# Blue Green Slime Algae



## raygoh (Aug 15, 2005)

Hi Guys,

This is the first time I post in this forum after joining this site for about a years plus.

Recently I had resetup my tanks and there is no problems until recently, Blue Green Slime Algae, already try many ways to get rid of it but it still come back especially on my riccia and moss.

Anyone had any good solution to my problems? Please Help.

Raymond.


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Thanks for posting Raymond!

My best advice is to get disciplined with a good fertilization routine. Also, have you tried the antibiotic treatment?

You may want to search the forum and also look in the AlgaeFinder for help.

Good luck.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Welcome aboard  

Lots of times when you re-scape a tank it will cause algae issues do to extra nutrients getting into the water column. The best way that I have found to treat BGA initially is with E-mycin (follow instruction on box). Before treating with E-mycin do a 50% water change removing as much BGA as possible. Then make sure that you are consistent with ferts, lights, C02, tank maintenance to keep it away.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Tom... Read more carefully, I did give a long term solution. Since this person did not give any info about their setup/water parameters, I did not go into details. Just because its not your way does not make it wrong, so don't try to make out to be so.


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## raygoh (Aug 15, 2005)

Dear Tom and Trena,

Thanks for your advice, I am sorry for not providing enough info for you guys, so here goes,

Tank A:
Tank Size, 4' X 2' X 2', 400litres 
Filter, 2 Canister Filter with surface skimmer,
CO2 Injection, Bottle with single gauge regulator, bubble counter, and self made diffuser using TetraTec Submerge Filter,
lighting 6 X 40W FL, Philips 40W/865 FL Tube
NO3 < 5ppm, PO4 = 0, CO2 between 10 to 13 ppm, KH = 4, GH = 3, Ph = 6.8,
Did not measures the trace element and Fe in the water.

Fertilizer Dosage, APL Leafzone = 10ml Daily, Chealeted Ferite = 20ml every water change.

Plant List: 
- Willow Moss, Homalia sp, Java Moss - collected from wild 
- Riccia Fluitans and Mini Riccia Fluitans
- Cryptocoryne affinnis, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Cryptocoryne pontederifolia and a few types of crypto that did not know how to classified, - all crypto are collected from the wild,
- Ludwigia perennis
- Nymphaea SP.
- Rotala rotundifolia (red and green)
- Rotala wallichii 
- Mayaca fluviatilis
- Bacopa monnieri
- Najas indica
- Hygrophila Corymbosa
- Lobelia Cardinalis
- Eusteralis Stellata

As i am living in Malaysia and daily temperature is about 33 degree C, I use fans to lower to around 29 degree C.

The blue green slime algae only develope on the riccias I had and I had transfer it to a quarantine tank, after soaking it with Alium, without light and CO2.

Tank B,
Tank Size, 4' X 18" X 18", 200litres 
Filter, 2 Canister Filter, Fluval 303 & Jebo (Chinese Made) with surface skimmer,
CO2 Injection, Bottle with single gauge regulator, bubble counter, and self made diffuser using TetraTec Submerge Filter,
lighting 4 X 30W FL, Hagen Power Glo FL Tube
NO3 < 5ppm, PO4 = 0, CO2 between 10 to 13 ppm, KH = 4, GH = 3, Ph = 6.8,
Did not measures the trace element and Fe in the water.

Fertilizer Dosage, JBL Ferropol, Daily Dossage - 3 drops

Temperature the same as tank A.

Plant List: 
- Willow Moss, Homalia sp, Java Moss - collected from wild 
- Cryptocoryne affinnis, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Cryptocoryne pontederifolia and a few types of crypto that did not know how to classified, - all crypto are collected from the wild,
- Hygrophila

For this tank, I had hair algae entangle on the mosses and is there any ways to cure it?

I hope both of you can help me in details, especially on the dosage of the KNO3 and others.

Hope to hear from you guys.

Thanks,
Raymond


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

The first thing I see is that in both tanks you have pretty good lighting, CO2 injection... and no fertilization other than iron and traces (micros).

You need to bring your NO3 up to between 10 and 20mg/l (I like to keep mine at around 25mg/l) and your PO4 up to at least 1mg/l. To do this you need to find a source of KNO3 and K2HPO4 to dose your tank with.

Dosing micros without adequate macros (especially N and P) does not help the plants.

Given good levels of CO2 (at least 30mg/l), one of the main causes of BGA is low NO3, which is what you have...


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## imhandy2 (May 2, 2006)

My source of phosphate is sodium phosphate, otherwise known as your basic fleet enema which can be bought at your local drug store for a few dollars. I did dose my 75g with 6 drops/day which brings my P04 to around 1ppm, but I found keeping it at 2ppm or 12 drops/day I get alot more pearling action. I find that works best for me, keeping my N03 @ 20, P04 @ 2, Fe @ 0.1(TE), Ph @ 6.6 and my C02 at around 35 ish. My P04 is 1/10 of my N03. I have only touched on the macro nutrients not to mention the micros however I have to run right now but I am sure someone will pick up where I left off.
good luck.

Regards,

Terry.


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## raygoh (Aug 15, 2005)

Thanks guys,

I will try dosing my tank with NO3 and PO4 as I just bought a kilo of KNO3 & K2HPO4 yesterday and will start dosing my tank starting tomorrow.

Raymond.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

edit


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

edit


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Tom... It's not what you say but how you say it. Maybe in the future, be more tactful in the way you direct comments to people. I think we all would appreciate this.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Rather than dealing with sematics "how you say it", I have, I've deleted all my post on APC. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

plantbrain said:


> Rather than dealing with sematics "how you say it", I have, I've deleted all my post on APC.
> 
> Regards,
> Tom Barr


Noooo!!

C'mon Tom, don't do that!


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