• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

BGA in Akadama

idris said:
In terms of getting back to usual, is it now worth staying off the Carbon and running a reduced photo-period for a week or so?
Click to expand...
Hi @idris

Let's wait until tomorrow when you can give us an update on your tank. If the Blue Exit has been effective, the Cyano should be starting to blacken. We can possibly increase the dose of Blue Exit depending on how effective it's been. When you refer to 'Carbon', is this a liquid carbon fertilizer? If so, it may interfere with the effectiveness of Blue Exit. Possibly more important than reducing the photoperiod would be to reduce the lighting intensity (brightness). Or, you could combine both.

JPC
 
Unless there's new growth of BGA, it's unlikely the old will be visible. I tried to scoop out what I could see, but much of it just dispersed like dust as soon as I disturbed the substrate around it.

Yes, the TNC Carbon is liquid. I believe its 2% Glutaraldehyde. It's couple of years old, so may have broken down, but it's been kept cool and in the dark so might still have some potency. I assume using it at the moment could help the BGA, which is why I've stopped using it.

It'll be difficult to lower the intensity of lighting. The only way to do that would be disconnect one tubes within the hood, leaving bare conductors exposed above the water.
 
Sorry for the delay replying. I can see no signs of BGA on the surface now, but the patch was small and I inadvertently dispersed it before I could scoop it out so that in itself is not conclusive.
There are still some patches of darkness against the front glass under the surface of the substrate, and I'm concerned they could be BGA, but I'm going to keep an eye on them over the next week or two to see if they bloom, as it will be a PITA to deal with them mechanically.
Watch this space.
 
idris said:
There are still some patches of darkness against the front glass under the surface of the substrate, and I'm concerned they could be BGA, but I'm going to keep an eye on them over the next week or two to see if they bloom, as it will be a PITA to deal with them mechanically.
Click to expand...
Hi @idris

Thanks for the update.

Cyano/BGA often grows against the front glass panel beneath the substrate and there are good reasons for this, one of which is the incident light falling on the tank. You can eliminate this permanently/temporarily by covering this area with black tape, card or whatever falls readily to hand.

I suggest that you continue dosing Blue Exit. Easy-Life were very conservative when suggesting a dosage regime. If you take a look at the following, you should find some guidance regarding dosage:

Cyanobacteria Identification - At Last!

Hi Folks, Like many other aquarists, I have had cyanobacteria (aka 'BGA') grow in my tanks. And I started reading about this stuff. Of course, I initially thought BGA was algae. Why else would it be known as BGA (Blue-Green Algae)? But I later discovered that it's not an algae at all. It's a...
www.ukaps.org

In that thread, you should see that I also used a UV-C sterilizer to kill off any spores/filaments of Cyano in the water column. But you may not need to resort to this.

JPC
 
[Cue disappointed sigh]
It's back in exactly the same spot it was before.
So I guess I'll be working my way through the rest of the bottle of Blue Exit.
I'd considered taping up the glass in front of the effected substrate, so that's now gonna happen too.
I'm reluctant to cover the tank completely as it played hell with the Wysteria which got both quite etiolated and the bottom melted, as did a.few leaves on the Amazon Swords and Anubias Barteri. But the lights are certainly going off for a few more days. I've also lost several Neons and possibly Amanos, though there are possibly multiple factors at play.
 
idris said:
So I guess I'll be working my way through the rest of the bottle of Blue Exit.
Click to expand...
Hi @idris

Not necessarily. Please tell us more about your current Blue Exit dosing regime. When the Cyano starts to change in colour from blue-green to black, you know that something is happening. The Blue Exit dosage can be increased beyond Easy-Life's suggested dose. In the thread to which I keep referring, you will find a lot more information about Blue Exit dosing. I don't want to go by memory and give you the wrong figures.

Have you recently measured any water parameters in this tank? If so, what figures have you got?

JPC
 
I've read the article, thanks.
So far I've followed the instructions on the Blue Exit bottle (call me old fashioned 😁) so 25ml (250L tanks, probably 220L water) once a day for 5 days. The tank was also covered for 5 days. I've lost track but I think that was a week ago. Yesterday I went back to dosing 25ml.
I've got basic test strips - I'll use them and let you know.
 
Manual removal,is the key.
Periodic cleaning of the glass(below substrate level)ensures continued absence.
 
john dory said:
Manual removal,is the key.
Click to expand...
Hi @john dory

Whilst manual removal of the visible Cyanobacteria undoubtedly helps in controlling this invasive bacteria, it often isn't sufficient to eliminate Cyano. Many people here on UKAPS have relied on manual removal - only to find that the Cyano returned after a week or so. It's just not possible to ensure that every single cell or filament of the Cyano has been removed. The words 'needle' and 'haystack' come to mind. As Cyanobacteria are classed as Gram-negative bacteria*, it is not wise to tackle them with antibiotics (which are not permitted in the UK anyway). The active ingredient of Blue Exit is salicylic acid, which acts as a bactericide. I found it to be effective. But, it probably needs to be used as soon as Cyano is seen in a tank. And, no, I have no commercial interests in Easy-Life whatsoever.

* beneficial filtration nitrifying bacteria are also Gram-negative

JPC
 
Apologies for the radio silence.
Current status : Tank lights off, with the glass masked where the substrate meets it, and dosing 25ml Blue Exit daily.
Water tests:
ph 7.3
kh = 120
gh >180
Ammonia = 0
NO2 = 0
NO3 < 20
Am going to try to come up with a way to "suck out" what I suspect is BGA below the substrate. It might not be BGA as it's significant'y darker than the positively ID'd BGA on th e surface, but it'll do no harm to get rid of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top