Cyanobacteria & Erythromycin...need help

[taralm13]

Hello,

I have a terrible problem with cyano and tried everything to get rid of it...I think what caused it was a little bit of sunlight hitting my tank (which I have corrected) but getting rid of it has been impossible. So...I am trying erythromycin. Since the package did not have instructions for this particular problem I have been following the instructions given on this website [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] mainly this...dosage of 200mg/10 gallons (I have a 20 gallon tank) every 48 hours with 40% water changes prior to every dose. My question is this...how many doses should I give? I have given 2 already and would need to do 3rd today if a 3rd is necessary (not sure). The cyano is still alive but does not seem to be getting any bigger now. I have not noticed any issues with my plants and snails but 2 of my male guppies have taken to laying on the bottom sometimes...other times they act normal swimming about and chasing the ladies ;)

If anyone has done this and knows how many doses I should be giving my tank I would really appreciate and help that you have. Thanks!

PS. I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank with 1 zebra danio, a bunch of guppies (too many babies to count), 1 nerite snail, a bunch of ramshorn snails, and a few pond snails. I also have a bunch of live plants and some mopani wood. I only have strips to test with now and my water seems fine ( I will soon be getting a better test kit).

Tara

[Dave66]

You CAN NOT use that antibiotic in your tank as it will destroy your biofilter, setting you back to zero on your cycle. If you read my algae primer it's a lot easier to add more light and use a gravel vacuum to remove the cyanobacteria, and that won't bollox up your tank like that darn antibacterial medicine will.

Please, please please don't use it.

Dave

[taralm13]

I already used it. I tried so hard to get rid of it but after removing everything...plants, wood, filter, heater (only gravel and water was left)...and scrubbing it off and vacuuming it out it would just come back the next day like I never cleaned it (I did this so many times). And it stinks so bad....so so so bad. I know using the medication is not good but I was ready to give up and I felt I had no other choice. I have successfully battled other algae...gross black tufts of nastiness was the worst one yet...this one however has beaten down like nothing else. Since I have already started I just don't want to stop before I kill it so I won't have to start over again. Do you think one more dose...or more?

[taralm13]

Just an update in case anyone else decides to do this...

Well I decided to go with 4 doses. I added 1st dose then 48 hours later did 40% water change and added another dose. I waited another 48 hours and did another 40% water change and added another dose. I waited another 48 hours and did a 25% water change and added another dose....and did this step one more time. Total of 4 doses. I have no more cyano that I can see. My plants and snails were not affected at all that I can see. The only change I noticed with my fish was one male guppy would lay on the bottom on each of day dosing except the last day. He would be fine after that and is still ok. I plan to continue with water changes of 25% every 2 days for a while and work my way back up to once per week. If anything bad happens at all I will update this post.

Also, I didn't do anything special with my filter...I have a submersible filter with carbon and a sponge. I plan on changing the carbon soon though just in case. (my filter is for an 80 gallon tank and I only have a 20 gallon if that matters).

[gabbyguppy]

Just an update in case anyone else decides to do this...

Also, I didn't do anything special with my filter...I have a submersible filter with carbon and a sponge. I plan on changing the carbon soon though just in case. (my filter is for an 80 gallon tank and I only have a 20 gallon if that matters).

In most cases, you need to remove the carbon from your filter when treating your tank. If not...the carbon removes the medications before it has time to treat the condition.

Kraen

[Scrup]

Your biofilter may be kaput. I would do daily ammo/nitrite tests to be safe, and water changes as needed.

Do you use any kind of ferts by chance? Medication/chemicals should not be needed to treat algae. This method is destined to fail IMO. You need to find the cause, eliminate it, and it will take care of itself. Chemicals are a temp solution. If they were a permanent one, the companies would not make nearly as much money.

[taralm13]

I do think I found the cause....a little sunlight was hitting the tank where it all started and I may have overfed because when I first started getting guppy fry I did not want them eaten (now I have changed my mind on that and I need them eaten). I stopped overfeeding and blocked the sunlight. I tried everything I could to get rid of this stuff prior to medication. This was a last resort for me. I think I am lucky because nothing bad happened (yet anyway). Plus I made sure I cleaned most of it out before I started treatment and during it so I would not have a massive die off. So far so good...seems like it is not going to come back either but you never know. This stuff took over my tank so many times and it comes back to fast. Plus if I did not get rid of the smell soon my husband would have made me get rid of the tank for sure...he was always gagging.

I do wish that I had removed my carbon but maybe it did not remove the medication due to it being so old anyway (I haven't changed it in a long time). How often should the carbon be changed anyway?

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Had a bout of BGA (cyano) several years back, it's just awful...I feel for you! Hope you have got it behind you now!! :ssmile:

[taralm13]

I think I got rid of it but the water still stinks! I am hoping after a few more water changes the water will smell better. The smell is the worst part of it I think.....lol.