law... but the question I ask you is what laws do you choose to keep and break? I know of many fish-keepers on this forum keeping illegal fish, shrimps and plants... yet we all let that one slide!

    Laure, from my side I say thank you for sharing your research with us... I know you have taken it upon yourself to study the algae problem further than what most of us would. And it is much appreciated.
     
  15. Henk Hugo

    Henk Hugo

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    no mate -we dont let the illegal fish/plants/shrimps slide...those threads gets locked pretty quickly
     
  16. Zoom

    Zoom Retired Moderator

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    In the few months I been online there have been quite a few threads on illegal fish/plants/shrimps that just kept going on and on. They were only removed/locked after they were no longer been spoken on.

    You should know this Henk.. you always the first policeman to mention whenever something is illegal... and the thread goes on for days before anything happens
     
  17. Sean J

    Sean J

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    Look, the fact of the matter is that if you consult your vet, or doctor that you have a really good relationship with, you will be able to get the medicine. Therefore it's not illegal.

    [unless acquired without a prescription]
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2010
  18. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    Once again, are we discussing the drug or the law?

    In no way did I propose that you should go about obtaining the drug illegally. I said get a script. Now if I can get hold of the drug without a script then that is my issue and nobody else's. The rest of you - get a script! I hope I made myself clear now.

    Not true. You can use blackouts and they are highly effective at making cyanobacteria "go away". But blackouts do not kill them. They may come back to haunt you again.

    EM is gram positive. Nitrifying bacteria are gram negative. Cyanobacteria are also gram negative, but seems strangely sensitive to EM. There is hardly a fish dissease which can be treated with EM these days, so the use of this anti-biotic will not cause immune strains of anything in your tank. Under dosing may possibly cause immune strains of cyano, but I clearly stated the required dosage and if you stick to that then you will have no problems. I have had no ammonia spikes. The first sign of an ammonia spike is algae. NH4 in the presence of high light will cause algae very quickly.

    There are reports on the web of an ammonia spike after killing cyano, but that is due to the dead decomposing cyanobacteria and not the dead biofilter bacteria. Hence I propose all the syphoning and water changes in between the dosages to remove dead cyano.

    :idea:

    Yes and I did say you need a script. There are no other legal ways to get hold of it. But thank you for the support and I will continue to experiment with these beasts and find ways to effectively get rid of them!

    Who here only read the post without paying proper attention?
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2010
  19. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    Erythromycin is not illegal. And you can obtain it if your GP is understanding enough to give you a script. If not, try your vet. Have you never gone to your GP to ask for a script for some medication that you know you need and that you know you need a script for? For example, something you took before to cure some or other illness and you just want to avoid the R250 consultation fee for him to tell you what you already know.
     
  20. Zoom

    Zoom Retired Moderator

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    If you have a good relationship with your GP, and use the same GP all the time, he/she will 9/10 times be more accomodating to go that extra mile.

    Laure, you are correct, the Law stated you need a script to get the meds, NOT you need a consultation with a GP to get the script to get the meds. I often get a script from my GP without having the consultation. I did this when I went onto Zyban, I've done it for colds and flu, and my wife does it with her contraceptive pill with her Gynae. We just phone, explain why we need what we need, and collect the script from the front desk.

    The importance of a "family GP"!
     
  21. OP
    Laure

    Laure Cyano Terminator

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    And just to add to this, watch your tank and the fish. Heavy breathing and fish heading for the surface is another sign.

    I had neither algae nor issues with the fish when I dosed EM. Of course, I did try it first in a non-fish tank with a sample of the cyano to check its effectiveness. Always a good idea...
     

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