Treating Cynao

[starfire12]

I have a 46 gallon tank that has had cynao now for months. I just purchased a 10 packet package of E.M. Erythromycin. So my question is how much do I dose my tank and for how long. Will I need a second package.

[DishyFishy]

If the Erythromycin doesn't work (didn't for me) Ramshorns are what cleared up my Cyano. I fought with it for a loooong time, now they keep it in check.

But to answer your actual question.. I found this on another forum, maybe someone can confirm it:
"dosage of 200mg/10 gallons (I have a 20 gallon tank) every 48 hours with 40% water changes prior to every dose"

[wkndracer]

The dosage supplied is correct for treating by what I know and it is possible (what I did) to skip the daily water changes until near the end of the treatment.

Pretreatment; remove what you can while doing normal maintenance and a water change. With 'fresh' water in place start the treatment.
Days 1 thru 4 dose everyday and by day three you should see it failing and dieing off. Day 4 remove all you can doing a good size water change of 50% or more, clean you're mechanical filter material and dose again for days 5-7 same as before. Clean the tank a last time (including mechanical filtration) doing a water change and you should be clear of it.

Using EM alone this should work.

[discuspaul]

You might consider trying this simple, easy, safe, inexpensive, and effective treatment.
Lower your water level, turn your filter(s) off, and simply dose hydrogen peroxide (h202), full strength, at close range just over the top of your cyano patches, using a syringe, or test kit pipette.
Leave the filter off for up to an hour. The HP is denser/heavier than water and will settle over the cyano. Bubbles should cover the cyano, and bubble up into the water column - a sure sign the HP is working.
Repeat the same treatment a second day if need be, moving the head of the syringe into the substrate if need be, to catch any cyano just under the surface.
Following that, do a large wc, vac up any detritus & decomposing plant matter near the bottom of the tank, and increase your water circulation, using a small water circulation pump, a spray bar, power head, even an airstone.
It shouldn't recur. Very effective - try it !

[DrewWoodside]

I followed Discuspaul's method, and within the first day I saw progress. My tank is all but completely cured of BGA that had been plaguing my tank for roughly 3 months. I expect to continue spot curing any potential remaining BGA that happens to pop up.

Simply put, Hydrogen Peroxide which you can purchase at your local pharmacy, grocery, hardware store is kryptonite for Cyanobacteria. It is also non toxic to flora/fauna. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide(3%) and a syringe at Ace Hardware cost me a combined 8 dollars plus tax. You do of course need to make sure adequate water changes, flow throughout tank and oxygen are present in the tank so that any underlying issues that initially caused the problem are resolved. Beyond that, your problem is fixed.

Spray the affected area and laugh as your troubles bubble away!

Originally Posted by discuspaul

You might consider trying this simple, easy, safe, inexpensive, and effective treatment.
Lower your water level, turn your filter(s) off, and simply dose hydrogen peroxide (h202), full strength, at close range just over the top of your cyano patches, using a syringe, or test kit pipette.
Leave the filter off for up to an hour. The HP is denser/heavier than water and will settle over the cyano. Bubbles should cover the cyano, and bubble up into the water column - a sure sign the HP is working.
Repeat the same treatment a second day if need be, moving the head of the syringe into the substrate if need be, to catch any cyano just under the surface.
Following that, do a large wc, vac up any detritus & decomposing plant matter near the bottom of the tank, and increase your water circulation, using a small water circulation pump, a spray bar, power head, even an airstone.
It shouldn't recur. Very effective - try it !

[Mr. Fish]

First find what caused in the first place, correct it then manually remove it.

That simple.

[discuspaul]

Actually, the root causes of cyano, and the approach for dealing with it has, by and large, been discussed, or at least touched upon, in the posts above.
Cyano is generally initiated by, among other factors, a causitive lighting period, insufficient water circulation, and dead spots, within the tank, along with an accumulation of waste, detritus, and decomposing food and plant matter in the dead spots.
That is corrected, as set out above, by administering the HP treatment, then proceeding with good vacuuming on an ongoing basis, and increasing the water circulation within the tank - these measures needed to prevent recurrences.

[discuspaul]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fish

First find what caused in the first place, correct it then manually remove it.

That simple.

That simple, huh ?
Not intending to offend, but it sure would be a well-regarded commentary if people making statements like this were to follow them up with an outline of what caused the problem in the first place, and what steps needed to be taken to correct it, and not simply repeat some words that one has heard or read.