# BGA and nitrate



## questnjurny (Nov 7, 2004)

You can get nitrAte testing kits...I know in this area they are a little harder to find than nitrIte and ammonia tests. If low levels of nitrate are the cause, I will never have a problem in the oscar tank...darn messy fish! I recently went through the big debate on whether to dose with Maracyn. I finally gave in and did. I am extremely glad I did, no more stinky BGA and nice healthy plants that can breathe again!

Nitrates are in a long round about way through fish urine (it goes through a whole cycle, but ends up as nitrate in the long run), so to increase your nitrate I would say maybe increase your fish #? That is my only suggestion and it is probably a stupid one...I dunno though, I have my tank that I had the BGA in quite heavily stocked, and my nitrates stay below 10ppm, with I admit, few water changes because the water always test out in normal ranges. I assume because of the plants which use the nitrate....I couldn't possibly add more fish to up the nitrate! I am hoping with teh addition of a few plants that the oscars approve of, I can decrease their weekly water changes to every two weeks.

Good luck with your plan, let us know if you combat the evil BGA without the Maracyn!


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Sometimes low NO3 is related to BGA problems. Regarding your other questions... I am trying not to sound too obvious....



SpankyPlants said:


> until I realized that I don't know how to test for nitrates, nor do I know how to get more.


I think you would use a testkit to test for nitrates, and you can buy those either in a store or using the web.

To get more Nitrates, you either go with a premixed solution like Seachem Nitrate, or you buy KNO3, perhaps from Greg Watson.

Also, give the search button a shot, much of this has come up in the past and is ready for your reading pleasure when it is most comfortable for you.

:fish:


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## SpankyPlants (Nov 27, 2004)

I finally found a test kit for nitrate!!! I ordered it and hopefully it will get here soon so I can see just what I'm dealing with here. On the subject of testing kits, are the strip tests that you dip as accurate as the tests with the vials and drops and stuff? Just wondering.

I'm kind of learning the whole aquarium thing as I go along, as this hobby started out because I rescued a dejected betta from Wal-mart. Now it's errupted into planted tanks and aspirations of award-winning biotopes. 

I also took chemistry a LONG time ago, so I'm not up to date on nitrates and nitrites and the differences between them and what causes them, etc. I ordered some Fluorite ferts (about a zillion of them!) and they should get here next week, so hopefully the Fluorite Nitrogen should help me increase my nitrates, but then again on the whole scientifically-challenged route, I don't know if nitrogen supplements will increase nitrates or nitrites or both or neither or what. 

When I did a search on BGA, every post I read ended with Maracyn being used and no one ever mentioned nitrates in any detail. I got the nitrate idea from plantgeeks.com, I do believe, from one of their algae articles. Even that article said that Maracyn was the only way to get rid of the algae, but they did mention that BGA was thought to be caused by low-nitrate environments. Of all the posts I've read, no one had mentioned that maybe increasing nitrartes would kill off the BGA. Maybe I missed some posts. In any case, I'll look at the posts on this and other forums again, and see if I can find anything to support my theory.

Thanks for the replies!


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## grungefreek (Oct 9, 2003)

SpankyPlants said:


> Even that article said that Maracyn was the only way to get rid of the algae,


U can also Use any old general Antibiotic to clear it up. Erythromycin or roxymycin work well. I know this isnt anything to do with Nitrate addition as a cure, but thought i should add it, save people going out to buy Maracyn if they have some old Meds at home already.


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## SpankyPlants (Nov 27, 2004)

Hehe the only meds I have are "Vitamin M" (Motrin) and some vitamin C pills that my mom sent me for Christmas. I have Maracyn on hand that I'll use when the BGA finally drives me insane, but I kind of want to see if there is an alternative treatment. Hopefully, when my Fluorite gets here, I'll be able to post some positive results!!! :tongue:


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## SpankyPlants (Nov 27, 2004)

Aaahhhhh crap, we had a lot of snow so my new stuff probably won't be getting here very soon. <sigh> 

On a more positive note, the BGA seems to be slowing down. I was at Walmart getting a new gravel siphon (I broke my other one.... don't try to siphon plant parts  ) and I saw that they had a whole bunch of female bettas there. I stopped to take a look and I just felt so sorry for them that I bought four. They're very pretty and they really accent the tank, plus they're spunky. One of them had sores on her sides, so I started dosing the tank with Melafix when I got them, which was 4 days ago, I believe. I siphoned the BGA out and did a water change before I put them in, since it was Sunday and Sunday is fish day. And now, 4 days later, the BGA still hasn't charged back like usual. It has returned, but not in the mass amounts that it had before. So either the increased bioload of the 4 bettas causing nitrates to spike is hidering the BGA, or the Melafix is. It's a mystery!!!


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## sanj (Jan 11, 2004)

It isnt just nitrate, even if your nitrate are low BGA can fix nitrogen, phosphate is another sometimes ovelooked source for BGA growth.


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## SpankyPlants (Nov 27, 2004)

OK well I'm adding Fluorite Nitrogen to the tank in the reccomended dosage, and the BGA hasn't disappeared, but its growth has slowed considerably. Sunday is vacuum day, and I will remove every single last bit of BGA that I can and see if it stays gone. Wish me luck!


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

Not to be negative, but unless you have a fully and heavily planted tank, there is no way you are going to completely get rid of that BGA. Even if you do and it dwindles down to the point you don't see any, it will be back with a vengeance if your tank parameters ever become less than optimal. I experimented over about 8 months with different tank parameters as well as attempting mad amounts of cycling and nothing made a difference. Just use the Maracyn and be rid of it once and for all. It doesn't affect your fish or invertebrates and leaves the beneficial bacteria intact. You will be glad you did, once it is gone forever. Also, if you have multiple tanks, it will find it's way to them sooner or later and your problem will multiply.
-Aphyosemion


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## nitromad (Dec 29, 2004)

hi all i also got this crappy algae most liky due to lack of lights for plant and only gravel as bedding ,but just to ask how much this med cost ? cheapist i found is like £24 for think it was 400g is it that dear for you in USA ???? also what dose u use for it ?.


thanks everyone 

Gavin


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## donkey (Jul 13, 2004)

its £21 here 
http://www.inhousepharmacy.co.uk/generics/erythromycin.html


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## donkey (Jul 13, 2004)

my nitrate was at 160 and i still got it 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12996


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## nitromad (Dec 29, 2004)

i turned all my co2 stuff off the BGA as slowed down hell of alot (does cover tank in one day now) so i still think i need to sort the lights and ferts out then it do,but while im waiting for the money it slowed it down for me .


thanks
gavin


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

sanj said:


> It isnt just nitrate, even if your nitrate are low BGA can fix nitrogen, phosphate is another sometimes ovelooked source for BGA growth.


Not the species and genus that infest our tanks, Oscillitoria must have heterocyst the fix N2 gas, no very obvious heteorcyst, no fixing of N2 gas.

The amount of N is very rich in every tank with plants for this BGA. 
I detailed this sissue out about 6 years ago on the APD.
They can easily live and thrive at much lower NO3 levels than plants can.

I have very high PO4(I have for many years as have many other folks with great plant growth and no algae issues, we add PO4 to prevent algae in many tanks FYI), I have no algae. So you can nix that notion as well.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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