# Weird purple algae/cyanobacteria/something - Help!



## teabooksart (Sep 4, 2017)

So I've had my little 3 gallon betta tank running really well since December. 1 betta, 2 nerite snails, and a marimo. Did 1/4 water changes about 1 time a week and 1 time a month did a bottom suction (which was about a 1/3 to 1/2 water change depending). Tank basically ran itself.

I moved to NC in July and set up my tank upstairs and noticed my heater (which is small) was struggling to keep the tank at 79F (where it was before). I relocated it downstairs where the air was warmer and things immediately got better. There's more sunlight so I noticed a bit more green algae was growing but that was easy to manage.

Two weeks ago I saw something.... strange though. On the suction cup of one of my fake plants, a purple tinge. A week later it was a weird bright purple alage (or maybe a cyanobacteria?) I did research and couldn't find anything that seemed to make sense. Purple appears in saltwater aquariums but I've never heard of it in freshwater. Of course, it was then that I realized my two nerite snails had passed away. *See attached image for photo of purple stuff.

Worried for my betta's health I did a full clean, cycle, and reintroduction. It's been about two weeks now and he looks way better (or should I say... betta!). Our local aquarium shop had three very nice nerite's on sale so I nabbed them and introduced them and they've been a lot more active than the last two I had since the move. The marimo ball was rinsed and re-added. I've not had another purple algae(?) incident but I'm keeping my eyes open for anything strange. The aquarium and I both agree the snail deaths could have been unrelated but it's not a bad idea to be aware of it as a possibility.

I really don't want this to happen again but when my test kit ran out I delayed in getting a new one because I was low on funds after the move. I've got the kit now so I'm testing the tank weekly now. However, if anyone has suggestions that don't necessarily rely on what my chemical levels were at, I'd appreciate hearing them. If you've seen or heard of this happening before please shoot me a link or describe the situation!

Thanks so much in advance for your advice and help!


----------

