alphaferret
Pitcher Hill Reef Society
do u ever remove some of the chaeato- i heard that too much can be bad - not in this case nesc. but somewhere
Wanna see red algae go bye bye!!
- Thread starter Kimmy
- Start date
Maldivan..Archie Bunker!! Woo hoo love the guy!
I will definately let everyone know the progress on this tank. If the algae comes back everyone will know. That goes for my friends 3 tanks too. They are also keeping me posted on their status. Ciali, I know what you mean about scared. I was petrified to put the stuff in my tank. I have stonies, softies, Xenia, anenonmes ect in my tanks but I just couldn't stand it anymore and when my friends all did it with no obvious side effects I figured what the heck. Order it? Does your local fist store not carry Erythromiacin? Kimmy
I will definately let everyone know the progress on this tank. If the algae comes back everyone will know. That goes for my friends 3 tanks too. They are also keeping me posted on their status. Ciali, I know what you mean about scared. I was petrified to put the stuff in my tank. I have stonies, softies, Xenia, anenonmes ect in my tanks but I just couldn't stand it anymore and when my friends all did it with no obvious side effects I figured what the heck. Order it? Does your local fist store not carry Erythromiacin? Kimmy
alphaferret
Pitcher Hill Reef Society
one thing i did notice is thay my zenia has been fried alittle-hope this is the worst
Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter are obligate aerobic gram-negative rod bacteria. Cyanobacteria are (often facultative) anaerobic gram-negative, varied shaped bacteria. Gram negative/positive refers to the basic staining technique used for differentiation purposes when identifying bacteria. Depending on the stain retention (which is related to cell wall structure) bacteria are categorized as gram negative or gram positive. Obligate refers to if something is required; in this case for growth to happen for an obligate aerobe, oxygen must be present. Facultative organisms can make due with or without.
Cyanobacteria are some of the oldest organisms on the planet. Something had to fix nitrogen to get us the oxygen we breath, so we should be somewhat happy they want to still stick around (in our aquariums unfortunately). They use light and they use nitrogen - the end product of the nitrogen cycle which nitrobacter and nitrosomonas are a part of. Anyone that says - fix your water quality, increase your water flow, blah blah blah and it will all be better is wrong. Cyano hasn't managed to hang on for millions of years without being highly adaptable. If they have light and nitrogen, they have a food source, and they can grow.
Erythromycin is generally active against gram-positive cocci, but also to a lesser extent, gram-negative anaerobes. Erythromycin has a fairly short half-life in comparison to other antibiotics (ie. it breaks down quickly).
So what does all of this mean?
Erythromycin is usually administered to treat gram-positive infections - not to treat infections from gram-negative bugs such as the ones that inhabit our aquariums (good or bad). Since it has some impact on gram-negative anaerobes, it works against cyanobacteria. Since it is not considered effective against gram negative aerobes, the nitrobacter and nitrosomonas should not be as susceptible. Worried about creating resistance? Cyanobacteria are already resistant to antibiotics! Dosage and treatment time are likely key, but I am unfamiliar with any published research in this area (Anyone need a doctoral thesis?....).
When people talk about their tank crashing after administration of the antibiotic, my thoughts are that it is a cascading effect of the cyanobacteria die-off. The dying and stressed cyanobacteria can release cyanotoxins which can kill other organisms. When things go bad in your tank, it is probably the toxins, not the antibiotic.
So if you are going to use the antibiotic in your tank, siphon out as much of it as you can just prior to administration, this will reduce the number of cells present, and reduce the amount of potential toxins released.
Cyanobacteria are some of the oldest organisms on the planet. Something had to fix nitrogen to get us the oxygen we breath, so we should be somewhat happy they want to still stick around (in our aquariums unfortunately). They use light and they use nitrogen - the end product of the nitrogen cycle which nitrobacter and nitrosomonas are a part of. Anyone that says - fix your water quality, increase your water flow, blah blah blah and it will all be better is wrong. Cyano hasn't managed to hang on for millions of years without being highly adaptable. If they have light and nitrogen, they have a food source, and they can grow.
Erythromycin is generally active against gram-positive cocci, but also to a lesser extent, gram-negative anaerobes. Erythromycin has a fairly short half-life in comparison to other antibiotics (ie. it breaks down quickly).
So what does all of this mean?
Erythromycin is usually administered to treat gram-positive infections - not to treat infections from gram-negative bugs such as the ones that inhabit our aquariums (good or bad). Since it has some impact on gram-negative anaerobes, it works against cyanobacteria. Since it is not considered effective against gram negative aerobes, the nitrobacter and nitrosomonas should not be as susceptible. Worried about creating resistance? Cyanobacteria are already resistant to antibiotics! Dosage and treatment time are likely key, but I am unfamiliar with any published research in this area (Anyone need a doctoral thesis?....).
When people talk about their tank crashing after administration of the antibiotic, my thoughts are that it is a cascading effect of the cyanobacteria die-off. The dying and stressed cyanobacteria can release cyanotoxins which can kill other organisms. When things go bad in your tank, it is probably the toxins, not the antibiotic.
So if you are going to use the antibiotic in your tank, siphon out as much of it as you can just prior to administration, this will reduce the number of cells present, and reduce the amount of potential toxins released.
alphaferret
Pitcher Hill Reef Society
i will be doing a change this weekend
Ciali
New member
I just added chemi-clear to my tank. My lfs said that it works the same as red slime remover. It said to take all carbon out of the filter, what happens if I forgot to do that? It also said to discontinue skimming, but from the way you guys made it seem, I left my skimmer on. It said after final dose do a 20% water change, this was the first time I put it in, was this the final dose? I'm kinda worried about what's going to happen. I'll keep you guys updated. I hope my tank will be ok.
Thanks,
Ciali
Thanks,
Ciali
staticxtreme
New member
were the heck are you ordering this stuff at??????
Maldivan
New member
Ciali,
If you leave your skimmer on when using Chemi-Clean it will overflow several times over. Also remove any carbon as stated in the instructions. the carbon will remove the chemi-clean at a fast rate. Dose per instructions...1 little spoon per 10 gals and wait 48 hours. After that if its all gone like im sure it will be , do a 20% WC and reinstall carbon and turn on skimmer. Your skimmer will fill up withen 10-15 mins, youll have to keep a close eye on it. I just left a 1 gal bucket by my tank and dumped in the skimmers water there until it was skimming normaly again.
If you leave your skimmer on when using Chemi-Clean it will overflow several times over. Also remove any carbon as stated in the instructions. the carbon will remove the chemi-clean at a fast rate. Dose per instructions...1 little spoon per 10 gals and wait 48 hours. After that if its all gone like im sure it will be , do a 20% WC and reinstall carbon and turn on skimmer. Your skimmer will fill up withen 10-15 mins, youll have to keep a close eye on it. I just left a 1 gal bucket by my tank and dumped in the skimmers water there until it was skimming normaly again.
Fitz, I just dosed one time only. I shut my skimmer off for a day or so and then turned it back on. It skimmed like normal for me. I only used about 1/4 of the amount the package said to use though and it still wiped it out lickity split. I was afrid to use the whole dosage so I cut it way back. Kimmy
staticxtreme
New member
Again, where are you ording erythromycin at?
weedhopper
New member
I've just put 2 tablets of maracyn in my 75 gal. tank. The package says 1 tablet to 20 gal of water. I do not want to over do it. I have red slime covering almost everything. I've tried everything that has been stated previously to fix the problem. Nothing has worked!!!! Should I turn my skimmer off? Should I dose it again?
staticxtreme
New member
The guy at the lfs told me to turn off my lights, and skimmer and carbon for 2 days!?!?!? Do I need to turn my lights off with this treatment?
weedhopper
New member
I took my carbon out. just shut off the skimmer. it was bubbling over. I may be imagining this, but it looks like it may be breaking up a little. I put it in 7 hrs. ago.
I'll post more results tommorow.
I'll post more results tommorow.
