Black bush algae

[ICIT2LOL]

I have got a bad infestation of black bush algae in my 200 litre tank and I can only put it down to changing the fish food source as my regular supplier shut up shop and I changed to this awful smelling stuff from the other place in town.

Now I have Googled and there seems to be no exact way of getting rid of this menace and I don't get it under control soon I'll have to euthanase the fish and scrap the tank. I have had green algae problems in the past and it is easy to deal with but this stuff is getting into and onto everything.

So does anyone know of a chemical treatment for this mess?

 

[Golden]

Hi mate,

There is no chemical treatment for this. You have 2 choices:

1. Manually clean-out the entire tank, or
2. Invest in some Siamese Algae Eaters (Siamensis)

Regards,
Golden

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hi mate,

There is no chemical treatment for this. You have 2 choices:

1. Manually clean-out the entire tank, or
2. Invest in some Siamese Algae Eaters (Siamensis)

Regards,
Golden

Thanks Golden yeah mate most of the Googles relate what you say and if I can I will get some of those SAE's trouble is they are so hard to come by and manual removal is well - removing everything from the tank and either cleaning or replacing it. The latter is not really an option as I set it up with a rock based plan and gravel and I think perhaps cleaning those and putting them back is not going to solve the problem for obvious reasons.

I just wish that the shop I used to go to had never closed down as my troubles started with the other pet shop, and that rotten food I bought for the fish, or maybe importing it with fresh stock.

The stock I did get should have told me something in the first place as a lot of the new fish developed small white ulcer like lesions around their mouths - not white spot and only some of the stock I got from that place.

For what it is worth they told me that I have this wretched stuff because the water quality was so good - hum makes you wonder if there really are aliens eh??

 

[Golden]

The stock I did get should have told me something in the first place as a lot of the new fish developed small white ulcer like lesions around their mouths - not white spot and only some of the stock I got from that place.

That would be cotton mouth, and you need to eradicate it before it gets much worse. Its caused by the Flexibacter virus, specifically Columnaris. You can try PimaFix medication (readily available in Australia) to the tank if the infection is not too severe.

Check your water parameters and temperature, and keep them within toleranes. Old fish are usually the source of an outbreak.

Good luck,
Golden

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Golden I just happen to have a new bottle of that and have dosed the tank, now to find some SAE's as I don't want to go back to that place in Orange as I am sure thats where it came from.

Just a shame that the dealer who I went to for years retired.