Re: [AGA Member] Bacterial algea?

[ROlesen104@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/28/2004 8:45:24 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
shieber@yahoo.com writes:

> So-called blue-green algae, which is
> actually cynaocteria. Not bacterium either, in a group of
> it's own.

This stuff shows up in so many people's tanks under so many different 
conditions -- from crud laden cesspools to immaculately clean and balanced tanks, 
I've got to wonder...

Maybe it comes in on commercially grown plants that look spotless but still 
contain, would it be spores or bacterial somethings? Or maybe it's on or in 
fish, or those frozen foods we often feed our fish, like bloodworms, etc. (one of 
my theories).

I know it often exists as a biofilm on wet organic matter -- like the top of 
the soil on my emergent Crypts and Anubias. I actually witnessed the spread 
once from the base of an emergent grown Pontederifolia I transplanted into a 
tank. It spread from the base of the plant (where it's hard to clean really well) 
across the surface of the tank's substrate. When I tried to manually remove 
it, it broke into a zillion pieces which then took (root?) everywhere -- plant 
leaves, tank sides, the overflow in particular since all water passes through 
those little grooves. Once it gets into an overflow -- forget it. I guess the 
high oxygen from the waterfall effect really encourages the spread, plus it's 
real hard to clean well unless one dismantles the overflow completely.

Tom Barr swears by water changes, nutrient balancing, blackouts and so forth, 
all good plant tanks practice and husbandry but I guess I'm lazy and 
impatient. Antibiotics at half strength for extended period as per the details on the 
APD works when all else fails. Did kill some fish though -- but they may have 
had a bad systemic infection of some sort anyway since I rescued them from a 
LFS.<----- See, there's another possibility. Can't bleach the fish.

Paul Krombholz, who bleach treats everything going into his systems had it. 
Less the anti-bleach faction cry, "Ah HA! See ... bleach treating doesn't 
really work," remember what I said about frozen and live foods. They could well be 
the carrier as well as fish. Frankly, I don't believe the claims of "sterile 
contents" on the package label of frozen foods, especially when it comes from 
China. How can it claim to be sterile and yet state that it is not safe for 
human consumption? Are there any lawyers in China?

Bob Olesen in South Florida



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