[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Blue-green slime algae/cyanobacteria



Al Sedarat wrote:
> I read somewhere about a type of algae that forms like a slime layer on
> surfaces... its supposedly cyanobacteria rather than algae... my question
> is, what kind of conditions promote its growth? ie what imbalances in
> nutrients, light, CO2, etc would lead to more of this slime than say hair
> algae or brown algae? and what can be done to get rid of it (ie fix the
> imbalance)

I have 3 tanks which have very similar conditions - high light, DIY 
CO2, heavily planted, PMDD addition, Flourite substrate. One of 
the tanks (a little 5.5 gallon) does not have phosphate resin in the 
filter (tap water has 3 ppm phosphate). That is the one which has 
developed a small patch of cyanobacteria. 

The only other signs of it in the other 2 tanks have been in the area 
where I feed sinking tablets to the fish. Possibly the little bits that 
are not eaten are high in phosphates and feed the cyano. Not proof 
positive of a phosphate connection, but an interesting observation.

Cathy Hartland
Middletown, MD