# BGA in new tank?



## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

We need a few more letters Vanna, before we can solve the puzzle.

> Tank size
> Light - type & photo period
> How is it planted - Pics are better
> Fish/Invets
> How much are you Dosing
> How are you cycling
> Water PH


----------



## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

BGA if this isn't a typo and you have Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) slimy, spreads rapidly, releases easily and most telling of all it stinks!

This thread covers that stuff pretty well.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/140732-bga-antibiotics-advise.html


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

DogFish said:


> We need a few more letters Vanna, before we can solve the puzzle.
> 
> > Tank size
> > Light - type & photo period
> ...


Okay, tank size is 60g.

Light = 108W T5HO approx. 25" from substrate (one 10K one pink bulb) 8 hours daily.

Lightly planted - just starting and waiting for pressurized co2 equip. to arrive!
(VALS, CRYPTS, JAVA, Aponogeton Ulvatious and Aponogeton boivinianus)

Fish = 15 various mostly tetras, a large angel' a large catfish of some type. (The catfish is approx 4" long and about 8 years old!)

Dosing = all liquid Flourish products. Excel daily, K = 5ml 2xweek, micro = 5ml 1xweek. I don't dose Po4 because I have a high amount (3 ppm) in my tap water. I have not dosed no3 because I always have about 10 mg/l in the tank.

Ammonia and Nitrite are o.o and ph is 7.4

I'll see if I can take some pics tonight.

Thanks!


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

wkndracer said:


> BGA if this isn't a typo and you have Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) slimy, spreads rapidly, releases easily and most telling of all it stinks!
> 
> This thread covers that stuff pretty well.
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/140732-bga-antibiotics-advise.html


Thanks but no, I did indeed mean BGA. Maybe my ID is wrong? I'm going to try and take some pics tonight so please check back and let me know what you think.


----------



## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

A picture isn't really important to identify Cyanobacteria.
If it's slimy feeling, spreads rapidly, releases easily and *most telling of all it stinks*!
Remove some from the tank and if it smells nasty it's cyano (BGA) and it's bacteria not a true algae.

HTH

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm


----------



## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I'm treating my tank now with Erythromycin, it is NOT an algae so you can get it in any tank, it is actually a Gram negative bacteria and is found everywhere from saltwater to deserts, so you just got lucky but it could travel on any plant or fish to find your tank or it could have been in the tank before you added the water.

I'm using a different method that you can read about here that claims the blackout will not work and only will bring harm to your plants and beneficial nitrifying bacteria but I must say I am just starting this course of treatment for the first time and wkndracer has a lot of tanks and experience in this game and we do agree on a couple points and it is slimy and smells nasty.


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

wkndracer said:


> A picture isn't really important to identify Cyanobacteria.
> If it's slimy feeling, spreads rapidly, releases easily and *most telling of all it stinks*!
> Remove some from the tank and if it smells nasty it's cyano (BGA) and it's bacteria not a true algae.
> 
> ...


Okay thanks, I'll give it a sniff tonight and see . I'll keep you posted.


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

150EH said:


> I'm treating my tank now with Erythromycin, it is NOT an algae so you can get it in any tank, it is actually a Gram negative bacteria and is found everywhere from saltwater to deserts, so you just got lucky but it could travel on any plant or fish to find your tank or it could have been in the tank before you added the water.
> 
> I'm using a different method that you can read about here that claims the blackout will not work and only will bring harm to your plants and beneficial nitrifying bacteria but I must say I am just starting this course of treatment for the first time and wkndracer has a lot of tanks and experience in this game and we do agree on a couple points and it is slimy and smells nasty.



Hmm..... I cycled this tank by seeding it with media from my old tank. My old was a mess (I got lazy). I had the same stuff in my old tank. I wonder.....?


----------



## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Dmckmc said:


> Hmm..... I cycled this tank by seeding it with media from my old tank. My old was a mess (I got lazy). I had the same stuff in my old tank. I wonder.....?


hahaha don't wonder (no need) LOL it got transferred into the new tank

might want to read my quarantine thread


----------



## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

I have a new tank running only 7 weeks, had a really bad BGA out break and I kicked it's butt in 4 days! It was everywhere and on everything! And it was so simple to eradicate!


----------



## WATduh (Feb 27, 2011)

I dosed H2O2 to rid BGA from my tank. Luckily, I had no fish in my tank when I dosed it. I've heard H2O2 may also strike at your beneficial bacteria, so it may recycle the tank or start a mini cycle- although I did not experience this.

H2O2 was VERY effective. Nothing but dead BGA in a matter of days. I used a small plastic dosing syringe to dose approx. 100ml/day directly onto the BGA.


----------



## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Looks like the topic is covered. Moving on now.


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

wkndracer said:


> hahaha don't wonder (no need) LOL it got transferred into the new tank
> 
> might want to read my quarantine thread


I have since cleaned the old media out of my filters. Can you point me in the right direction to read your quarantine thread?

Oh, by the way. I tried to pick the stuff out to smell it. Unfortunately, its just a very thin layer on top of the substraight. All I picked up was a finger full of substraight. Smelled it anyway. It just smelled like fish tank. Either I did not get enough to smell or it's not BGA but boy, sure looks like it to me.

Still working on the pics. My computer died so I need to figure out how to use this tablet!


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

ibmikmaq said:


> I have a new tank running only 7 weeks, had a really bad BGA out break and I kicked it's butt in 4 days! It was everywhere and on everything! And it was so simple to eradicate!


How did you do it?


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

WATduh said:


> I dosed H2O2 to rid BGA from my tank. Luckily, I had no fish in my tank when I dosed it. I've heard H2O2 may also strike at your beneficial bacteria, so it may recycle the tank or start a mini cycle- although I did not experience this.
> 
> H2O2 was VERY effective. Nothing but dead BGA in a matter of days. I used a small plastic dosing syringe to dose approx. 100ml/day directly onto the BGA.


My tank is full of fish so I hope I don't need to do that. I'm trying excel now - just started today.


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

Okay, first shot at attaching pictures.

I know I have some GDA and Diatoms - I expected those. But look on the substrait. Is that the beginning of BGA?

Thanks.


----------



## ibmikmaq (Aug 19, 2011)

Thats definately BGA!

I took this









took a few packs and mixed with half cup of tank water and let sit for a few hours and mixed again.


then i took one of these










sucked up some mix and held it and brought it right down into tank and just above every spot of BGA and i pushed a little on top of it.

i did this in morning and at night i took long planting tweesers and picked out as much as i could.
did a 5% water change
morning did another 5% water change and took a few packs of maracyn and repeated the day before. that night picked out more and again water change repeated again the next day, on 4th day it was basically all gone.

for my 300 gallon tank i only used 5 packs per day. not much at all, far below the dose it says on pack. didnt have any efffect on my biological filter. but it totally destroyed the BGA!

I also dosed a daily dose of nitrate and added a bubbler to increase oxygen levels!

after 4th day all the BGA in tank was totally gone, I added a powerhead to tank and eliminated all the dead spots and i havent seen any more BGA since.


----------



## Elliot (Oct 3, 2010)

Sure looks like BGA. I kicked mine with Marycn. You can also use Bacter 100. Sprinkle it over the algae and that should remove it.

Here is my that I created awhile ago that just gives the solutions to killing it. Nothing scientific. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/146173-what-kills-bga.html


----------



## Dmckmc (Jan 22, 2012)

Thanks everyone, you helped a bunch. I know what I have and where it came from. Now I need to decide if i am going to use Marycn, Bactor 100, or H2o2.


----------

