We have a colorful fake rock that the fish can go inside of, but lately it has a spotted green mold on it. The algae eater seems to eat it, but the mold doesn't go away, so I'm not sure if it is really algae. I wonder what it is and if it's something I need to worry about and get rid of. I don't want it to hurt any of my fish
Green spotted mold on rock
- Thread starter jul
- Start date
Can you describe it a little better? is it slimy?
You are right.....if its not algae your algae eater won't eat it.....
if its cyanobacteria....your algae eater won't eat it.
While these organisms do take up oxygen, they shouldn't be a problem... other than its unsightly....
For removal.....good luck on that one....none of the suggested methods seem to work....for cyanobacteria....(Judging by everything I've read about it)
If its algae (real algae) can you vacuum it out?
If its mold....remove the rock and soak in a bleach solution...then rinse rinse rinse away
You are right.....if its not algae your algae eater won't eat it.....
if its cyanobacteria....your algae eater won't eat it.
While these organisms do take up oxygen, they shouldn't be a problem... other than its unsightly....
For removal.....good luck on that one....none of the suggested methods seem to work....for cyanobacteria....(Judging by everything I've read about it)
If its algae (real algae) can you vacuum it out?
If its mold....remove the rock and soak in a bleach solution...then rinse rinse rinse away
This page has some good pics of several types of algae:
Types of Algae
Cyanobacteria is at the bottom. I bet you have green spot algae, though.
This page has great pics of both:
Algae - Blue Green (BGA) & Green Spot-- Guitarfish
Green spot algae is indeed an algae, but it adheres very tightly to surfaces. No fish I know of will eat it. It grows on tank walls, plants, and rocks and other ornaments. The only way to remove it is to scrape it off or scrub rather hard.
Guitarfish's page has some great information on the causes of both green spot algae and cyanobacteria.
I have dealt with cyanobacteria three times over the years I've been keeping fish. Twice it was caused by poor circulation, once by old light bulbs. Rectifying the cause and doing a total blackout for a week did away with it quite easily in the last two instances; the first time I used antibiotics, which worked, but that was before I learned of the causes and the blackout treatments. IMHO, the fewer meds and chemicals you add to the tank, the better off you are.
FYI, this page has some very good info on the toxic effects of cyanobacteria, which can indeed cause harm in your tank, as well as some caveats on the use of anitbiotics in your tank. Damage to the tank's beneficial bacteria colonies is key to my decision to use other means to rid a tank of it.
Aquarium Cyanobacteria
Also, I dislike those algae-killing products, because they don't help you get to the root cause and you are likely to be dealing with algae again soon. Although, if I were having extremely critical houseguests within a few days, I might be tempted to nuke the algae and deal with the causes after the visit.... I don't think it's a great idea, though.
Of course, if you have cyanobacteria those algae potions won't work on it as it is, as stated above, a bacteria.
Types of Algae
Cyanobacteria is at the bottom. I bet you have green spot algae, though.
This page has great pics of both:
Algae - Blue Green (BGA) & Green Spot-- Guitarfish
Green spot algae is indeed an algae, but it adheres very tightly to surfaces. No fish I know of will eat it. It grows on tank walls, plants, and rocks and other ornaments. The only way to remove it is to scrape it off or scrub rather hard.
Guitarfish's page has some great information on the causes of both green spot algae and cyanobacteria.
I have dealt with cyanobacteria three times over the years I've been keeping fish. Twice it was caused by poor circulation, once by old light bulbs. Rectifying the cause and doing a total blackout for a week did away with it quite easily in the last two instances; the first time I used antibiotics, which worked, but that was before I learned of the causes and the blackout treatments. IMHO, the fewer meds and chemicals you add to the tank, the better off you are.
FYI, this page has some very good info on the toxic effects of cyanobacteria, which can indeed cause harm in your tank, as well as some caveats on the use of anitbiotics in your tank. Damage to the tank's beneficial bacteria colonies is key to my decision to use other means to rid a tank of it.
Aquarium Cyanobacteria
Also, I dislike those algae-killing products, because they don't help you get to the root cause and you are likely to be dealing with algae again soon. Although, if I were having extremely critical houseguests within a few days, I might be tempted to nuke the algae and deal with the causes after the visit.... I don't think it's a great idea, though.
Of course, if you have cyanobacteria those algae potions won't work on it as it is, as stated above, a bacteria.
