# Yet another 'Name that Algae'



## Fiasco (Apr 7, 2009)

Hey Everyone.
I recently just re-setup my 25g and I have been seeing the emergence of a green coating on my leaves. I think it might be a type of beard algae but it really doesn't seem to go anywhere. Here's some history and a few photos. 

Sept 1: Set up new tank.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

The brown patches may be diatoms, and I can't name the green algae, but I bet that pond snails would love it. My prescription is pond snails and ramshorns. Guppies would also clean up all the floating stuff.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

the green stuff looks like blue/green algea which is not an algea but a bacteria. i learned that when it overrun my 75 about a month ago, lol! erithromicyn will take care of it 

almost forgot but circulation helps to prevent it, also if you have a canister filter you can add a surface skimmer to suck a bunch out =D


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

Definitely increase flow, water change water change water change, increase plant load, decrease light period. 

That algae grows from too many nutrients or not enough plants, too much light, and definitely not enough flow. Think about a shallow pond with a high fish load in the middle of summer. With nothing to move the water around, and lots of light, algae will just grow everywhere.


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## Fiasco (Apr 7, 2009)

[Sorry, I got interrupted and am just finishing this post! Thanks to everyone that replied, but the problem is not (believe-it-or-not) what's shown in the previous post, but what's shown below. I just wanted to give some recent history that may help in diagnosing.]

cont from post #1...

After I finished the GDA waiting game I was left with this...










But then after all that, I was still left with a green slime that was starting to coat some of the older leaves. I say 'older' but only by a couple weeks. See the photos below.

It feels like slimy velvet and doesn't come off with ease. It also seems to like to attach to the plastic on my filter ins/outs.

Here are my questions, what is it? BBA? Could it be GDA on the leaves? It never really does anything more other than get a _bit_ thicker and infect more leaves. It seems to be on all my plants and I'd like to ID it so I can get rid of it.

Next up ... you probably want tank params:

EI dosing (the usual ei schedule - 3x/week npk, 3x/week trace 50%+ water change)

tests show: 
N ~ 15 ppm
P ~ 1 ppm
GH ~ 240 ppm
KH ~ 130ppm
Ammonia ~0
Nitrites ~0

Lights:
~ 3 w/g @ 8 hours/day
2x 24w T5 (1x Gieseman midday and 1x aquaflora)
2x 14w T5 (1x Giesemann midday and 1x aquaflora)

CO2:
Pressurized @ ~2bps
Dropchecker shows about 30ppm+ (lime/yellow greenish)

Filtration
Eheim Ecco 2236 with vertical spraybar
HOB Penguin 150 (biowheel removed) for flow and surface aggitation mostly

Any ideas or suggestions on what it is or how to deal with it would be greatly apreciated!


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

I've been battling GDA in my 75g for a year now. I have tried waiting for a month, and every other suggestion, and i still get it on the glass and on my leaves like you do. The only thing i haven't tried and will try soon is reverse osmosis water. Good luck!


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## Fiasco (Apr 7, 2009)

Alright, I have one vote for gda on the leaves [Thanks, 009]. I wasn't sure if this was possible. I sure haven't seen that many reports of it, and the reports I have seen, I have been skeptical of as there were no photos and a whole variety of other variables that coiuld have meant other things.

This tank is a teardown/resetup of a previous tank and in that tank I suffered gda for a couple years. I finally tried waiting it out, but it seems every time I let it get that bad it starts to appear on the leaves. The glass is doing much better and could still use cleanings every few days - which I can live with. But I'm not sure how to treat the leaves. I'll continue my EI dosing schedule with slightly reduced lights and see if the plants can outgrow it. I did do a very heavy trim at the time of the GDA cleaning that could have caused a slow growth period allowing the algae to establish - so I'm hoping this is a temporary thing.

In the meantime, it would be good to get a few more confirmations on this diagnosis. Does anyone have GDA affect plant leaves as shown?

Thanks again!


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

In my tank I think the gda comes from one thing that I continuously add without knowing it. For instance the fertilizer I use might have an ingredient that causes gda. My vote is for the water. That's why I'm trying ro water soon. I believe its one nutrient in my tap water that's just out of whack. Either way gda earns my vote for the most annoying algae.


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## Fiasco (Apr 7, 2009)

Alright, 
Here's an update. The algae is all gone! 

I simply upped and maintained my ferts. Before water changes I shut off the filters, and scrapped the sides with a razer blade (removing as much as possible from the tank completely), then vacuuming . 

One day I saw the spreading of the velvet mat on the leaves stop and then two days after that it was gone. The GDA took a couple weeks to completely stop coming back. I credit it's removal to the 4 week wait (first and foremost) and then simple maintenance after than. it's been two weeks now and I have had zero issues with algae. 

Thanks again to everyone for the help!


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