Blue Green Algae Sorted

[julioarca]

So the ever topic of BGA, I hate it and have had it but its gone within 48 hrs...how?....simple, let me explain.

Juwel 180L, heavily planted, Discus.

I was / am running a PMDD system, suppose I started it last year about 7 months ago when I first had BGA. I had tried a blackout, it worked but due to high phosphate, it returned.

I decided to heavily plant and do less water changes (my tap water had high phosphate too), eventually, weeks on the BGA subsided and the plants blossomed, I continued with less water changes and suppose got lazy. I stopped testing the water.

About 3 months ago, BGA returned, I tested the water and found high (5+) Phosphate and 20 or so Nitrite's. I had a blanket on the water surface of BGA. Every day I went back to water changes and removng as much of the BGA as I could, next day it was back as bad, I water changed evry day for 2-3 weeks, rmoving the BGA every time. My Phosphate fell to .5 and Nitrite at around 20-30. I still continued to PMDD. The BGA never stopped returning though.

I heard of some stuff called.....Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean.....I ordered some from Ebay, America...It came but still I didnt use it until last weekend. I did a water change and ut some in the tank...after 48 hrs it had lessened, I did a water change again and a 2nd dose, after another 48 hrs....ITS GONE.

My Phosphate is .5, plants growing like crazy, all lush green again...I'm continuing water changes about 3-4 a week but this has worked for me..

I'd be interested in your feedback etc...

 

[fatheadminnow]

So the ever topic of BGA, I hate it and have had it but its gone within 48 hrs...how?....simple, let me explain.

Juwel 180L, heavily planted, Discus.

I was / am running a PMDD system, suppose I started it last year about 7 months ago when I first had BGA. I had tried a blackout, it worked but due to high phosphate, it returned.

I decided to heavily plant and do less water changes (my tap water had high phosphate too), eventually, weeks on the BGA subsided and the plants blossomed, I continued with less water changes and suppose got lazy. I stopped testing the water.

About 3 months ago, BGA returned, I tested the water and found high (5+) Phosphate and 20 or so Nitrite's. I had a blanket on the water surface of BGA. Every day I went back to water changes and removng as much of the BGA as I could, next day it was back as bad, I water changed evry day for 2-3 weeks, rmoving the BGA every time. My Phosphate fell to .5 and Nitrite at around 20-30. I still continued to PMDD. The BGA never stopped returning though.

I heard of some stuff called.....Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean.....I ordered some from Ebay, America...It came but still I didnt use it until last weekend. I did a water change and ut some in the tank...after 48 hrs it had lessened, I did a water change again and a 2nd dose, after another 48 hrs....ITS GONE.

My Phosphate is .5, plants growing like crazy, all lush green again...I'm continuing water changes about 3-4 a week but this has worked for me..

I'd be interested in your feedback etc...

Do you mean Nitrate?

-FHM

 

[Ally555]

So the ever topic of BGA, I hate it and have had it but its gone within 48 hrs...how?....simple, let me explain.

Juwel 180L, heavily planted, Discus.

I was / am running a PMDD system, suppose I started it last year about 7 months ago when I first had BGA. I had tried a blackout, it worked but due to high phosphate, it returned.

I decided to heavily plant and do less water changes (my tap water had high phosphate too), eventually, weeks on the BGA subsided and the plants blossomed, I continued with less water changes and suppose got lazy. I stopped testing the water.

About 3 months ago, BGA returned, I tested the water and found high (5+) Phosphate and 20 or so Nitrite's. I had a blanket on the water surface of BGA. Every day I went back to water changes and removng as much of the BGA as I could, next day it was back as bad, I water changed evry day for 2-3 weeks, rmoving the BGA every time. My Phosphate fell to .5 and Nitrite at around 20-30. I still continued to PMDD. The BGA never stopped returning though.

I heard of some stuff called.....Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean.....I ordered some from Ebay, America...It came but still I didnt use it until last weekend. I did a water change and ut some in the tank...after 48 hrs it had lessened, I did a water change again and a 2nd dose, after another 48 hrs....ITS GONE.

My Phosphate is .5, plants growing like crazy, all lush green again...I'm continuing water changes about 3-4 a week but this has worked for me..

I'd be interested in your feedback etc...

Do you mean Nitrate?

-FHM

That's what I was thinking...

 

[fatheadminnow]

-FHM

 

[Dave Spencer]

You were unable to clear it because, it would appear, you thought it was associated with high phosphates.

I have always found that this stuff originates in the substrate where it gets incidental light, usually at the front of the tank, against the glass. Increased flow in that area will help to get rid of it. Sand is the only substrate where I experience this stuff.

Others have also associated it with low nitrates, which high flow can help to resolve. Taking this a step further, you say you held back on water changes, which saw it reduce. By cutting out the water changes, nitrates may well have increased, which could have been the reason why its progress was halted.

Remove as much as you can, carry out a huge water change, three day black out, carry out a huge water change. This should clear it, but it may come back without improved flow, and/or higher nitrates.

Cheers, but I don`t think Chemi-Clean will be going in to my tanks.

Dave.

 

[julioarca]

Cheers, but I don`t think Chemi-Clean will be going in to my tanks.

Dave.
[/quote]

Sorry guys, I meant Nitrates...why not use chemi clean ? puzzled

 

[three-fingers]

Because it's an unknown chemical, and anti-bacterials/algaecides can be harmful.

And because algae can be tackled without the chemicals, the 'Chemi-Clean' at best is fixing the symptoms of your algae problem rather than the route cause. And if you keep adding it, could begin to harm bacteria, fish and plants in the tank.

 

[julioarca]

Because it's an unknown chemical, and anti-bacterials/algaecides can be harmful.

And because algae can be tackled without the chemicals, the 'Chemi-Clean' at best is fixing the symptoms of your algae problem rather than the route cause. And if you keep adding it, could begin to harm bacteria, fish and plants in the tank.

I did a water check just....0 ammonia.....0 nitrite..... .5 phosphate......40 nitrate......6.3 ph.........from that, what may cause BGA?

 

[three-fingers]

No one thing .

You have to realise that algae isnt only caused by one thing, it's a combination of lots of little things that allows it to grow (and we cant measure them all), and it varies greatly from tank to tank and species to species. The best way to get rid of algae is just trial and error and patience, quick fixes usually just introduce other problems.

Any "causes" listed for algae are just aquarists observations, they are probably just an indication of something else.

There are lots of things that can be done to try and get rid of the algae (along with removing it), often by giving plants an extra edge over it, or by directly trying to get rid of something that is aiding the algae.

I would suspect in this case that a combination of light reaching the substrate (as Dave has just said) and possibly a low turnover for a high tech tank is helping the algae (or rather, bacteria) to thrive.