Cyanobacteria treatment - Maracyn question

[K. Elliot]

I am in the midst of fighting the blue-green slime algae with Maracyn
(erythromycin) 200 mg per 10 gallons in my 55 gallon freshwater tank.
I have dosed the tank for two consecutive days. This morning I took a
look at the tank just to make sure my fish were okay before heading
out to work. All the fish seemed to be okay but my water was cloudy.
It almost looked "Smokey". Like a bar full of smokers.....hazy.

Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen while using maracyn
in their tank?

Another question: do I need to do partial waterchanges everyday
during the treatment or should I just dose for five days straight and
then do a water change. The instructions dont mention waterchanges at
all, but thought I might check here for additional information.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Kevin

[Michi Henning]

"K. Elliot" > wrote in message
om...
> I am in the midst of fighting the blue-green slime algae with Maracyn
> (erythromycin) 200 mg per 10 gallons in my 55 gallon freshwater tank.
> I have dosed the tank for two consecutive days. This morning I took a
> look at the tank just to make sure my fish were okay before heading
> out to work. All the fish seemed to be okay but my water was cloudy.
> It almost looked "Smokey". Like a bar full of smokers.....hazy.
>
> Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen while using maracyn
> in their tank?

I treated with Erythromycin (Maracyn is a trade name for the same thing)
once before. I had the antibiotic in liquid form. On adding it to the water,
it forms lots of tiny white clumps that settle on things and then dissolve
over the next few hours. It worked extremely well, getting rid of the
BGA completely. I never noticed clouding of the water during the
treatment. But then again, I also had a minor bacterial bloom and
a case of green water at the time (yes, all the bad things happened
at once), so I simply may have missed any clouding.

> Another question: do I need to do partial waterchanges everyday
> during the treatment or should I just dose for five days straight and
> then do a water change. The instructions dont mention waterchanges at
> all, but thought I might check here for additional information.
>
> Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Have a look at http://www.myfishtank.net/articles/bga.php.
Those are the instructions I followed. They are very detailed
and worked for me.

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

[NetMax]

"Michi Henning" > wrote in message
...
> "K. Elliot" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I am in the midst of fighting the blue-green slime algae with Maracyn
> > (erythromycin) 200 mg per 10 gallons in my 55 gallon freshwater tank.
> > I have dosed the tank for two consecutive days. This morning I took
a
> > look at the tank just to make sure my fish were okay before heading
> > out to work. All the fish seemed to be okay but my water was cloudy.
> > It almost looked "Smokey". Like a bar full of smokers.....hazy.
> >
> > Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen while using maracyn
> > in their tank?
>
> I treated with Erythromycin (Maracyn is a trade name for the same
thing)
> once before.
<snip>

Here, buying Maracyn to get Erythromycin is like buying champagne to get
cooking wine, very expensive. I think that it's Aquarium Pharmaceutics
who makes blister packs of E.M. (eight 200mg tablets I think), for under
$5 cdn. Just an FYI to hopefully save a bit of coin.

NetMax

[Acgelok]

><snip>
>
>Here, buying Maracyn to get Erythromycin is like buying champagne to get
>cooking wine, very expensive. I think that it's Aquarium Pharmaceutics
>who makes blister packs of E.M. (eight 200mg tablets I think), for under
>$5 cdn. Just an FYI to hopefully save a bit of coin.
>
>NetMax


Or through your friendly "vet" 10.95 cad for 100 caplets of 250 mg. each.
They'l last forever I use 2 caps in a 90 gal. and lights out 3-4 days; problem
solved keep dosage low to prevent breaking cycle

regards Art

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: Cyanobacteria treatment - Maracyn question
>From: "NetMax"
>Date: 3/19/2004 11:45 PM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>
>"Michi Henning" > wrote in message
...
>> "K. Elliot" > wrote in message
>> om...
>> > I am in the midst of fighting the blue-green slime algae with Maracyn
>> > (erythromycin) 200 mg per 10 gallons in my 55 gallon freshwater tank.
>> > I have dosed the tank for two consecutive days. This morning I took
>a
>> > look at the tank just to make sure my fish were okay before heading
>> > out to work. All the fish seemed to be okay but my water was cloudy.
>> > It almost looked "Smokey". Like a bar full of smokers.....hazy.
>> >
>> > Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen while using maracyn
>> > in their tank?
>>
>> I treated with Erythromycin (Maracyn is a trade name for the same
>thing)
>> once before.
><snip>
>
>Here, buying Maracyn to get Erythromycin is like buying champagne to get
>cooking wine, very expensive. I think that it's Aquarium Pharmaceutics
>who makes blister packs of E.M. (eight 200mg tablets I think), for under
>$5 cdn. Just an FYI to hopefully save a bit of coin.
>
>NetMax

Netmax,
Our town has been doing some repairs on certain wells (we have city well
water), and have shut down a main one and are going with a different not used
as much (the amount coming from it).
After doing my male Betta tanks and my 75g last Saturday, today (the next
Saturday) I have bluegreen algae in all my Betta tanks (it has engulfed my Java
Moss can I save it? If so, how?), and just starting on the driftwood and tops
of plastic plants.
My question, because I know I keep up on water changes, is that did this
bacteria come in from the well water?
(City well water goes through processing, just like all city water does, it
just gets it from the ground and not a lake source.)
It's so bad in a week's time in the gallon tanks, but the 75g is so much larger
that it hasn't had chance to get a good grip....I'd hate to have to hit it with
erythromycin, but do I have a choice in the matter...and no..leaving it isn't a
choice for me. I battled it once before in the 29g..it hitched a ride into the
tank on live plants (the pots had it on then and I didn't know what it was
then).
So help me 'Ol wise one of the wet.

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: Cyanobacteria treatment - Maracyn question
>From: (Acgelok)
>Date: 3/20/2004 10:01 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>><snip>
>>
>>Here, buying Maracyn to get Erythromycin is like buying champagne to get
>>cooking wine, very expensive. I think that it's Aquarium Pharmaceutics
>>who makes blister packs of E.M. (eight 200mg tablets I think), for under
>>$5 cdn. Just an FYI to hopefully save a bit of coin.
>>
>>NetMax
>
>
>Or through your friendly "vet" 10.95 cad for 100 caplets of 250 mg. each.
>They'l last forever I use 2 caps in a 90 gal. and lights out 3-4 days;
>problem
>solved keep dosage low to prevent breaking cycle
>
>regards Art

So pet Erythromycin is the same med as what's used in fish tanks?
Neato.
I'll have to wait till Monday to call him.

[NetMax]

"TYNK 7" > wrote in message
...
> >Subject: Re: Cyanobacteria treatment - Maracyn question
> >From: "NetMax"
> >Date: 3/19/2004 11:45 PM Central Standard Time
> >Message-id: >
> >
> >
> >"Michi Henning" > wrote in message
> ...
> >> "K. Elliot" > wrote in message
> >> om...
> >> > I am in the midst of fighting the blue-green slime algae with
Maracyn
> >> > (erythromycin) 200 mg per 10 gallons in my 55 gallon freshwater
tank.
> >> > I have dosed the tank for two consecutive days. This morning I
took
> >a
> >> > look at the tank just to make sure my fish were okay before
heading
> >> > out to work. All the fish seemed to be okay but my water was
cloudy.
> >> > It almost looked "Smokey". Like a bar full of smokers.....hazy.
> >> >
> >> > Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen while using
maracyn
> >> > in their tank?
> >>
> >> I treated with Erythromycin (Maracyn is a trade name for the same
> >thing)
> >> once before.
> ><snip>
> >
> >Here, buying Maracyn to get Erythromycin is like buying champagne to
get
> >cooking wine, very expensive. I think that it's Aquarium
Pharmaceutics
> >who makes blister packs of E.M. (eight 200mg tablets I think), for
under
> >$5 cdn. Just an FYI to hopefully save a bit of coin.
> >
> >NetMax
>
> Netmax,
> Our town has been doing some repairs on certain wells (we have city
well
> water), and have shut down a main one and are going with a different
not used
> as much (the amount coming from it).
> After doing my male Betta tanks and my 75g last Saturday, today (the
next
> Saturday) I have bluegreen algae in all my Betta tanks (it has engulfed
my Java
> Moss can I save it? If so, how?), and just starting on the driftwood
and tops
> of plastic plants.
> My question, because I know I keep up on water changes, is that did
this
> bacteria come in from the well water?
> (City well water goes through processing, just like all city water
does, it
> just gets it from the ground and not a lake source.)
> It's so bad in a week's time in the gallon tanks, but the 75g is so
much larger
> that it hasn't had chance to get a good grip....I'd hate to have to hit
it with
> erythromycin, but do I have a choice in the matter...and no..leaving it
isn't a
> choice for me. I battled it once before in the 29g..it hitched a ride
into the
> tank on live plants (the pots had it on then and I didn't know what it
was
> then).
> So help me 'Ol wise one of the wet.

WetMax ?!? ;~) I don't have much personal experience with battling cyno,
but I can reach into my bag of bookmarks for you:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/algae/cyano.shtml recommends
getting a timer to reduce the number of hours of light (photo-period, not
intensity) to under 10 hours, and/or increasing the O2 level, and/or
increasing the circulation in the tank (pointing the flow at the cyno).
They also talk about hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate (to
destroy the cyno) or limiting the phosphate or potassium in the water (to
starve it), but I think the first three suggestions are the most
practical to start with.

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cyanobacteria.html also has a pretty
good sequence of posts on the topic if you have an hour to kill ;~), but
I find that the first site I mentioned (skepticalaquarist) cuts to the
chase faster, with a bit of interesting science, if you like that kind of
stuff.

Note that dissolving cyno releases toxins which might stress your fish.
A fine floss in the filter changed frequently with water changes will
control this.
hth :o)
NetMax