# It will not go away!!!!!!!



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

There's something wrong with either your dosing, CO2, or something that's causing the algae to come back...tell us about your tank.

Lights, ferts, Co2?


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

2wpg over 100gallon tank

1tsp of kno3
1tsp k2so4
1/2 tsp of kh2po4
1/4 tsp of csm+b

I have pressurized co2. I have it on a timer to shut off at night and come on in the morning 2 hours before the lights come on.


----------



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

How heavily planted is the tank, and from your signature, it doesn't seem like the tank is overstocked.


----------



## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

How often are you dosing those nutrients?

What is your tap water like? Have you measured it for NPK?

jB


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

i dose everything except csm+b on sunday, tuesday, and thursday and I dose the csm+b on monday, weds., and friday.

My tap water doesnt seem to have any nitrates in them. I havent tested for phosphates in a while and i dont have a potassium kit.

If i knew what was causing this algae I could adjust my ferts. either up or down to compensate.


----------



## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

cut your kno3 to 3/4 tsp instead of a full tsp. 

Also, during WC's, try to clean the glass with a paper towel, trying not to let the algae back in the tank. Also, a good filter cleaning will help get the spores out of the filter. Just keep your bio material (if you have it) in a bucket of tank water, and really clean the rest of it out.

Then wait 3 weeks and see how things look.

jB


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Your fish food and excrements might be taking care of NO3 and PO4. Have you checked their levels?


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

Most tap water contains GW spores. If you're doing the "leave-it-alone" method, but still doing water changes, you're just compounding the issue. I had it pretty bad, and got rid of most of it by ignoring the whole thing for about 3 weeks and getting a U/V filter. I still get a teeny bit on the glass just before the weekly maintenance, but the U/V filter is killing it off. It comes back weaker each time now.

Tommy


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Here is what I copied from Tom Barr's latest suggestion:

"You can do daily to 2X a week 50% to 90% water changes, clean the filter, gravel, etc. add Excel etc. do this in conjunction with a blackout etc. if you want to get real aggressive.

Do the blackout for 3 days.
No CO2, no light, totally cover the tank two layers thick at least, close blinds on windows etc. tilt spray upwards.

Next, do daily 80% water changes, remove as much of the algae as you can.
Add 1.5 times the suggested amount of Excel after water change.
Do this for 3 days and add ferts back each time.

Add light back, crank CO2, add ferts and watch CO2 closely.
If you see any BGA, fluff it off, harass it good before it gets going.

This is a very active aggressive method that works on most species of algae."

I'm seriously considering trying this during this week, as I am just about at the end of a life cycle try on my latest GDA - a light infestation this time. I still have a little BBA too, so I figure this might knock both out. Remember, all algae grow in response to light, so the total absence of light should be deadly to them.


----------



## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

LS6 Tommy said:


> Most tap water contains GW spores. If you're doing the "leave-it-alone" method, but still doing water changes, you're just compounding the issue. I had it pretty bad, and got rid of most of it by ignoring the whole thing for about 3 weeks and getting a U/V filter. I still get a teeny bit on the glass just before the weekly maintenance, but the U/V filter is killing it off. It comes back weaker each time now.
> 
> Tommy


Tommy, GW is a free floating algae and yes the UV will kill it, undoubtedly. But saying most tap water has GW spores, well, that sounds perhaps believable, but also fairly broad-brush. GW doesn't affect glass, its just a free floating algae. 

And I've always heard that UV is really only effective at killing GW. Doesn't wipe out GDA. If it could, then everyone with a UV wouldn't have GDA. And most or at least many of us have a UV in-line or available, and we still can have GDA (Green Dust Algae for those who don't know the acronym).


----------



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

i don't think anyone else has asked this but how long are you leaving your lights on? I backed mine off to 8 hours a day (at 3wpg, 12 at .5wpg), and my GDA seems to grow much slower now, while plants have still been growing well. I know this is something jason has always done in his tanks.

I am going to scrape mine off as well today and see if it comes back... its frustrating but it will go away sooner or later


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ill cut my kno3 down to 3/4 tsp.

My lights were on from about 8:30am to 6:45pm but yesterday i changed it to where it comes on at about 9:30 or 10:00am.

The frustrating thing about this is that I did the whole dont touch it thing and it worked and it wasnt supposed to come back but it did!


----------



## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Hoppy said:


> Here is what I copied from Tom Barr's latest suggestion:
> 
> "You can do daily to 2X a week 50% to 90% water changes, clean the filter, gravel, etc. add Excel etc. do this in conjunction with a blackout etc. if you want to get real aggressive.
> 
> ...



This sounds to m more like BGA treatment <bacteria>
I can't hurt though.


----------



## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

Betowess said:


> Tommy, GW is a free floating algae and yes the UV will kill it, undoubtedly. But saying most tap water has GW spores, well, that sounds perhaps believable, but also fairly broad-brush. GW doesn't affect glass, its just a free floating algae.
> 
> And I've always heard that UV is really only effective at killing GW. Doesn't wipe out GDA. If it could, then everyone with a UV wouldn't have GDA. And most or at least many of us have a UV in-line or available, and we still can have GDA (Green Dust Algae for those who don't know the acronym).


I didnt' think out my reply very well. Sorry for a *very* misleading post. What I meant to say was I had GW and GDA at the same time. What I was driving at was that the U/V wiped out the GW and has had a huge impact on reducing the return of the GDA that gets waterborne if you just scrape it off during maintenance. The "leave-it-alone" and black out methods are not to be substituted by a U/V filter.

Tommy


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

well i have a uv sterilizer. so your saying that if i scrape it off and it floats in the water then the uv will kill it?


----------



## distrbd (Feb 17, 2006)

The UV will not be effective on GDA as far as I know.
Do you also dose IRON ?
How about disturbing the substrate ?
I am no expert but I have been told that Ammonia spike can cause algae problem.


----------



## omboocat (Nov 3, 2005)

Have you tried adding several nerite snails to the tank, great algae cleaners 
omboocat


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

i do dose iron once a week and no i dont disturb the substrate. 

I would just like to have an idea of what causes this type of algae so maybe i can start thinking about how to fix it, for now and for long term.


----------



## guaiac_boy (Nov 5, 2005)

Just for the record, UV will kill just about any single-cell organism that comes through and many multi-cellular parasites as well. I do belive that the GDA that goes through the UV unit will suffer. I also believe that much of it settles out on various surfaces before it has a chance to make several passes through the UV unit. Once it's out of the water column, the UV does no good.

Rach, IME I've had the biggest GDA algae issues when nitrates were too high. I never figured this out until I got a Lamotte kit. My cheapo kit read about 20 ppm, Lamotte said more like 80 ppm. Once I got this sorted out it was MUCH less of an issue - a light dusting on the glass once in a while, never on the plants.

I would not presume to suggest that this will work for everyone, but in my tanks, it's been pretty consistent. I'm starting to believe that as long as nitrates don't dip below 3 or 4 ppm that just about everything will do fine. One caution though - a sudden drop in nitrogen availability can really knock the plants down.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

GDA in the growing phase doesn't really settle out on things, it swims to where it wants to raise a family. It is a zoospore - a spore with a tail like a sperm. It seems to me that if you ran a UV filter for a few days, and wiped down the glass about every two hours, keeping those little monsters free swimming the UV might euthanize most of them. If my current very labor intensive effort at getting rid of the stuff doesn't work my next scheme will be using a diatom filter, and keeping the little monsters swimming until they all live in a white swamp on my filter. If I have to I will stay up all night keeping them swimming!


----------



## bioch (Oct 1, 2006)

Hoppy, I remeber reading one of your posts that claims leaving the GDA alone would kill itself off. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/37636-will-not-go-away-2.html


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

bioch said:


> Hoppy, I remeber reading one of your posts that claims leaving the GDA alone would kill itself off. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/37636-will-not-go-away-2.html


I confess! I cannot tell a lie! Yes, I did make that claim, and by and large it is true too. If you do the life cycle thing, do it very, very well, carefully removing the dead and dying algae from the glass, so it doesn't get into the water, change the water a couple of times, then it is unlikely that you will have any future attacks except for very much thinner ones. It is those very much thinner attacks that I am dealing with now. I don't want to have to do that very, very careful wipedown of the glass every week to get rid of the very thin haze of green. So, my goal is absolute dominion over GDA!

In my opinion when one of us finds something that appears to be a big step forwards, we should not keep it a secret. The sooner we report it, get more people to try it, the sooner we find out just how well it works in the long haul. So, when Tom Barr or someone else suggests something that makes good logical sense I try it. If it works for me, or gives every indication that it is working for me, I will promote the idea, hoping many others will try it too. Then, if it eventually proves not to be effective I give up the idea, admit it wasn't a good idea, and look for better ideas. I hope we all do this.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ill try to slowly decrease my nitrates a little bit. Maybe that will help. thanks guys!


----------



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

decreasing the light and upping the co2 has really decreased it for me, i get very light dustings maybe every other week now and a small amount on some of the lighter colored leaves in my tank


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ok well its been a week since my last water change which was last tuesday. I usually do my water changes on sundays but i became very busy and couldnt do it until tuesday. I hope this wont throw things out of wack. Anyway I changed the water today and scraped down the sides again...here is a before and after pic taken from today:


----------



## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

I know its heresy, so don't tell anyone- lets just keep it between me and you. 

I had the same problem- I waited, it turned brown, I scraped, it came back, I waited, turned brown, scraped, and back again, finally I couldn't look at it any more and although I am ashamed, I will admit I went out and bought a bottle of algae distroyer. Worked like a charm. I could see a difference in 24 hours, in about a week, after just two doses, my glass was clear as a bell- I never even cleaned it. The stuff just dissapeared. That was about 3 weeks ago. I haven't had three weeks of clean glass since July. Its nice. I like it a lot.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

but isnt that bad for the plants? did you use a full dose? how often did you dose it?


----------



## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

According to the bottle: 
algae destroyer advanced - Controls many types of algae in freshwater aquariums containing LIVE PLANTS AND FISH (I wouldn't dare use it with shrimp tho)

Active ingredient:
poly[oxylethylene(dimethyliminio)ethylene(dimethyliminio) ethylene dichloride] 4.5%

I followed the directions, full strength. Directions are to dose 1ml per 10 gallons every three days, I dosed on Sunday and again Wednesday and by Saturday the glass was clean. No adverse effects on swords, pygmy swords, java fern, crypts, giant hygro, nymphea sp, nymphea rubra, riccia, giant hygro or anubias. My pelia doesn't look so hot, but it wasn't looking so good before I dosed it. 

Its really kinda cheating, but I just couldn't stand to look at that green cloud any more. I forgot what nice crystal clear glass looked like.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

well you have alot of the same plants i have so thats good. I really might try that. So its just called algae destroyer? thanks


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ok well im still battling this....According to Rex Grigg, it can be from high phosphates. Im only dosing 1/4 tsp for a 100 gallon tank but i started to decrease it. Any other suggestions?


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ok well the algae is still there! Its been about two weeks. It was looking better but then it got worse again. I know that your not supposed to touch the algae thru this process and I havent, even thru water changes. But I have a bristle nose pleco that eats it off the glass so that messes up the whole process im assuming. Am I supposed to scrape this stuff off above the water line when i change the water? PLEASE HELP!!!


----------



## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

I suppose you are ready to get rid of that green mess eh?

You are feeding the GD from burning to much light for to long, without adequate C02.

You can have the tank looking much better in one day "if".
Turn the filter off and clean the glass and everything glazed with algae, that waiting it out is BS. 

Do a heavy waterchange after cleaning, dose the tank for a 100g as in the sticky, add Flourish Excel per label to your regime for a week.
You will have to stay on this for a week or so, cllean glass change water etc.
Burn the light for no more than 6hrs for a couple weeks, if you want to have light to view tank, use a low watt bulb/fixture and leave the C02 running during this time, just turn it down some, as a matter if fact, let the C02 run 24/7 keep it turned down after lights out and lift spraybar to surface for aeration at night.
Your method of C02 diffusion is in question.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

well i have a co2 diffusor that rex griggs made. I also have a ph controller that monitors my ph with co2 input. My standard ph is about 7 but i get it down to 6.3 everyday. the co2 only runs during the day, not at night. 

So i think i have adequate co2 going into my water...im not sure though. The GDA is all over my plants too, not just the glass....so i dont know how i could scrape that off each of my plants. 

Also, i dose:
1/2tsp of kno3
1/2tsp k2so4
1/2 tsp of kh2po4
1/4 tsp of csm+b

i dose everything except csm+b on sunday, tuesday, and thursday and I dose the csm+b on monday, weds., and friday.

are these amounts adequate?


----------



## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

lol... re-read my post, if you want to get rid of the GD that is how, your c02 is not as good as you think it is. toss the controller.
Prune what you can, and let the rest grow out, Use the Excel.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Buy or make a "drop checker" and use it, with a known 4dKH solution of distilled water in it, and you can be sure how much CO2 you have in the water. I don't know of any other way that works.

Craig is right about reducing the amount of light you supply to the tank, both the wattage and duration. Since your GDA keeps coming back you must have more light than you can handle with the fertilizing, the plant mass, and the maintenance you do. I disagree with Craig about the life cycle method for getting rid of GDA, but I do agree that his method used after a life cycle grow out period works well.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

> Since your GDA keeps coming back you must have more light than you can handle with the fertilizing, the plant mass, and the maintenance you do.


what exactly does this mean?


also, since i am attempting to do the life cycle method, does it matter that my plecos eat the GDA on the glass?


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

GDA loves light. In my tank it grows on the portions of the glass that get the maximum light, and doesn't grow at all on some areas shaded by plants. So, light is a major factor in whether you get GDA or not. If you have high light, that would induce GDA, it becomes very important to be absolutely scrupulous about doing tank cleaning, water changing, plant fluffing, substrate vacuuming, glass wiping, etc. and doing it very often. That's what I meant.

I'm still not sure if the areas of the glass that livestock graze on will cause GDA spores to restart there, and restart as zoospores, needing the full 3 weeks again to grow up. Logic tells me that would be the case if it occurs early in the 3 week period, but not late in the 3 week period. But, I have no experience one way or another, beyond finding that if I scrape it in a small area early in the cycle I need to start over on counting the three weeks.


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 5, 2003)

> Since your GDA keeps coming back you must have more light than you can handle with the fertilizing, the plant mass, and the maintenance you do.


I don't think this is the only reason. With my tank, if I were to get a completely new setup, tank, substrate, filter, I would guess that doing everything else the same, this new tank would not have GDA. I know my tank is balanced because I ran it for years before, doing the exact same dosing and never had issues with this algae. It's important to look at light, co2 and dosing, but with this algae, even if you get those squared away, it still is a problem. 

I don't know how successful the wait method has been, from what I've read. My GDA has decressed with the advice Tom has given. Maybe algecides would be a good option here, it is one of the things I haven't tried.


----------



## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ok well i do regular maintance on my tank. I prune, wipe the glass(well until i was doing this lifecycle algae thing), I do 50% water changes weekly, and I fertilize everyday. I think thats pretty good maintance. I dont know what is out of wack to be causing the algae.

I went ahead and scraped all the algae off the glass and im going to continue to do this every 2 days. Im also going to reduce my lighting period to about 7-8 hrs. Im going to cut down on some of my ferts too. I REALLY WANT THIS STUFF TO GO AWAY!


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 5, 2003)

turbosaurus,
what brand of algaecide did you use. There are like 3 different ones in the dr. foster and smith catalogue. I'd have to setup a hospital tank for my shrimp? Can I put my shrimp back in after the treatment, or does the copper stay in the system regardless of water changes?


----------

