Hydrogen Peroxide Dosing

[Rorie]

To be honest, a while back! I used to have a 4000l/h pump in there and i still had it! But it went away for a while (even though i did not treat it) but now has come back.

Hence when my 2 900l/h pumps turn up, i am not sure if they will be the answer to stop it coming back again

 

[snowflake311]

Blackouts work, this is what is adivised on planted websites and in books the world over. Can you link this info/research Snowflake, would be interested to read?

If you look up info on other forums you will find people that did not have luck with the black out. It might be due to them not doing s proper black out. But this BGA is tough and can live under some very hash conditions. Even if most if it does die off from the black out there still might be some alive. also like it has been said before if you dint mix the problem it will grow back.

From what I have read about BGA it sounds like a black out can and should work BUT this is one crafty organism and it has it's ways of fighting back. I am really think that poor circulation and low O2 are to blame for this BGA. There are other things that help it grow. But IME it has happened in tanks that have little circulation and low o2. The first time I had it was in a betta tank that had very little circulation and hardly any surface movement.

 

[aaronnorth]

If you look up info on other forums you will find people that did not have luck with the black out. It might be due to them not doing s proper black out.

In which case it makes your point invalid due to human error.

But this BGA is tough and can live under some very hash conditions.
From what I have read about BGA it sounds like a black out can and should work BUT this is one crafty organism and it has it's ways of fighting back.

The point is, it cannot live without light, so therefore blackouts work 100% of the time when performed correctly. If there is still some alive then extend your blackout for a few more days.
The 'fighting back' you talk of is not that it finds other sources of energy and continues to grow under no light, but that the problem was never fixed so it just develops again when it has a light source; like you have said.
As I said above, plants have access to energy reserves hence why they can still grow under no light, this is often why they become leggy as they make an attempt to reach a light source higher up. If you do a blackout too long then yes the plants would eventually die too.

Thanks, Aaron

 

[Rorie]

50% water change - CHECK
scrub down algae - CHECK
Add KN03 - CHECK
Lights and CO2 off - CHECK
All covered up and not a drop of light getting in - CHECK
Off to Germany for the weekend to ensure i dont peak!

Time for the worry to set in.... i dont like not being able to check on my fish!

 

[CrazyAirborne]

good luck Rorie!

 

[coldcazzie]

Rorie, what filters are they and what outputs are they. As in, are they spray bars, lily pipes, etc. I found blackouts didn't work, not because I didn't do them correctly, but because I didn't fix the root cause so it just reappeared. What I found was that it wasn't level of flow, as the amount of flow was sufficient, all my plants were waving around like they were in a gale. It was the efficiency of the circulation: there were dead areas, or areas getting less circulation, and this was where the bga was growing. The spray bar along the whole of the back of the tank noticeably fixed the problem: now the whole of the front of the tank has equal flow.

It's not just low nitrate that causes it, which means that just raising the nitrate level won't stop it from growing. It has multiple causes so needs multiple solutions.

 

[Rorie]

Rorie, what filters are they and what outputs are they. As in, are they spray bars, lily pipes, etc. I found blackouts didn't work, not because I didn't do them correctly, but because I didn't fix the root cause so it just reappeared. What I found was that it wasn't level of flow, as the amount of flow was sufficient, all my plants were waving around like they were in a gale. It was the efficiency of the circulation: there were dead areas, or areas getting less circulation, and this was where the bga was growing. The spray bar along the whole of the back of the tank noticeably fixed the problem: now the whole of the front of the tank has equal flow.

It's not just low nitrate that causes it, which means that just raising the nitrate level won't stop it from growing. It has multiple causes so needs multiple solutions.

I have a tetratec 1200 (1200l/h) and an eheim 2075 which gives 1250l/h. I now have two 900l/h pumps in it too. So flow better be ok haha. The two filters are both using spray bars. The pumps i have positioned to catch any potential dead areas....i think!

I just added the pumps two days ago, so maybe that, with the black out will fix the problem!

 

[Rorie]

NOT GOOD PEOPLE!!

I got home tonight (3 days after covering) and uncovered the tank. My cardinals, who are normally BRIGHT in colour, are not seethrough! My discus have lost almost all colour and are hugging the rocks!

I am doing a 50% water change as i write, and i REALLY hope they will be ok!

I have switched off one of the two new pumps as i fear this may not have helped the stress!!

 

[ian]

they should be OK, fish always loose colour when there isn't any light. I could switch my lights on now and the cardinals wouldn't be as colourful as if there hadn't been an ambient light. Hows the algae looking?

remember to dose after the water change.

 

[Rorie]

Dosed
1/4 teaspoon of KNO3(maybe a tad more than 1/4)
1/2 teaspoon K2SO4
3 rice grains worth of KH2PO4
8-10mls of trace mix

After my 50% change.

They aint looking well even by their actions though. Really hope they all pull through!

The algae was all gone after i cleaned before the treatment....but its not back yet if thats the more relivent question?