The Puffer Forum

I've got a few weeks holiday and I've decided that one of the things I want to do i get rid of the cyanobacteria/red slime that has made itself a cosy home in in my tank.

I've drawn up a little plan for annihilating it and any feedback is greatly appreciated because really I have no idea what I'm doing.

My plan so far basically involves:
moving my fish and decor to a smaller tank ,
emptying their large tank, scrubbing all the edges
Adding hot water to the sand substrate. stirring it, draining it and repeating a few time in order to kill of any cyano. This might kill off some benificial bacteria too but I'm happy to consider than as collateral. I doubt there will be much bacteria in the sand anyway as I stir it regularly.
Filling the big tank with new (conditioned) water and adding salt which is prdissolved in a jug so there isn't any risk of undissolved salt getting caught in the sand.
moving the fish back over into the big tank
Cleaning decorations thoroughly and then moving them back over into the big tank.
Cleaning the filters and filter casing

Theres a bit more detail in what i've written up but I don't want to bore you all to death.

What do you think?
Expecially, how do you think I can clean the filter sponge of any cyano without killing the benificial bacteria? or do you think the Cyano would not have formed in the sponge?

I think it's way overkill. Just scrub what you see with a toothbrush, syphon out floaters & treat with Chemiclean 1 or 2x. Be sure you do WC, as per their directions.

Pufferpunk wrote:I think it's way overkill. Just scrub what you see with a toothbrush, syphon out floaters & treat with Chemiclean 1 or 2x. Be sure you do WC, as per their directions.

Thanks PP.
I was hoping to avoid using chemicals but if you have found that it work3ed then I might go ahead and do it.

If the tank is not FOWLR, I have used Erythromycin (Mardel's Maracyn - not Maracyn-2) without any issues, but it could damage FOWLR Tanks. That historically has been the most effective eradicator agent of cyanpbacteria.

I have not needed to do that in a number of years, but if that product is still the same active ingredient it should do the job without a complete tear-dowm.

I tried a complete tear down and am yet to see the bacteria come back but after putting everything back to normal I now have increasing amounts white drip spots and trails building up all over the inside of my tank. I've tried using the magnetic scrubber and some of it comes off but a lot of it is pretty tough. I tested pH and it come up 8 as normal and tested ammonia and It looked to be 0 or maybe a tiny bit above.
:S any ideas why this is happening?

Is this like a white coraline algae? I've never seen anything like that as best I can remember...

=I think I've figured it out. I think it might be limescale because It's tough and appears around where the water level had been for a while while went away while filling the tank up.

I think it's too soft to be soap and u reckon that the water would have and oily film and be bubbling up.

Plus I'm sure my puffers would be pretty unhappy.

Limescale is no harm, is it?

But it should not develop where the water covers it. It comes at above the meniscus.

Good point :/. I'll take a pic nd send it to you at somepoint today

havn't been able to get hold of a camera sorry. will post one when i can

About the possible "limescale"

I bought a used 55 GAL aquarium from my LFS for $100, and it was covered in this limescale stuff in like 3 different heights of the tank where you could tell the water line was at for a long time. I asked them what would help me to get it off because i tried vigorous scrubbing with very little progress and they suggested a razor blade, when the area is wet. I tried that and my tank now looks brand new, aside from the few minor scratches it had when i bought it.