Cyanobacteria... Spirulina.

[Rob in Puyallup]

I'm still having a problem with cyanobacteria. Only in one tank, though. Unfortunately, it's my newest setup (since late Nov.) I've written about it elsewhere, so won't get into here.

Very shortly after setting up this tank, after it completed its cycling, I added some Hawaiian Red Shrimp (Opae Ula) yeah, them again! There were several larval shrimp in the population, so like a good daddy I fed them Spirulina powder, like recommended.

My question (not an easy answer, I'm guessing)...

Is it possible, under specific circumstances for this product to seed an aquarium? Spirulina is a cyanobacteria, a "blue green algae".

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

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[AquaPipes]

I doubt it. I use spirulina to feed my live bearers and never had a BG outbreak in any of those tanks.

The trick with BG algae is that you often don't get all of it the first time around and it comes back. In my case, it was retreating down into my substrate (aquasoil) and not enough antibiotic would get to it.

[Canuck]

IMO, based on my reading, preventing bga from "seeding" your tank is going to be pretty well impossible unless you set it up on the space station. BGA was one of the first forms of life on the planet and is undoubtedly one of the most successful. It produces spores that are spread by air and it grows in mud puddles, in the damp spots in your lawn, virtually anywhere with access to moisture and light. Every tank has bga (unless it's brand new), the only thing you can do to prevent it from taking over your tank is provide conditions that favor plants.