Cyanobacteria and wood in aquarium

[oatmeal]

Oookay, so I discovered that cyanobacteria had infected 2 pieces of wood in my aquarium... As it's very dark wood, it took me a while to notice a sheet of it growing
I immediately removed them, soaked them in the tub in scalding water, scrubbed them, and baked each of them in the over at 250F for 20 minutes. My question to you all is this: Do you think this will have killed it all off?
I read somewhere that peroxide kills cyanobacteria.. could I soak these fixtures in a dilute peroxide bath? Or should I just kiss them goodbye? I've read lots about how to 'fix' in invasion of cyanobacteria, but am not sure about the wood as it's so porous.
I'm hesitant to let them go, because they are beautiful pieces of wood, and my newts love them! Also, aquarium safe wood is hard to come by and expensive where I live. Any ideas?

I understand that cyanobacteria is nearly impossible to get rid of completely, and is something that must be maintained... I've been decreasing light in the aquarium, and have been very vigilant with water changes and syphoning up debris. I even added some duckweed to the aquarium for resource competition (up until that moment I had been very pleased that I hadn't experienced a duckweed infestation. Sigh) I just don't want to hurt my newts is all! I'm not terribly concerned with aesthetics, as long as my newts are healthy.

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate this forum.. You all are a wonderful resource for novices like myself!

 

[Chinadog]

I had it in my T. verrucosus tank when I first set it up. I tried tp pick out as much as I could, but in the end it burned itself out and completely disappeared after a few weeks.

 

[JM29]

Cyanobacteria are ... bacteria. You can't get rid completely, but you can make the conditions less favourable.

Chjnadog's experience is somewhat typical : cyanobacteria in a young setup, then they disappear, but they can come back later when the setup becomes old.

Cyanobacteria are boosted by high Phosphorus/Nitrogen ratios. Some cyanobacteria species can capture aerial (and water dissolved) nitrogen. A young setup may have a low nitrogen amount but the substratum can contain phosphorous. The elevation of nitrogen amount make the aquatic plants more competitive. Old setups may accumulate organic matter rich in phosphorous.

I'm not sure the wood is the culprit but the fact it's porous make it a good substrate for cyanobacteria.

 

[tindomul1of9]

Hi,

It seems to me that the cyanobacteria will be in the water itself and present everywhere throughout the entire setup, not just the wood. Hiding in multiple places waiting for favorable conditions. You can sterilize the wood, but the Cyano will find it again and grow once more.

Recently I have been toying with the idea of keeping Discus fish. Tons of youtube videos. I came across some on how to build an algae scrubber. This is basically a contraption that will allow blue-green algae and other types to grow on it and therefore outcompete the algae in your tank. Maybe this is something you would be willing to try.

César

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLnBvDkaO0