# BGA progress report:



## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I had a thread lately about BGA and this is a follow up on it.
I did the blackout routine on it and it came back...so...
It was recommended to me that I try to treat the tank/w Poly-Ox before I killed the BGA with an anti-biotic.
It was stated that the tank had a lot of organics in it that needed to be removed before I did anything with the BGA so it
would not come back this time. I did not see any visible changes or "signs" that the Poly-Ox did anything.
But I then used Erythromycin to kill the BGA and it has yet to come back. This is not the worst picture of the BGA in there
but it shows the plants 2 months ago and after it is a picture of today's level of plants and the tank without the BGA.
Then the next two pictures are of new growth in this tank.
Something which I find to be strange/amusing at the same time: This tank has NO FERTS and T8(x2) bulbs and is Pearling.
But the one/w the EI ferts and 2x T5 bulbs is not.








And just for the curious the tube is holding some Fissedens against the wall to see if it will "cling".
And in the Dwarf Sebulata bottom left is a narrow leaf Java Fern and farther to the right is a new crypt that has not melted yet.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

I haven't seen this tank before. I love it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Tank and plants look great Raymond!Looks like I'll be going the emycin route myself soon,can't take some of my big wood or rocks out(to soak in HP) without upsetting everything and everbody.What rate did you dose at?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

So I assume it is gone then? Sorry, but I could never actually see it in any of your prior pics. If it's gone, good deal.

H2O2 will work if you shut down your water movement and use a turkey baster to spot treat.


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## Threnjen (Jan 10, 2013)

Looking good!!

We got some BGA in our 90 and I spot treated it with H2O2. Then I had to do a big WC because I realized I had spot treated so much that I ODed the fish. Whoops.

But the erythromycin looks like an extremely efficient route to eradication.
I still see traces of it in my sump, so if it gets bad again I'm just going to medicate nuke it.

I love these pictures of your tank by the way, your tanks are always so interesting.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

jrman83 had suggested two other products for the BGA. I think Chemiclear was one of them. I just used the anti-biotic
because it was what the Petsmart had(only) when I went. I do not know if I had used this at first, would the BGA have
come back. I did a blackout at first, but then after the BGA looked dead...it still came back.
So it was suggested to me that I try something to remove the organic compound first, and then treat the BGA.
I will relax after a few more weeks/w no more BGA.
I consider these tanks to be "a work in progress" as far as the walls are concerned. They are intended to allow algae
to "cling" to them. Therefor I use med light at least. And of course that does create issues...
I used too much coverage on the walls of this tank...work in progress...till the next one. Balance will arrive at some
point.
I never posted a picture of it at it's worst(the BGA) and never took one either.
I bought the API brand and went by the directions on the anti-biotic. I did use Poly-Ox(which has some bad reviews)
first to remove the excess organics.
Today's picture after cleaning the glass/trimming/and water change yesterday. This can be enlarged to see detail
like the Fissedens growing on the log since the BGA has been gone.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Think I mentioned the chemi clean,but it didn't do anything.I have had much better results with H2O2,or the red slime/blue green algae remover(all made by the same company{ultrareef I believe).
Eitherway thanks for the info .I just dose the Emycin per package ,as if I were treating an illness huh? I guess since it is really a bacteria(not algae) this makes sense.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

It might make sense but it's not what is directed...LOL... Read the directions under Blue Green Algae...

Algae in the Planted Aquarium-- Guitarfish

It both surprised me and worked this way for me.
I (for my ten) put in half of one pack. Then 24 hrs later put in another half. Then I did actually my usual 20% water change
and then put in another half a pack. Then 24 hrs later, I used the other half of it. Then 24 hrs later did another 20% water
change and waited till after the next water change to add just a tad of the ferts. Just the KNO3 and the Flourish
Comprehensive. Nothing else as I want to raise Daphnia in here and that is counterproductive for that. They won't
breed if Phosphates are present as it indicates low algae content in the water which is their food.
So trying to keep this one low tech. The ten/w the T5 lights has the reduced EI/Excel and doesn't seem to support
any Daphnia but only scuds.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Nice link!We should try not to loose it !I did notice that none of algaes had lighting(besides poor) mentioned as a cause?Too much lighting definatley plays a role,but all the other info was really good! 
Thanks.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Hopefully that BGA is gone this time. I was told that once plants get growing they would help this out as in removing
some of what the BGA was living off of. They do seem to be doing much better since the BGA was removed. So I got a new one
to celebrate it with. This crypt was labeled "assorted" in Petco. It has only gotten two yellow leaves and one/w a yellow tip
in the 5 or 6 days it has been in the tank...no "melt" yet.



And since there have been two water changes since the meds were added, I thought it would now be safe to put these into
this tank as I have been stopping using ferts in here so they could be OK with the water. Just use a little KNO3.
100 Daphnia Magna Starter Culture Live Fish Food | eBay
They are the live foods for the Banded Pigmy sunfish which are hard to get to eat frozen blood worms. Usually a live food
only type fish.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Funny...that's the first website I went to when I started getting all types of algae in my tanks a few years ago. Glad to see the guy still has it up.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Just wondering how things are going?I just dosed the Emycin today.Thank God for kensfish as 1/2 dose for my 180 is the whole box.Only$8 from kens as opposed to $15+ at petsmart or wherever!I got 3 boxes so I canchange water and redose a couple times if necessary.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

This was a couple of days ago.



Look at the dates on them.


The plastic tube is holding Fissedens to the wall to "cling".


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Thanks.Looking good!I hope this works for me!You have some tremendous growth going on there!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

OK I messed up!I mis identified my algae even after reading the link above once(I got it the second time.)
It appears I (my tank)is suffering from Black Beard algae(BBA,not BGA).So in my reading the e mycin will do nothing for this!As I said before some pieces of wood and rocks are really to large to attempt treating in tank with H2O2.I guess I have to pull it all out and treat it?It is even spreading to pieces of gravel.So lets assume I remove all infected pieces and as much of the gravel as I can,what do I do to prevent this from comming back?
I will turn down the light cycle,but want to add my mopani wood in a tank that goes days without the light has it .I am fertalising the 180 regulary ,but do I need to add even more ferts and co2?This is what reading led me to believe.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> OK I messed up!I mis identified my algae even after reading the link above once(I got it the second time.)
> It appears I (my tank)is suffering from Black Beard algae(BBA,not BGA).So in my reading the e mycin will do nothing for this!As I said before some pieces of wood and rocks are really to large to attempt treating in tank with H2O2.I guess I have to pull it all out and treat it?It is even spreading to pieces of gravel.So lets assume I remove all infected pieces and as much of the gravel as I can,what do I do to prevent this from comming back?
> I will turn down the light cycle,but want to add my mopani wood in a tank that goes days without the light has it .I am fertalising the 180 regulary ,but do I need to add even more ferts and co2?This is what reading led me to believe.


Not more but more closely watched levels of one of the ferts. The fert calculator gives ppm totals of individual nutrients.
Look well beyond the first page to a drop list which you pick "the results of my dose" and once you fill it in and click it
a second column will appear. The top line gives you the parts per million. Unfortunately you will need to write this number down
and do the same for all the nutrients that you add as ferts and add them to see if they are within the suggested ppm for
each nutrient. Likely there is one which is much higher than suggested which is causing the BBA.
IMO that kind of algae had to come from somewhere that had an infected tank. People have various complaints about
other kinds of algae but that one is by far the hardest to remove from what I hear. I just read the link on this and it all
sounds like shooting in the dark as far as comparing it to the BGA and "just use this" kind of treatment.
A friendly joke of course but like if the thing says increase the CO2 that lets you out. If 3 bubbles per second is regular
for CO2 you likely have 8 per second already so how could you increase it ? LOL...
The thing/w the EI is that it's plant growth oriented as opposed to algae control oriented. BBA being a true algae, it can't
exist if it gets no food (IMO) so looking on a ppm recommended chart and reducing all the components (KNO3/KH2PO4 etc.)
that contain the K would reduce the K till it got within the suggested ppm and that calculator will do it without any meters.
That whole thing sound very tedious to me and I know someone who just had BBA in one tank and next time I saw
that tank it was gone...I'll ask them about it for you. a day or two. I said it sounds tedious but it also sound as if it
would work as in the end you are just reducing a couple of your components and starving the algae out.
Yet Another Nutrient Calculator
You might end up/w holes in a few leaves but cutting the ferts in half for a month would seem far easier to me.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

A symptom of BBA can be not enough CO2. I wouldn't sweat nutrients. From what I hear of your lighting habits, it sounds like maybe you leave it on too much. You could have the nutrients (ferts) balanced to a tee and you would still get BBA. However, light is a nutrient as well. You have to get it all balanced.

If you wanted to treat you could add Excel. It will take care of it. Or remove and scrub it off. Once it is gone back the light to 6hrs per day and let it stay that way for 2-3wks. If the BBA is staying away bump 1 hour. Wait 2-3 weeks and repeat. Once you start getting the algae again, back the light to the previous time. 

You cannot continue to blast light without control and not expect what you have, but I know it is hard not being able to look at your tanks. I live it everyday.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

jrman83 pointed out to my a couple of times that running two T8's in a ten is borderline asking for algae, not to mention
the other ten which has the two T5's on it.
I do believe that there is ample growth in the one/w the T8's to off set the algae since that is the med level tank/w very
low ferts and no Excel. But still I can't help but mention that it has only 7.5 hrs of light. Just before that BGA popped up
it would get algae fairly heavy on the glass in three days, but now it's been11-12 days and it's just starting to get a tad
bit foggy on the glass...that point where you don't want to scrape it cause you know you'll miss a spot or two.
As many times as I've heard people on here tell others if they have a window with no curtail on it, then the tank needs
no other light for the fish. So If I got home every day after 7P.M. I could set the light from 2P.M. till 10 P.M. for me
and for the plants to have 8 hrs. And if I was home at some other time I could turn it on for 30minuits or so which
wouldn't hurt anything if it's not every day.
And not once did the thought that Excel might effect the BBA enter my mind. If it works on the other algae...


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm going to get my cycle in order(shorter still{heavy sigh}) and have just order 1G of excell.I know it will be worth it ,as my plants have greatly improved since the co2 introduction and dosing..I have always had the BBA on my mopani wood and some rocks(before even having these leds) and as mentioned have it in another tank on mopani wood where I don't turn light on at all for 3-4 days at a time?
I think I still pull a bunch of the wood out this week end and replace it with Java wood(found some nice pieces for reasonable price the other day).


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

FWIW, the ONLY BBA growth I concern myself too much with is on my plants. I have wood in all of my tanks and some have a little BBA on it, some don't. In the one tank with the most, my MTS appear to love it. I can't say that I see proof they are doing something to it, but they definitely seem to like whatever that piece of wood provides. It is malaysian hardwood, so maybe the Malaysian trumpet snails feel like it is home or something, not sure. Honestly to me it looks natural on the wood.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

It never bothered me much on the wood,but now is spreading little tufts onto gravel and my to overflows are covered!A little is all good(seems natural to me also),but I just don't want it to get out of control and wreck an otherwise constantly improving tank(thanks to all the help you guys give me!).
How much excell should I dose with 200g of water and how often.I do have very good surface movement and an oxygen test kit if things start to look suspicious.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Excel will have two doses on the label. One is after water change and one is every other day. Do the post water change dose for a full week and you should see it start to have an affect pretty quick. Once it turns color, its done. Will turn like an orange color. If you have any sensitive fish alternate between the doses every other day.


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