# black out bad



## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

i was 2.5 days into the black out method. i read it on a forum as a possible way to get rid of gda. no lights cover with blanket, dose excel do big water change every day. figured gotts try it once.

well it may work for others but not me i lost 2 FFF. also lost some plants both were background area. have no idea their names. downoi is not happy. crypt mush leaves laying around. 

anybody else have something like this happen or am i just lucky?


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

just some pics of the tank

BEFORE

























AFTER


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

wow, huge change from the original.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

i moved the DW back to replace the missing plants and i moved the balyxia japonica to the middle to get it out of the grass on the left. but everything else i left alone. it kinda looks ok to me but i think the red lily is going into another tank im not liking it their. im trying to save my tank with out money because im trying to scape 2 other tanks.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It's not worth it. You should just get some Maracyn. Check out this thread http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-algae-control-specific-problems/50181-maracyn-gda-experiment.html


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## Grubs (Jul 4, 2007)

I recently did a 4 day blackout and will never do it again. My huge madagascan lace turned to mush and I lost most of my Rotala mexicana and Ludwigia glandulosa. The algae I was trying to defeat (spirogyra) survived the blackout quite well.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

> Tex Gal
> Re: black out bad
> It's not worth it. You should just get some Maracyn. Check out this thread http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...xperiment.html


im watching that thread and have very high hopes thank you.



> Grubs
> Re: black out bad
> I recently did a 4 day blackout and will never do it again. My huge madagascan lace turned to mush and I lost most of my Rotala mexicana and Ludwigia glandulosa. The algae I was trying to defeat (spirogyra) survived the blackout quite well.


i wont know if gsa is gone for a bit but tank is clear all other algae is still here and their.

if all else fails im thinking of pioneering into algae scaping. some staghorn here and some bba their. i can grow some gda on plexi glass then lay it in the foreground. hmmmmm what to do for a background....


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

I've done numerous blackouts over the years and never had a single fish or plant loss. Perhaps the fact that I keep relatively low tech tanks has something to do with it? I still shudder at the free use of antibiotics that seems to be the answer to everything these days, but I guess I am just old fashioned.

I have never added Excel during a blackout and find that somewhat dubious. I don't know how fast Excel breaks down in a no-light environment, but the plants sure aren't using it at that point.

Dave


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## Red Leader (Sep 17, 2007)

I agree with Dave. One thing when I do blackouts is I turn off CO2 injection. The plants aren't using it and it'll drive the pH levels waaayy down. Crypt melt is also normal when conditions change like that. 

I also prefer not to use chemicals that supposedly kills algae as well. Take care of the plants needs, put in fauna that eat algae, and you should have a relatively algae free tank.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

i was trying a method i read on another forum.



> Probably not and you should not relapse, if you catch it early and are agressive, (daily) and use water changes/blackouts, Excel etc, you can kill it pretty good.
> 
> 2-3 day blackouts are sometimes useful for some algae when comibined with Excel, daily water changes and no light for 3 days straight.
> 
> ...


 http://www.barrreport.com/general-p...p-lengthy.html?highlight=blackout+excel+green

im not saying its a bad idea but i am saying it was a bad idea lol. it just didn't work for me and i wanted to see if it has worked for others.

i believe if the algae comes back i will try the leave it alone method. this time (because i have tried it before) im getting a blindfold and some handcuffs to keep me away from the mag scraper.


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

I guess I have a hard time arguing with Tom, but I would like to know what happens to the Excel in a lights out situation. I am also curious what the recommended Excel dosage is for such treatment. I know people like to OD Excel to cure algae problems, but I wonder what happens when high dosages are combined with no lights.

Keeping away from algae is like leaving poison ivy alone. It may be a good idea, but it sure is hard to resist.

Dave


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

welp...... downoi go bye bye. i woke up this morning and their wasn't a trace of it left in tank. thankfully i have some in my emersed setup as a back up. but i dont want to use it until i have some more growth with it.

so i went with the whole turn a negative into a positive and did a minor rescape again with some great new plants i got from cah925.

well really all i did is move the red lily out and new plants in.

no more downoi

















and my fix

















thanks for readin


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

"ok since Saturday i stopped dosing excel. i want to show my results as a sorta update. my co2 has been stable at this time. i also have kept up my e.i. dosing. im going to switch to pps soon meant to do it on Sunday but things happen.
what this shows is im still unable to get my tank balanced. i still need excel even tho i have high levels of co2. my current theory is im bottoming out on a fert but not sure what. plants look fine. since im color blind water test are kinda not in the arsenal for me. 
so as hard as it is (AND OHH BELIEVE ME ITS HARD) im going to try the tom barr thing and not clean it off. let it go through its life cycle.

i feel like im failing at my hobby=0( algae is the bain of my exsistance.

ive cut my photoperiod to 8 hours and my po4 is up to 1.5. and i managed to trade bba for gsa. anyone have ideas?(excel didnt stop gsa only slowed it. i would have gsa by friday W.C. on sunday)"


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## orion2001 (Mar 20, 2008)

Hoppy has a thread here with his experiment on Maracyn for GDA. You should check it out. He's still not sure if the Maracyn helped but the letting it go through it's lifecycle bit definitely did work for him. The maracyn could possibly prevent it, so you might wanna use it after cleaning it off your glass (after 2-3 weeks when it is flaking off).


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Blackouts have only been effective for me against BGA and Green Water. Most (if not all) other types of algae will survive a 3 day blackout. I also never dose Excel or CO2 during a blackout as others have mentioned. Adding CO2 during a blackout is a sure way to loose your fish.

I have lost Downoi in the past and it has always resprouted. Seems only the leaves die and the roots produce new leaves. Then again, I have never dosed Excel during a blackout so this may be one of those plants (along with the crypts) that don't do well given that combination.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

i was just trying something out that i read. should have researched it more or even just thought about it some more. i ended up loosing the downoi in the tank completely but its doing good in my emersed set up still. the crypts recovered pretty fast.


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## Bk828 (Mar 25, 2008)

I did a black out a few months back to treat green water. It went on for around 4 days but then i just couldnt take it any more, many plants died and though the water did seem clearer it didnt help completely. Learned that its best to find a cause for the algae and treat that instead of just doing a blackout.. 
In the end Accu-clear + a new filter helped clear the water big time.


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