# Blue green algae control



## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Hi all,

Thanks for a great forum. I've got a lot of useful tips here from other people's posts, now hopefully someone can help me with my own.

I have a 30g tank which I have modelled on Diana Walstead's book.
It has 1.5 inches of potting soil, covered by a another inch of fine aquarium gravel.
It has artificial lighting of 50W, but also gets about 2 hours of direct sunlight in the morning.
The tank has been running for 3 months and it has a variety of plants (including aerial ones) which are all growing fairly well.

My problem is that blue green algae has starting smothering the plants. I can remove most of it manually, but it just grows back in a few days.

Can anyone help?
I'd love to at least get it down to manageable levels!

Thanks a lot!
Gordon


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

OtherGordon said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Thanks for a great forum. I've got a lot of useful tips here from other people's posts, now hopefully someone can help me with my own.
> 
> ...


I cannot really speak to dealing with this problem within the context of a natural planted tank. 
The following, however, is a useful link that offers a mainstream solution to the problem. You may want to check it out as IMHO a lot may apply in your particular situation and the recommendations may well help you get a handle on the problem.
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=137

Regards


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks Homer.

I actually found that page soon after posting my question.
I have already tried most of the listed suggestions, but not the blackout or Maracyn. 
I think I'll try the blackout first.
I live in South Africa, not sure if our petshops will have Maracyn (I've never heard of it) but I'll have a look for it if the blackout doesn't work.

Anyone had any luck with a complete 3 day blackout (by covering the tank with a blanket or trash bag)?

Thanks again.
Gordon


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> Thanks Homer.
> 
> I actually found that page soon after posting my question.
> I have already tried most of the listed suggestions, but not the blackout or Maracyn.
> ...


I've had BGA on three tanks during the first few months and I've always gotten rid of by simply increasing the biomedia in the filter. BGA usually develops from an insufficient or immature biofilter that can't destroy this type of bacteria. What kind of filter do you have and what kind of biomedia are you using? I would only try a blackout and/or chemicals as a last resort.

So keep up with water changes
Keep filter clean and full of good dense biomedia (If you don't have enough room in your filter put some biomedia in a mesh bag and drop it right in the tank.)


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

OtherGordon said:


> ..Anyone had any luck with a complete 3 day blackout (by covering the tank with a blanket or trash bag)?
> 
> Thanks again.
> Gordon


Your're welcome. Funny you mentioned that. This problem appeared out of nowhere in my 10 gallon tank. I kept thinking where did this "string/hair" algae come from and why cannot I seem to get rid of it. I tried overdosing with excel, threw in a couple of otos that ignored it like the plague, and the snails also ignored it. Then after doing more research, I realized that it was really Blue Green Algae and the dead give away was the musty smell coming from the tank when I would remove the hood.

I began dosing with PPS-Pro to increase nitrates as lack of nitrates results in this problem. I manually removed as much of it as possible and cut and threw away heavily infested plant stems. I then covered the tank with a towel for 3 days. The problem is 99% gone and my plants survived. I may do another 3 day blackout to try and get rid of the remaining 1% before it gets out of hand. If I cannot get a handle on it, I will throw in the extra UV sterilizer that I have lieing around to defeat the problem once and for all. By the way, I believe in my case the problem may have also come from some plants that I purchased that had Blue Green Algae. I did not remove or disinfect the plants thinking that this was regular algae. :doh:


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

houseofcards said:


> What kind of filter do you have and what kind of biomedia are you using?


I have two AquaClear Minis (with the standard foam and biomedia).
I have done a ton of water changes lately to try and get of the BGA.
Why don't you suggest the blackout method, houseofcards? I don't think my plants will be too badly affected (it's only for 3 days).

Glad to hear the blackout worked for you Homer. I don't know where my BGA came from, but I don't use anything other than tapwater to clean newly bought plants, so it could very well have come from my last purchase.


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

I don't know if you have any available where you are, but my Mystery (aka. Apple snail) snails totally devoured this stuff before I made the switch to NPT. I removed most of it by hand, changed the carbon in the filter, and the snails took care of the rest. 
I must also mention that my snails grew extremely fast with their buffet.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

I've actually got 2 of those guys, but they don't touch the stuff. Either I've got a different type of BGA, or really fussy snails...
I've also got tons of Malasian trumpet snails, and 2 bristle-nose catfish; you'd think between them they could clear up my tank!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

Wow, that sucks that they wont touch the stuff. I'm out of help then. You said you already changed the filter media and water change, that all worked for me...with the snails too. Hope you get rid of it. Good luck!


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> I have two AquaClear Minis (with the standard foam and biomedia).
> I have done a ton of water changes lately to try and get of the BGA.
> Why don't you suggest the blackout method, houseofcards? I don't think my plants will be too badly affected (it's only for 3 days).
> 
> Glad to hear the blackout worked for you Homer. I don't know where my BGA came from, but I don't use anything other than tapwater to clean newly bought plants, so it could very well have come from my last purchase.


The blackout could work, I just have never found it necessary and it could set your plants back and your still might get BGA again if you don't take corrective action. It's my opinion you don't have enough biomedia for your tank. I would trash the foam in both your aquaclears and replace it with very dense biomedia. I like the eheim EHFISUBSTRAT. This will give you much more surface area for nitrying bacteria.


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

You said your floaters are growing fairly well, what about your other plants in the tank, are they growing well? You also said you were using fine gravel. If the gravel is too small the soil could become anaerobic which is preventing it from building up it's own bacterial resources. Preventing a proper natural bacterial filtration with your plants.
I also agree that for now you should get rid of the foam and use a better biomedia material.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

My other plants actually aren't growing as well as they used to. I assumed it was because they're being smothered by the BGA. They're not dying, but not sending up new leaves very often.
My gravel particles are about 1mm big. Is there a way I can tell for sure if my substrate's becoming anaerobic? It'll be quite a mission to replace my current substrate...

I'll look for some more biomeadia in the petshops this weekend. But I'd really like to find out for sure if it's my substrate...

Thanks everyone for your help so far!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

Have you always had some sort of media running in your filter? What types of planted plants do you have, and how much? How much do you feed your fish?

Your gravel should be ok, it is recommended 2-4mm, but I wouldn't think 1mm difference would be that big of a deal. Sand is bad. MTS would really help keep your substrate stirred up to release any gas pockets.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

MTS? Sorry - not too clued up on the lingo.
You mention gas pockets; I see bubbles on a daily basis which break out of the substrate and float to the surface. Is this normal?

I have about 1.5 inches of potting soil, capped with about 1 inch of 1mm gravel.
I've always had biomedia in my 2 AquaClear Minis.
50W artificial lighting and direct sunlight for about 2 hours in the mornings
Fish load is medium, but I feed them well.
pH is about 8.
Plants:
2 Amazon swords (growing pretty well - regular new leaves)
3 x water wisteria (also growing well - just started growing emersed)
1 x egeria densa (small amount of growth
3 x other crypt-like plants (all different species - not sure what, and none of them are growing well at all).

Thanks again!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

Before you go crazy, try easy things first. Remove your biomedia, it's doing the job the plants are supposed to be doing. It looks like your fast growers are doing good though. Your filters are probably doing a substantial amount of surface disturbance. You may want to look at using only a powerhead below the surface to reduce surface turbulance. This will keep CO2 from escaping as easily.

Crypts are not usually fast growers, there are a few that are. Slow growth gives algae a chance to take over since they do not consume nutrients as fast.

After writing this, I think you should give the plants a chance to work before trying anything else. It looks like you have some good fast growers, plus the floaters.

MTS - Malaysian Trumpet Snails (NPT- Natural Planted Tank)
Gas bubbles are ok as long as they are escaping the substrate. Try poking the substrate to release some bubbles and see if it smells like rotten eggs. If so it is H2S, Hydrogen Sulfide. This is normal in NPT's as the soil settles in with all the bacteria working etc. Like before, as long as the bubbles are escaping it's good. Some people poke their substrate regularly to get rid of the gases. MTS will burrow in the substrate and do the "poking" for you.

Hope this helps, sorry for my un-technical speak. :mrgreen:


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Gordon,

Maracyn is a trade name for erythromycin, an obsolescent antibiotic. Each tablet contains 200 mg. Your doctor could give you a prescription for it if you can't find it in fish stores. Other antibiotics work, too.

IMO an antibiotic is the easiest and most efficient way to get rid of BGA, but as you have read, there are other ways.

Rob,

If you have snails that eat BGA you should breed them and sell the offspring for a good amount of money. A lot of people would buy them.

Bill


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

I'm only assuming it was the snails, there was nothing else in the tank that could have eaten it. And there was some left over. It could have just been a fluke on the snails eating it, long story on how I got it, but it was everywhere and my snails exploded, then it was gone....you tell me what you would think.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

rohape said:


> I'm only assuming it was the snails, there was nothing else in the tank that could have eaten it. And there was some left over. It could have just been a fluke on the snails eating it, long story on how I got it, but it was everywhere and my snails exploded, then it was gone....you tell me what you would think.


Well, since you asked  , I would think that I had got lucky and the BGA just decided to die. I would think that because I had never heard of snails eating BGA until your post.

If you still have those snails, perhaps try a controlled experiment in which you set up two aquariums identical in all respects, and get good crops of BGA growing in each. Then add the snails to one and see what happens.

Good luck!

Bill


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

I had never heard of BGA just up and disappearing, or making conscious decisions on dying. I had my doubts about the snails, but they grew a little over twice the size they were before, in just about 2 weeks. I figured they had eaten it. No more jokes about whether or not my snails ate it, if they're super snails, extra terrestrial beings etc. 
That experiment will never happen, too much hassle.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

If you do decide to try the experiment, I can supply the BGA for it 
I have MTS (proud of my lingo), maybe that's why the gas escapes so often. So some good news at least.
I keep the tank pretty full, so the AquaClears don't disturb the surface too much. They move it, but don't create any splashes. I'll remove some biomedia tonight.
Thanks for the tip on the erythromycin, Bill. I might try that if things don't look up soon. I found an older thread on this forum where Diana recommends it - so can't be bad. 
I would like to get to the cause of the BGA though. I've been thinking that maybe my lighting is too strong? The tank has only been getting direct sunlight for about a month, and before that the algae wasn't nearly as bad. Think 50W on a 30g tank is too much now that it gets 2 hours of direct sunlight a day?


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

OtherGordon said:


> If you do decide to try the experiment, I can supply the BGA for it
> I have MTS (proud of my lingo), maybe that's why the gas escapes so often. So some good news at least.
> I keep the tank pretty full, so the AquaClears don't disturb the surface too much. They move it, but don't create any splashes. I'll remove some biomedia tonight.
> Thanks for the tip on the erythromycin, Bill. I might try that if things don't look up soon. I found an older thread on this forum where Diana recommends it - so can't be bad.
> I would like to get to the cause of the BGA though. I've been thinking that maybe my lighting is too strong? The tank has only been getting direct sunlight for about a month, and before that the algae wasn't nearly as bad. Think 50W on a 30g tank is too much now that it gets 2 hours of direct sunlight a day?


Gordon,

You are clearly mastering the lingo. Congratulations to you! (But don't go too far 

I also use HOB (hang-on-back) Aquaclears, and I must confess that change the media no more frequently than every month or two.

I get BGA in the first month in about half of the soil-based tanks that I set up. I think it is caused by the high level of nutrients that exists in those tanks. Maracyn kills it, although sometimes it takes two treatments. It is best to attack it as soon as you see it, and to remove as much as you can before you start treatment.

I don't think that your lighting is too strong. If it were you would have other kinds of algae. I have about 2 WPG in my tanks.

In the wild some lakes become infected with BGA every summer. It runs its course. There are thousands of species of BGA, and a few are extremely toxic. In Fulton, NY, USA, it was blamed for killing dogs and birds a few years ago. (I don't know if it really was the cause.)

Here is a wild BGA links, perhaps a bit propaganda-ish.:

http://www.esf.edu/communications/news/2002/08.13.toxicalgae.htm

Good luck.

Bill


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks Bill - that's some useful info!
The more I read about erythromycin the more interested I am in trying it. From all accounts it doesn't harm anything except BGA. I'm going to have a look for it this weekend, if it's easy to get hold of here then I'll give it a go. Then if the BGA comes back I can try looking at other solutions.
Thanks again!


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## nielsamd (Apr 11, 2007)

I have battled b-g algae for 30 years. :boxing: Usually tried various limiting things and Maracyn. Only recently did I have a clear success though. Instead of fighting the algae I dosed up the (planted) tank with potassium nitrate as per EI planted tank dosing. Completely against the mantra of `nitrates are bad bad bad'. In fact I think there is a golden ratio of nitrates/phosphates that plants love, to algaes cost, that EI dosing provides/insures.

I think I, too, may once have had an apple snail that ate b-g but I also think I tried to repeat the trick and it didn't work the 2nd time. I did definitely have a goldfish in separate tank that absolutely loved the stuff I fed him from my main tank. But I couldn't let him in there for the havoc he would have wreaked on the aquascaping! He really turned a flourecsent orange on that diet though!


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Whoa - dosing with potassium nitrate.... I think that's a bit out of my league. The only I've ever dosed was a Nutrafin liquid fertiliser. It created a tank full of hair algae that lasted a whole month!
I'll try the Maracyn first, if that fails I'll consider dosing these ferts.
Thanks!


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

A quick fix would be a UV sterilizer. I have never had BGA in my tank(s) running a UV sterilizer. Some will argue that the UV sterilzer does not address the root cause(s) of BGA and some point out that running a UV sterilzer could interfere with plant trace mineral, especially iron levels and absorption(although you will see from the posts on this forum, that there is disagreement even on this issue and the jury is out). I guess it really depends on how much time and effort, you are prepared to put forth in dealing with BGA. For me, with my sometimes extremely hectic lifestyle, I have no issues with resorting to quick fixes/band aid solutions once in a while.

On a somewhat related topic, I find the whole issue of algae and algae control really interesting. With the exception of BGA, which is known to release neurotoxins that may be dangerous for fish, most types of algae is harmless and just esthetically unpleasing. The reality is that algae, just looks ugly and unless it gets to the point where it smothers plant leaves and interferes with their ability to absorb nutrients and photosynthesize, it is relatively harmless. In many cases, you can just clean it off with every water change. And in reality, in the natural environment, you would be hard pressed to find an esthetically pleasing plant layout where everything is properly aquascaped with plant arrangement and there is absolutely no algae whatsoever on plants. If anything, you would likely see pond scum and algae that serves as food for many types of invertebrates that help to keep it in check. And if I am wrong, then please some El Naturalist, show me a picture of a natural habitat(not your aquascaped aquarium) where all the plants are properly aquascaped in neat little arrangements and have absolutely no algae on them whatsoever, and I will eat crow.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

I've heard of those, but never seen one for sale locally. I always thought they were for fish only tanks (shows how much I know).
Maracyn sounds a lot cheaper though  I'll srart with that...


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Gordon,

Just to mention what you've probably already found out: remove as much of the BGA as possible manually before you dose; dose at the rate shown on the package (200 mg per 10 gallons for at least days; if you are not satisfied with the result double the dosage; and do a partial water change when the treatment is over, to remove any ammonia that might be produced by the dying BGA.

BTW, potassium nitrate (KNO3) is commonly used by aquatic plant growers as a source of nitrate and potassium.

Let us know how you make out.

Bill


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## LordSul (Mar 17, 2006)

I had the same problem about week ago. And I had this problem several times. With the program I use, I always succeed!
5 days Erythromycin tablets, complete blackout, and mechanic removal.

1. Mechanic removal (if possible)
2. 200mg tablets for 40Litres everyday for 5 days. Mix the tablet in boiling water the add to the tank.
3. Complete blackout for 5 days

As I said, I always succeed in wiping out these BGA.

Goodluck


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

LordSul said:


> I had the same problem about week ago. And I had this problem several times. With the program I use, I always succeed!
> 5 days Erythromycin tablets, complete blackout, and mechanic removal.
> 
> 1. Mechanic removal (if possible)
> ...


Being an anti-biotic, does erythromycin effect the bioligical filter by killing beneficial nitrifying bacteria????


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

I've been told that Maracyn can remove the benficial bacteria in your tank pushing the tank into a mini cycle, that's why using it should always be the last resort. So if you do decide to go that route, make sure you test for ammonia and nitrite spikes.

I've had Cyanobacteria in both of my tanks and got rid of it by increasing my doses of KNO3 and adding a powerhead. BGA is usually caused by stagnant water or a bottoming out of your nitrates.

What I did was 50 - 80% water changes for a few days, adding a power head to disturb it mechanically and dosing more KNO3. 

Good luck, I hate this stuff, the smell alone is horrible!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

aquabillpers said:


> I also use HOB (hang-on-back) Aquaclears, and I must confess that change the media no more frequently than every month or two.
> 
> I get BGA in the first month in about half of the soil-based tanks that I set up.


I notice a similarity here. You both use biomedia, and both have had issues with BGA. My feeling is still that if you remove the biomedia it will reduce your chances of getting BGA. It may not kill it, but would probably help prevent it.

I too think your light levels are fine.

As far as removal at this point, maybe you should buy some special strains of Mystery snails and Goldfish!


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

LindaC said:


> ... the smell alone is horrible!


Lol, I know what you mean.

A good reason to avoid smelling it:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/water-bucket/42357-new-danger-lake.html


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

Homer_Simpson said:


> Lol, I know what you mean.
> 
> A good reason to avoid smelling it:
> http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/water-bucket/42357-new-danger-lake.html


Wow, I was not aware, thank you, I'll try to keep my nose out of the tank for now on....


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

rohape said:


> I notice a similarity here. You both use biomedia, and both have had issues with BGA. My feeling is still that if you remove the biomedia it will reduce your chances of getting BGA. It may not kill it, but would probably help prevent it.


Remove my biomedia?
Someone at the beginning of the post was telling me to increase it!
Is the theory that if I remove the biomedia then my plants will have access to more nutrients and be able to compete better with the BGA?


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> Remove my biomedia?
> Someone at the beginning of the post was telling me to increase it!
> Is the theory that if I remove the biomedia then my plants will have access to more nutrients and be able to compete better with the BGA?


Yes, there was talk about a different biomedia, but as the discussion progressed more variables have come in to play. I can change my theory. 

You are correct about the competition for nutrients. That would be the idea. It would probably be a good idea to do a massive manual removal of the stuff too.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Cool.
So this is my plan for the weekend:
- Manual removal of BGA (which will involve a water change)
- Removal of some of the bio-media from filters

If the BGA has returned by next weekend, then:
- Repeat manual removal
- Add Maracin to tank (in correct dosage)

If BGA is back the following weekend (i.e. in 2 weeks time):
- Repeat manual removal
- Repeat Maracin dosage
- 5 day blackout

How's that sound?


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> Cool.
> So this is my plan for the weekend:
> - Manual removal of BGA (which will involve a water change)
> - Removal of some of the bio-media from filters
> ...


Sounds like a good plan, but I would remove ALL biomedia.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

All biomedia??
Then I'll have nothing in my filters. They'll just be creating a current...


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

rohape said:


> Sounds like a good plan, but I would remove ALL biomedia.


What are you guys doing? Why are you removing the biomedia?


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Oh no! You don't agree... I can see this is going to confuse me!
Quick rohape - give houseofcards some intelligent reasoning!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

Removal of biomedia will give the plants a chance to do the filtering the and begin competition against the algae. Quick enough?  
As is the intention with a NPT style tank.

_edit:_ Don't know if this edit is too late. othergordon already has a lot of plants and good growth, good light, floaters. So it is my feeling that the plants should do well in competing, even outcompeteing the BGA for nutrients.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Nice! Thanks rohape.
By the way - you can call me Gordon 
I'm going home now to take that biomedia out (ALL the biomedia!)


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

By the way; the is the most helpful forum I have ever visited!
Thanks to everyone for your advice!


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

Boy, with all the suggestions and me being the naysayer I'm really hoping my theory works or has some impact. 

We're glad you like the forums, we're glad to have you.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

OtherGordon said:


> Cool.
> So this is my plan for the weekend:
> - Manual removal of BGA (which will involve a water change)
> - Removal of some of the bio-media from filters
> ...


Sorry that I haven't had time to follow your thread until this morning.

Your treatment plan sounds reasonable, except for the 5 day blackout, which could be disasterous to the tank. Without oxygen produced by plant photosynthesis, plants will be unable to keep their roots safely oxygenated (oxygen produced by the plant's photosynthesis is used by its roots). Prolonged periods without light and photosynthetic oxygen could kill the plants or severely injure their root systems. Plant roots need oxygen to survive (discussed in my book on pp 148-149). Blackouts are especially problematic in soil-based systems where the substrate is more anaerobic than a gravel based substrate. Roots get oxygen-starved more quickly.

I shudder to think what will happen to your otherwise nice tank with a 5 day blackout-- dying plants, dying algae, and dying bacteria.

I have had minor episodes with BGA from time-to-time. What's worked for dealing with these episodes is hand removal, floating plants, and Maracyn (last resort if problem gets out of hand). Recently, a minor BGA problem I've had for months in my 55 gal just "melted away" after I added some Frog Bit.

I do hand removals without any water change. My favorite tool is an old toothbrush that I use to twist the BGA around on. I then clean the toothbrush with a paper towel before I dip the toothbrush in for the next "twist". I recommend hand (or toothbrush) removal before BGA starts to inhibit plants and becomes a major problem.

Controlling minor BGA episodes in an NPT (assuming the plants are otherwise doing well) is not that hard, and in my experience, alway works. In contrast, waging an "all-out" war against BGA may be unnecessary and/or counterproductive.

Good luck!


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

It is good to hear an authority address the dangers of the "blackout" to a NPT! 

Bill


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Wow! A reply from Ms Walstead herself!
Thanks for your help Diana - I'll skip the blackout part then.

I removed all the biomedia from my filters over the weekend (they are now just being used to create a current), and removed as much of the BGA as I could (which included doing a water change). Hopefully my plants will grow a bit better now without the biomedia, and the BGA wont come back as badly. If it does I'll try Diana's toothbrush method of removal and Maracyn (as a last resort!)

Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys updated over the coming weeks.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Don't. Ever. Use. Antibiotics. To. Remove. Blue green. Algae. EVER.

Just change LOTS of water. LOTS.

Indiscriminate use of aquarium antibiotics is about the dumbest thing we as aquarists can do and is the reason they will be banned soon.

If it doesn't shock your sensabilities potassium nitrate and big water changes will get rid of it.

I"e been using Diana's recipe since before she wrote it up. It usually works, but sometimes, well, errr, um, you have to add fertilizer.

Try a bunch of water changes first though.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

Hmmm.. makes me wonder. It is a well known fact that bacteria mutate and adapt rapidly. Medical science is now recoginizing that excessive use of antibiotics is leading to anti-biotic resistant strains of bacteria as the bacteria rapidly adapt and mutate to more resistant forms. Perhaps, the same thing can happen when antibiotics are used to try and eradicate things like BGA in a tank. Is it possible that a mutant anti-biotic strain of BGA could evolve in reponse to antibiotics used to kill the original strain. For me, that is one scary thought.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Homer_Simpson said:


> Hmmm.. makes me wonder. It is a well known fact that bacteria mutate and adapt rapidly. Medical science is now recoginizing that excessive use of antibiotics is leading to anti-biotic strains of bacteria as the bacteria rapidly adapt and mutate to more resistant forms. Perhaps, the same thing can happen when antibiotics are used to try and eradicate things like BGA in a tank. Is it possible that a mutant anti-biotic strain of BGA could evolve in reponse to antibiotics used to kill the original strain. For me, that is one scary thought.


I agree, Homer. It is scary. And it is very possible. I've read of several accounts of people having less and less success getting rid of BGA using an antibiotic repeatedly. Fact is, unless one can get rid of the underlying causes of ANY type of algae, one will always end up with the same problem. It seems sometimes that people just dose with antibiotics but don't do anything to remove the CAUSE of the BGA. In that case the BGA will simply come back, and very probably in a more antibiotic resistant form. To quote you, "DOH!"!

I did use Maracyn once in a tank. It was before I kept an NPT on purpose. It was a 30 gal. N. brichardi species tank. It developed a TON of BGA (which, I believe, provided lots of food for fry since my brichardis reproduced like crazy in that tank!) Anyway, the algae was unsightly so I dosed 1/2 of the recommended dosage for 1/2 the amount of time and the algae went away. Then, I made sure to regularly clean the tank, change the water and feed less and it never came back.

I don't know if this was mentioned earlier in the thread, but if people are going to dose their tanks with antibiotics, then do us all a favor and only dose 1/2 of the recommended amount for 1/2 of the recommended amount of time.

-ricardo


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> Wow! A reply from Ms Walstead herself!
> Thanks for your help Diana - I'll skip the blackout part then.
> 
> I removed all the biomedia from my filters over the weekend (they are now just being used to create a current), and removed as much of the BGA as I could (which included doing a water change). Hopefully my plants will grow a bit better now without the biomedia, and the BGA wont come back as badly. If it does I'll try Diana's toothbrush method of removal and Maracyn (as a last resort!)
> ...


Maybe I missed something, but would someone care to explain why removing the biomedia in a NPT tank will help increase plant growth and thus clear BGA? Whether it's NPT or not, your biofilter isn't efficient IMO to deal with the BGA in the tank, so why would you reduce it?


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

As I said, I would use Maracyn as a last resort. Like Ricardo, I've used it at one-half the dose and it kills the stuff right away. If it doesn't, then the BGA may be antibiotic-resistant, and you probably should choose another strategy. I think floating plants can do wonders in a situation like this.  

Removing all the biomedia may help promote aquatic plant growth. Under some circumstances, plants will indeed grow better if they can use ammonia, rather than nitrates, as their N source (my book, pp. 110-112). If plants grow better, then they can better compete with algae. 

I'm not sure that removing the biomedia (like water changes) will have a direct impact on BGA. It might or might not. However, these two things (unlike blackouts) shouldn't hurt the plants or the tank ecosystem. I'd consider them optional-- if you have nothing else to do.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

There's a bacterium - Mycobacterium marinum that is in pretty much all water lurking, It's certainly in all water in the wild and often in aquarium water. FIsh need to be in pretty rough shape for it to take hold, but if it does it's invariably fatal.

It can infect man.

It's already killed one German aquarist.

Lots of other aquarists have caught it and the treatment is both (very) expensive and long (6-8 mos).

If THAT bug ever becomes antibiotic resistant we are in a world of hurt. This is why some countried have already banned over the counter aquarium antibiotics and I've heard Canada and the US will be following suit.

Antibiotic use on fish, properly done is usually in cases where the fish is very very expesnive like a $15,000 koi. A sample is taken, cultured and tested for resistance and if the bug is not resistant then the antibiotic is administered. A vet does these. We as aquarists are the worst abusers of antibiotics in the pet industry.

I have to admit it I find it kind of funny that adding fertilizers in a "natural" tank is verboten (even though it'll make short work of blue green algae) but adding synthetic anitbiotics is somehow ok.

But, if you want to play chemistry set here is a list of non-antibiotic bacteriacides:

http://aquaria.net/articles/meds/antibiotics/alternatives/

I've always cured it by water changes though...


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

rs79 said:


> There's a bacterium - Mycobacterium marinum that is in pretty much all water lurking, It's certainly in all water in the wild and often in aquarium water. FIsh need to be in pretty rough shape for it to take hold, but if it does it's invariably fatal.
> 
> It can infect man.
> 
> ...


Hi,

Blue green algae is not a "bacterium". it is hundreds or thousands of species that as a group are classified as "cyanobacteria". Unlike bacteria, it makes its own food via photosynthesis; hence the separate classification (among other reasons).

Under certain circumstances, some species of BGA do produce a toxin that can affect other creatures. From what I read, it has to be ingested to cause significant harm, although strong concentrations can cause skin irritation.

Here's a link: http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cach...f+"blue+green+algae"&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

I would like more information about the person who was killed by BGA and of the ". . . Lots of other aquarists [who] have caught it and the treatment is both (very) expensive and long (6-8 mos)." I have not heard of anything like that, (but that doesn't prove anything . )

I have read that it is unlikely that any of the BGA species will become resistant to erythromycin. As far as i know, none have. Many other broad spectrum antibiotics will also kill it; erythro is just the easiest one to get. IMO, a greater danger is that kitchen cleaners (Lysol, etc) contain antibiotics and advertise that fact. But I don't think there is any danger there, either.

You might want to do some research on how antibiotics are used in the pet care industry. Not just "$15,000 koi" are treated with them.

Good luck!

Bill


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I know all about cyanobacteria and their prokaryotic friends in kindom Monera, thanks. I think you might be confused - I'm not worried about algae becoming antibiotic resistant, I (and a few other folks) am concerned that Mycobacteria might develop resistance because of indiscriminate and irresponsible use of unregulated antibiotics.

Mycobacteria has nothing to do with algae. It's a genus of pathogenic bacillis that contains the species that causes human tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and the species that cause the already incurable "fish TB" (M. marinum, but there are others including the recently described M. montefiorense) which also cause "swimmers granuloma" AKA "fish fanciers finger". This is why books tell you to never put a hand with open wounds in a fishtank. They don't go into details, but this is the reason - Mycobacteria.

As an aside the only fish book to go into this in any depth is J.J. Scheels "Rivulins of the old world" (TFH Press, 1968 ).

If you look at the cases of human tb and antobiotic resistance in the news lately maybe you'll understand the concern that M. marinum become drug-resistant.

I understand very well how antibiotics are used in the US pet trade and frankly it's frightening - and is the reason they will be banned from over the counter sale. What I was describing is how it works in Germany where you can't buy them over the counter any more.

Indiscriminate and incomplete dosing of antibiotics is something Fleming himself cautioned about:

"The greatest possibility of evil in self-medication is the use of too-small doses, so that instead of clearing up infection the microbes are educated to resist penicillin..." - Sir Alexander Fleming. discoverer of penicillin, interview with the New York Times in 1945.

I put together this page a couple of years ago when Harro H. brought up the subject:

http://aquaria.net/articles/meds/antibiotics/warning/

There are fist hand and second hand accounts of Mycobacteria affecting poeple there, and lots of info in Mycobacteria.

If you have blue green algae you've done something wrong. That's not unusual. (looks around) Why it's easy to find things wrong in aquaria. But "treating" it with antibiotics is beyond wrong, it's stupid and dangerous.

If you want to learn how to treat fish with antibiotics properly (putting them in aquarium water is futile and useless) see "Handbook of fish diseases" by Dieter Untergasser (TFH Press). But again this should only be done in cases where the pathogen has been cultured to provide a positive ID and proven not to be already ressitant to the antibiotic selected. This is beyond the abilities of most aquarists, but it is not impossible.

In cases where "but I dumped in some tetracycline and the fish got better" it was because they got better on their own. Antibiotics don't go from aquarium water to the fishes bloodstream, period. And there are lots of non-antibiotic things that kill bacteria mentioned in my previous article in this thread.

To get back to the original point of removing BG algae - Tom Barr deserves credit for this, he tried to lick alage by trying to grow the stuff and confirmed that is needs a very very stable environment. Change water enough and you'll shock it and it will die. The key here is "enough". It's worked for me in the past. I've had it maybe two times in the past 15 years and simply ignored it and got back on track with water changes and it went away. Physical removal of it is your first step, it usually cooperates by coming off in sheets when you siphon it out.

It contains the link about the guy that died from M. marinum. If you google around you can find people that have lost limbs from the disease as well. And M.marinum not drug resistant yet as far as we know.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

It is said that the plant, Elodea Densa is said to secrete anti-biotic substances known to inhibit blue green algae. Just curious, has anyone successfully used or found elodea densa as an effective preventative for blue green algae??


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Ok guys, I get the idea, and I will only use Maracyn as a very last resort!
For now I have removed the biomedia, and will be adding a ton more floating plants (I already have a bit of water lettuce, but it only covers about 1/10 of the tank's surface. I'll add enough to cover half.

If these two in conjunction don't work then I'll try your method, rs79, of doing lots of water changes. How often would be enough to 'shock' it? If it's not more than once a day then I should be able to handle it...

Thanks to everyone for your help. I'm really enjoying getting so many experts' advice!


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I've tried Egeria to clear algae. If you have a TON of Egeria and not much algae it works, but otherwise - feh. Course, if you have a TON of Egeria you probbaly don't have algae anyway. Catch-22.

I find that by changing 80% of the water two days in a row then changing 50% of th water daily things clear up in under a week.

Physically remove all the algae you can of course...


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Richard (rs79),

You are right - I was confused. I thought you were posting to the subject of this thread, BGA, but instead you were talking about drug-resistant TB, which has been a very serious medical problem for a long time.

There is no connection between drug-resistant TB and the use of erythromycin to kill BGA. Agree?

I apologize for my mistake.



> To get back to the original point of removing BG algae - Tom Barr deserves credit for this, he tried to lick alage by trying to grow the stuff and confirmed that is needs a very very stable environment. Change water enough and you'll shock it and it will die. The key here is "enough". It's worked for me in the past. I've had it maybe two times in the past 15 years and simply ignored it and got back on track with water changes and it went away. Physical removal of it is your first step, it usually cooperates by coming off in sheets when you siphon it out.


Unfortunately for us NPT enthusiasts, the estimable Mr. Barr, and Ms. Walstad, have also said that people should rarely make water changes to non-CO2 tanks. Aquatic plants do better in stable environments. Frequent water changes disrupt that and make algae growth more likely, rather than less. Please note that refers to "algae", not cyanobacteria, that might be killed with frequent water changes. I don't know.

Mr. Barr advocates the blackout method for dealing with BGA, but Ms. Walstad has said that is not good for NPT's.

When I set up a new soil-based tank, half the time I encounter BGA in the first month. I attribute that to the fact that the aquarium is unstable, with the soil substrate producing more nutrients than the plants can use. But I don't know the cause for sure - I just observe what happens.

Bill


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

"Unfortunately for us NPT enthusiasts, the estimable Mr. Barr, and Ms. Walstad, have also said that people should rarely make water changes to non-CO2 tanks."

Changing water to shock algae into death is Tom's "recipe".

Diana got her method from Dorothy Reimer who is fairly local to here. She changed water when she needed to. it's not like you're going to hell if you do this.

Other aquarist of serious accomplishment plant-wise around here that also got this from Reimer are Charlie Drew and Jim Robinson. Charlie changes water when he needs to and Jim had his tanks on a continuous flow system that constantly changed some of the water. They both have specatacular results.

I dunno. You've been told how to fix it. If it's too heretical for you according to one book whille earlier practicioners of the method seemed to do ok with it I don't know what to tell you.


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## Kelley (Aug 27, 2006)

Removing the trigger of BGA will also help the situation. I had an extremely nasty case of BGA. Once I identified the nasty piece of rotting wood in the tank and removed it, things got a whole lot better. I also diligently changed the water every day and siphoned out as much of the crap as I could. I do not have an NPT, but I think that this strategy worked very well. 

Check your tank for sources of rot. Rotting wood, hidden dead fish, clogged filters, melting crypts, etc. could all be potential triggers.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

rs79 said:


> There's a bacterium - Mycobacterium marinum that is in pretty much all water lurking, It's certainly in all water in the wild and often in aquarium water. FIsh need to be in pretty rough shape for it to take hold, but if it does it's invariably fatal.
> 
> It can infect man.
> 
> ...


Dear Rs79,

Please don't paralyze, shame, and scare aquarium hobbyists that judiciously use antibiotics to rid their tanks of nuisance BGA. The antibiotics (rifampicin, ethambutol, etc) used for treating M. marinum infections in human infections are much different than the Maracyn (erythromycin) and Kanomycin that hobbyists sometimes use to quickly kill BGA. All antibiotics are not the same!

Maybe Canada (a wonderful country!) is different. But until the USA's agricultural industry stops including massive quantities of antibiotics to feed chickens, hogs, and cattle, I'd not worry too much about the aquarium hobbyist who may use Maracyn once in awhile to treat BGA.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

With all due respect Diana if you need to add antibiotics to a tank it's hardly "natural" now is it? 

Certainly less natural that water changes which happen pretty much all the time in the wild, not so much in the artificual glass cagaes we overpopulate and expect to act like rivers and lakes.

Erythomycin is used in all sorts of anumal feeds in Canada as well. It's not supposed to make it into the water table but...

Who wants to take the rish? While Erythromycin is not the first line drug of choice (amikacin and kanamycin seem to be according to Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Oct;18(4):529-31.) tetracycline is sometimes used and given the average aquarists propensity for "this is close, good enough" I feel it's prudent to warn off any antibiotic use in aquaria especially in light of improper dosage, duration and administration so frequently found.

I've never had to use any antibiotic in 35+ years of fishkeeping - there are alternatives and I postit that even as a "last resort" it's entirely inappropriate. Reasonable people disagree all the time - ok.

But I don't see a lot of shades of grey here. Antibiotic resistance is a nasty problem these days and not to put too fine a point on it but you're either part of the problem or part of the solution.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

I'm not trying to add to this unnecessarily but the problem of antibiotic resistance is a growing one and over here we have regular news reports on 'Superbugs' in our hospitals. These are multiple resitant Staphylococcus aureus that kills people regularly. Now obviously this is not because people have used antibiotics in their fish tanks - you can't get them over here for that - but why add to a problem?

The other major problem with antibiotic resistance is that different bacteria can transfer the resistance to other bacteria, even different species, by exchanging Plasmids. These small, circular bits of DNA that often carry the resistance genes and can be transferred during conjugation. This could mean possibly, if you were very unlucky, that after treating a tank with an antibiotic, some of the surviving bacteria (as some will survive) could then re-grow and populate the tank and then transfer their resistance to potentially pathogenic bacteria that can occur in our tanks. While Erythromycin isn't a front line treatment for most of these, do you really want do give them any advantage? There was a worry that those bacteria resistant to one or more antibiotic seemed to be better at developing resistance to others too; I don't know whether this has been followed up since my uni days.

I'm not trying to scare people, or shame people but I do think that people taking these actions really do need to think about the potential consequences. The use of Antibiotics for effectively prophylactic treatments, or where they are not absolutely needed just seems risky to me.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

One more question guys:
I was curious about everyone saying that BGA is caused by low nitrates. So I did a Nitrate test, and guess what - I have no nitrates! Well, <5ppm anyway (my Nutrafin test kit doesn't go any lower).
Now I know (thanks to this forum) that I could dose with potassium nitrate to increase them, but is there another solution?
I always feed my fish very generously, anything else I can do?

I have yet to add the floating plants - but will be doing so on the weekend (time is always short during the week).


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

OtherGordon said:


> One more question guys:
> I was curious about everyone saying that BGA is caused by low nitrates. So I did a Nitrate test, and guess what - I have no nitrates! Well, <5ppm anyway (my Nutrafin test kit doesn't go any lower).
> Now I know (thanks to this forum) that I could dose with potassium nitrate to increase them, but is there another solution?
> I always feed my fish very generously, anything else I can do?
> ...


Well you got quite an education here, probably much more than you bargained for. I'm not going to get into the whole antibotic debate, but IMO when it comes to fighting BGA it just isn't necessary. 
Most BGA accurs in newer setups when the biofilter (plants or media) are not up to speed to deal with the organics floating around in the water. Whenever I had BGA I would clean suction whatever I could out, do water changes and if increase the biofilter by adding more plants and/or bio media. This has always cleared it up. You can help yourself by running your lights no more than 8 or 9 hours, feeding your fish less. Most fish in planted aquaria don't need to be feed much. I feed 3 or 4 times per week a pinch. The more fish you have, the more one tends to feed and the more organic waste you are adding to your tank. As far as adding no3, I'm not up to speed on NPT, but isn't everything you need in the dirt. I've never added no3 to fight BGA. I don't know if that's a solution for all tanks, but watching your lights, feeding and stocking light will usually help with algae problems in almost all tanks.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

I don't have BGA in any of the tanks where I have a UV sterilizer. Never have and believe I never will. While there are pros and cons to using a UV sterlizer, IMHO, the benefits far were outweigh the problems. No BGA to ever worry about, no fear of parasites spreading from a new parasite infected fish to your other fish, and most important of all, no worry about sticking your hand in an aquarium and having some nasty bacterium or something else(TB) in the water entering your body through open cuts or wounds. For those who want to use a antibiotic, remember there are other options and running a UV sterilizer IMHO is the best and safest preventative with respect to BGA eventhough it may not address the root cause. You can still address root causes of BGA while using a UV sterilizer.

I'll drink to that. Cheers. :tea:


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Homer_Simpson said:


> I don't have BGA in any of the tanks where I have a UV sterilizer. Never have and believe I never will. While there are pros and cons to using a UV sterlizer, IMHO, the benefits far were outweigh the problems. No BGA to ever worry about, no fear of parasites spreading from a new parasite infected fish to your other fish, and most important of all, no worry about sticking your hand in an aquarium and having some nasty bacterium or something else(TB) in the water entering your body through open cuts or wounds. For those who want to use a antibiotic, remember there are other options and running a UV sterilizer IMHO is the best and safest preventative with respect to BGA eventhough it may not address the root cause. You can still address root causes of BGA while using a UV sterilizer.
> 
> I'll drink to that. Cheers. :tea:


Love your letter. Can I share a toast?


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Good point about the UV sterilizer. Options are good.

"Most fish in planted aquaria don't need to be feed much"

What he said. Sometimes you don't need to feed them at all. I had one 40 gal long tank under a window absolutely stuffed with plants containing some normani lampeyes. I was away for a week and whe I came back their bellies will still full-looking. Nervously, I stopped feeding them since they always seemed to be eating "something" in the water. Several months and two dozen babies later I figured they were probably living off microbial life. Every couple of weeks I'd throw in a few white worms and 3 weeks later there'd be dozens of fry swimming around. This went on for a couple of years.

Now, I wouldn't try this with say, cichlids or many other fish frankly but this is not the first time I've seen a self-sustaining population of unfed killies in my fishroom


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

dwalstad said:


> Love your letter. Can I share a toast?


You bet and although I know that there are member differences in views on issues related to this hobby, I honestly can say that I am always fascinated by your ideas and concepts. Thanks for openly sharing that. Some people who write books on issues may say: "go read or buy my book" if you want to know more. I really respect the fact that you don't do that and are always willing to help.

One day, hopefully when I can afford to and have the space. I would like to set up 3 identical tanks with respect to fish and plants, with the only difference being substrate. One would be a NPT set up based on your concepts(non C02), the other using C02 injection and more along the lines of Tom Barr's concepts, including EI fertilization, and the other using C02 injection and PPS-Pro fertilization.

The purpose would be to see which one does the best over the long term and which ones the fish remain the healthiest in. The goal would not be to see which ones grow the most lush plants over the shortest period of time.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

rs79 said:


> Good point about the UV sterilizer. Options are good.
> 
> "Most fish in planted aquaria don't need to be feed much"
> 
> What he said. Sometimes you don't need to feed them at all. I had one 40 gal long tank under a window absolutely stuffed with plants containing some normani lampeyes. I was away for a week and whe I came back their bellies will still full-looking. Nervously, I stopped feeding them since they always seemed to be eating "something" in the water. Several months and two dozen babies later I figured they were probably living off microbial life. Every couple of weeks I'd throw in a few white worms and 3 weeks later there'd be dozens of fry swimming around. This went on for a couple of years.


Your letter about fish finding their own food in an aquarium was very interesting. It reminds me of when I was raising baby Bettas in a 10 gal. I captured some of the brood and put them in a breeding trap where I carefully fed them. I assumed that the babies that I wasn't able to catch would starve (or their parents would eat them). But they did fine and grew very well. After this experience, I assume that NPTs like this tank have plentiful bacteria and protozoa.

One fine day in the lab, I examined fine-leaved plants from my aquariums under a good phase microscope. The "view" was absolutely fascinating. There were many kinds of little protozoa flitting between the plant leaves. I assumed they are looking for the bacteria that they eat.

Small fish and baby fish, assuming that the tank is not too crowded, seem to find plentiful food in an NPT... All kinds of delicious protozoa.

Thanks for posting your experience!


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

I have raised a number of broods of kribs without giving the offspring any special feeding. They graze on the substrate until they are big enough to eat prepared food.

Bill


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> Whenever I had BGA I would clean suction whatever I could out,


Suction out the BGA, daily. Tubing with an inner diameter slightly larger than air line tubing works well.

This tubing does not give so much suction that it uproots plants but is also not prone to clogging.
Additionally, this will minimize the water removed from the tank. If done daily, this would be a chore to replace.



> Most BGA accurs in newer setups


I see this algae in tanks during the startup phase when there is no filtration (and no fish). It disappears when the filters are turned on. Increase flow if it will not abuse the plants. If running 2 Aquaclear Mini's at max output this would seem to be plenty of flow. 200GPH? In a 30 gallon tank this should be plenty of flow to avoid BGA. Maybe this algae can occur at higher flow rates and has not occurred in my tanks. Sometimes filters do not achieve even close to the rated flow.

In a soil based tank, I do not see the need for water changes to correct BGA. This might be helpful if the removal results process in BGA floating in the tank. A toothbrush is a first strike weapon to correct a bad case of this algae. Once the majority of the algae is removed there may not be enough to wrap around the brush. If you have a maintenance filter (diatom filter or a micron filter), run it while removing the algae.

Just my preferences to combat BGA: no water changes (except to replace the water removed when sucking out the algae), no filter media, no antibiotics and no nitrate addition. These methods may work (and be valid remedies) for other people but I have not used them in response to BGA.
Snails are not a remedy. However, the ramshorns seem to be attracted to small patches of the algae. Even if the snails eat the algae, they would probably not keep up with a bad case.


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks Wiste. I haven't done a water change for a week now, and without their biomedia my AquaClears are pumping out the water! I've also added lot of water lettuce (going to look for some duckweed this weekend too). So now I guess I'll just wait and see...

In the meantime I'm really enjoying this thread, especially the posts about all the small organisms that live in planted tanks - I like the idea of my tank being a little ecosystem


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## OtherGordon (Jul 17, 2007)

Hey guys,

Been forever since I posted this, but I just wanted to post an update so anyone battling with BGA can learn from my experience.

I'm pleased to say that my tank is now BGA free and has never looked better!
A big thanks to eveyone on this forum who gave me advice - I would never have sorted it out without you guys!

Steps I took to sort out my tank:

1. Manually removed as much BGA as I could. Repeated this as necessary.
2. Removed all biomedia from my filters (I did however keep the foam sponges in them - I found that if I removed these then algae scraped off the sides of the tank continued to float around in the water).
3. Added enough floating plants (water lettuce and duckweed) so that they covered half of my tank's surface.
4.Removed a piece of driftwood. This wood was collected from the beach and had been in my tank for about 6 months. It was softer than my other (river) driftwood and I suspect it may have been rotting.
5. Lowered the water level enough so that more of plants could grow emersed. (Hygrophila Difformis in particular seems to grow well like this).
6. Reduced my lighting from 12 to 8 hours of artificial light per day. My tank gets an additional 2 hours of direct sunlight on most days.
7. Stopped all water changes and filter cleaning. The only maintenance I performed was to scrape algae off the front glass and to remove dead leaves.

It took about a month before my tank was 100% BGA-free.
Hope this helps anyone else who has face the BGA battle!

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

-Gordon


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## Endler Guy (Aug 19, 2007)

Gordon, that's awesome! 

I'm glad you had the patience to see it through with the natural methods. Thanks for the update and for starting this thread.


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