Ultralife for BGA - second time, not working!

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LilyMay

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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 :)
 
Welcome to TFF. :hi:

First thing to confirm is the problem...I assume (correct me if mistaken) by BGA you mean blue green algae. This is cyanobacteria, a bacteria not an algae. It is caused by high organics/nutrients in the presence of light. The only effective and safe way to deal with it is by establishing a healthy balance.

Never use chemicals to deal with "problems" because these substances invariably harm various life forms in the aquarium, and as you have seen they are usually not effective long term. The high NO3 (nitrate) also signifies high organics/nutrients. Reducing these is primary. They occur from fish being fed so check into the number of fish and the species, and how much you are feeding them. Water changes incorporating a very good and thorough cleaning into the open areas of the substrate help, as does cleaning the filter regularly. The light may need adjusting, either intensity or duration. Twelv hours of light is a lot, so I would reduce this to say 8 hours. But the thorough water change/cleaning and reducing fish feeding is key.
 
I use a warm LED light
Can you explain this further, please.

When looking at lights for room use the term "warm" usually means a K rating of 2700. Plants need a K rating of around 6500. Of course that may not be what you mean but it is worth checking the K rating of your aquarium light, either written on the light itself, or the packaging, or the manufacturer's website as lights withe the 'wrong' K rating can encourage algae and perhaps even BGA.
 
Can you explain this further, please.

When looking at lights for room use the term "warm" usually means a K rating of 2700. Plants need a K rating of around 6500. Of course that may not be what you mean but it is worth checking the K rating of your aquarium light, either written on the light itself, or the packaging, or the manufacturer's website as lights withe the 'wrong' K rating can encourage algae and perhaps even BGA.
Sorry, should have made that clearer - I just meant it's a softer, rather than a harsher light, but still bright for a small tank.
 
Welcome to TFF. :hi:

First thing to confirm is the problem...I assume (correct me if mistaken) by BGA you mean blue green algae. This is cyanobacteria, a bacteria not an algae. It is caused by high organics/nutrients in the presence of light. The only effective and safe way to deal with it is by establishing a healthy balance.

Never use chemicals to deal with "problems" because these substances invariably harm various life forms in the aquarium, and as you have seen they are usually not effective long term. The high NO3 (nitrate) also signifies high organics/nutrients. Reducing these is primary. They occur from fish being fed so check into the number of fish and the species, and how much you are feeding them. Water changes incorporating a very good and thorough cleaning into the open areas of the substrate help, as does cleaning the filter regularly. The light may need adjusting, either intensity or duration. Twelv hours of light is a lot, so I would reduce this to say 8 hours. But the thorough water change/cleaning and reducing fish feeding is key.
Hi Byron, thanks for your response. Yes I know it's a bacteria - I was just using a term I've seen commonly used on forums like this one because it's easier to write to be honest! Ultralife seemed like a good option as it comes so highly rated by forum members and in product reviews and many people seem to find that the bacteria doesn't return. I may just have been unlucky or else I need to change something. I've followed the same routine for 5 years and had a happy healthy tank for almost all of that time. I always clean the filter and squeeze out the sponges in the removed tank water. I think the current NO3 and chlorine levels are mainly because I've had to hold off the water change and tank clean for much longer than usual so that the treatment could take effect. I agree I may need to reduce the hours of light. I called my local aquatic supply store and got some advice so I think I'm going to do a water change and tank clean now and then re-treat in a few days. Thank you :)
 
Sorry, should have made that clearer - I just meant it's a softer, rather than a harsher light, but still bright for a small tank.
K rating doesn't actually have anything to do with brightness, it's to do with the colour of the light. For example, the 2700 K light bulbs we can buy for our rooms are a yellow colour with hardly any blue in the mix. Since aquarium plants need blue in the mix, that is not a good K rating. At the other end are the lights meant for certain marine tanks which have a K rating of 10000 or more. These are also not good for aquarium plants as they have a lot of blue but no red in the mix.

This is all probably just an aside as BGA is bacterial not algae, and I have no idea if the K rating affects BGA or not.
 
chlorine levels are mainly because I've had to hold off the water change
This problem also needs correcting. Tap water should have chlorine removed with a dechlorinating conditioner before/as it is added to the tank. It should then remain zero. Is there anything containing chlorine being added to the tank water?
 

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