Hi everyone, I've just joined the site and hoping someone can offer me some advice! I've had a 50 litre mixed tropical tank with 18-20 fish and a few nerite snails for 5 years with very few problems until last October when BGA appeared for the first time. After researching online I bought some Ultralife and dosed the tank according to the instructions (not forgetting to convert US gallons to UK). It worked very well and cleared out all of the BGA as far as I could tell. But a couple of weeks ago I realised it was back, just the same as before. So I followed the same procedure as last time and did a second dose 2 days later as there was no change at all. It's now a week since I did that second dose and although it has slowed the spread it hasn't got rid of it. Some areas look exactly the same, although there are places where it has diminished. I don't know whether to repeat the whole procedure or if I'm missing something vital! I urgently need to do a tank clean and partial water change but have been waiting for the treatment to run it's course. Water test showing NO3 and chlorine levels are creeping into the red zone but is that just because the water change is overdue?
I've also been taking the snails out each time I dose but I don't have an ideal set-up for them outside of the tank so they're not very happy - has anyone found their nerites are actually ok if left in the tank during an Ultralife treatment? I would definitely prefer to leave them in!
A few extra details - I use a warm LED light which is on for 12 hours a day; there are only live plants in the tank; it has a gravel substrate; the fish are tetras, harlequins and albino corys; the temp is 26-28 degrees C; I use a good quality sponge filter and I've turned up the air pump for the duration of the treatment; we have excellent (and very soft) water quality in my area. Thanks in advance for any advice
I've also been taking the snails out each time I dose but I don't have an ideal set-up for them outside of the tank so they're not very happy - has anyone found their nerites are actually ok if left in the tank during an Ultralife treatment? I would definitely prefer to leave them in!
A few extra details - I use a warm LED light which is on for 12 hours a day; there are only live plants in the tank; it has a gravel substrate; the fish are tetras, harlequins and albino corys; the temp is 26-28 degrees C; I use a good quality sponge filter and I've turned up the air pump for the duration of the treatment; we have excellent (and very soft) water quality in my area. Thanks in advance for any advice