# Cyanobacteria?



## macg (Apr 19, 2018)

Anyone know if this is a cyanobacteria, or is it something else?


----------



## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

It does look like a cyanobacterium or a (true) alga. The best control method is to adjust the moisture regime - but you can also hit it with a spray of water to physically remove it.


----------



## Ravage (Feb 5, 2016)

Spraying with Hydrogen peroxide will do it in as well. Just be careful to only spray the algae, vascular plants will be pretty resistant to the oxidation effect, but why stress them. Standard store bought 3% solution is the stuff.


----------



## macg (Apr 19, 2018)

Got it. I'll probably just let it be if there is no risk of harm to the frogs I've got in the tank (I know some cyanobacteria will produce toxins). It isn't spreading past that section of the wall.


----------



## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

kimcmich said:


> Greetings,
> 
> It does look like a cyanobacterium or a (true) alga. The best control method is to adjust the moisture regime - but you can also hit it with a spray of water to physically remove it.


It's been a while since I was a reef keeper, but my understanding is that cyanobacteria is a bacteria and algae is a plant? I also thought cyanobacteria was red? I've never heard of cyanobacteria in a dart frog tank.


----------



## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

@varanoid,

Cyanobacteria are indeed bacteria - but one of their common names is "bluegreen algae" - which might confuse a reef-keeper since the most common cyanobacterium in reef tanks is red or magenta.

The predominant freshwater aquarium cyanobacterium is a deep green or bluegreen. I would wager you've seen it before in a freshwater tank somewhere but took it for true algae (which are indeed plants).

As for habitat, cyanobacterium need moisture but they can easily live in wet terrestrial environments (even ones that have dry spells). _Nostoc commune_ is a common example.

...and the extra fun part is that plants are only plants because of cyanobacteria: The cyanobacteria invented chlorophyll a few billion years ago and plants gained it from intracellular symbiotic cyanobacteria that are now their chloroplasts.


----------



## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

kimcmich said:


> @varanoid,
> 
> Cyanobacteria are indeed bacteria - but one of their common names is "bluegreen algae" - which might confuse a reef-keeper since the most common cyanobacterium in reef tanks is red or magenta.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information.

Come to think of it, I think I have seen it in Freshwater tanks. I just assumed it was algae.


----------

