# Green Dust & the Barr Ratio



## rrguymon (Jul 10, 2005)

You do not need to maintain a precise ratio, just enough of each. You can add a bit more PO4 and not adjust the others.

Rick.


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

Are you sure it isn't the other way around...GSA on the plants and dust on the glass? GSA can also be on the glass too and both are hard to get off...rubbing wont do it. Unfortunately this stuff will spread and it circulates via your filter too. The best way is to up your nitrates as Tom has suggested. Also, if its GSA or dust on your glass, when you do your next water change, scrape and siphon. As in...as you scrape the glass, siphon the much away as quick as possible. It will be a chore and your arm will get sore. 

As far as on the plants...trim and remove affected. The plants will (should) grow back.


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## Adrian (Aug 17, 2005)

It's the dust that's on the plants...and I'll definately try the scrape-n-suck technique, sounds good.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The latest technique to get rid of green dust algae, which turns the glass into a green opaque mess, is to just let it live out its life cycle, then remove it. When it is being a pain in the a$$ it is still in the spore stage, which is a very tough, hard to kill, free swimming, quick reproducing stage. But, the end of its life cycle leaves you with a delicate algae that once killed doesn't leave survivors around to reproduce. I'm trying that method now, and I can tell you it takes will power to see that ugly, ugly mess every day for two weeks. Tom Barr and several others have used this method and have had consistent good results. Years ago I used it, accidentally out of sheer laziness, also with good results.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Waitr till the film puckers and gets jelly like and spotty/patchy etc, about 10-18 days.

You can even not do anything and the film will fall off and not return.

Asexual spore stages are tough as nails, best to let them do their thing and wait them out.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Aqua_Horn (Mar 26, 2006)

I'm in the same fight with green dust. I just don't know if I can bring myself to do it! I wish there was something else besides these pacafist measures.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Just turn the other cheek...uh....glass surface! My "crop" still hasn't become jelly-like or puckered, but I manage a pretty good puckered expression when I look at it. It's been about ten days now.


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## Aqua_Horn (Mar 26, 2006)

Hoppy said:


> It's been about ten days now.


You brave soul.....


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I owe it all to my wife. She is away for a couple of weeks or she would have tossed the whole tank off the balcony by now.


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## Adrian (Aug 17, 2005)

Then I must do, what I must do. (head hanging)


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

I am about to hang myself looking at this green mess. I even got a ton of snails to leave trails everywhere and clean it up. It is impossible. I am doing the wait it out it is self-limiting, routine. I hope it works


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

fresh_newby said:


> I am about to hang myself looking at this green mess. I even got a ton of snails to leave trails everywhere and clean it up. It is impossible. I am doing the wait it out it is self-limiting, routine. I hope it works


Please keep us informed about how well this works. Tom Barr just a few days ago told us that this will work, but there is a limited amount of varied experience with trying it.


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## Rupey (Nov 16, 2002)

I did this routine on my 46 bow with a bad case of GDA. Its only been a week since scraping the green goo off but there has been no sign of it returning yet!! It would usually have been green in two days so I am hoping this will be the end of it. My 75 is a week into the "growout" and its taking all I have not to get in there and scrape that glass!!


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## random_alias (Jun 28, 2005)

It worked for me in a 55g that had always had a GDA problem. It had GDA with very high light, it had it with low light, pressurized Co2, misting, internal reactor, external reactor, heater, no heater, stems, ferns, ...always.

I would scrape it off and siphon out the tank, GDA would be back in full force in 3-4 days.

The first 2 times I tried method I didn't wait long enough and the GDA came back, albeit slower than usual. The 3rd time I knew how long to wait and it hasn't come back since. Been a month or so I think. 

When you try it, wait till it changes appearance like Tom describes, then wait another few days just to be safe. Trust me. Don't do like I did and jump the gun. 

Since when were planted tank enthusiasts not patient people?


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## Bert H (Dec 15, 2003)

I am doing the same thing on one of my 50's - 11 days into it now. It has definitely changed in appearance - puckered is a good way to put it. I am going to give it one more week, then I am scraping and keeping my fingers crossed.


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## John S (Feb 27, 2004)

GDA is that the stuff on the glass that comes off real easy then a day or two its back if so are all you guys are saying is dont remove it and it will go away??


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The single biggest advantage of having Tom Barr around is that we can parrot his ideas, and if they fail, it's his fault, not ours!! So, yes, we are saying just let GDA, the green stuff that coats the glass two days after you scrape it off, run through its growth cycle, and it should die of its own natural accord, never to darken your door again. Or, if you can't stand the disgust it arouses, do so for at least two weeks to 18 days, then scrape it off, and it will never be seen by you again. If I'm wrong, its all Tom Barr's fault.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Bert H said:


> I am doing the same thing on one of my 50's - 11 days into it now. It has definitely changed in appearance - puckered is a good way to put it. I am going to give it one more week, then I am scraping and keeping my fingers crossed.


Sounds like it's run it's course, give it another 3-4 days.
Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## LindaC (Nov 26, 2005)

Is that what this green dusty stuff is the I'm always rubbing off the inside of my tank glass? I have been asking what causes it for the longest time now, I'm so glad I read this post. In fact, I just now finished wiping it off the back of my tank glass, but I know it will be back again tomorrow evening when I return from work. So now I know I will have to wait it out, good, sure hope it works!

Does anyone know what causes it? Seems like that's all I'm doing now lately is waiting out algae. My 10 gallon newly planted tank is currently in a total black out due to Cyanobacteria from lack of nitrates, tomorrow will be day 4 and I'm white knuckeling it all the way, especially since I made the mistake of covering my tank with two huge towels and they're sucking up the moisture and the smell is horrible! 

Like Hoppy's wife, my husband wants to throw both of my tanks out the window!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

When they decided on the standard wedding vows they added "for better or worse" just to cover planted aquarium hobbiests.


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## nasfish (Jan 31, 2006)

Hi,

I am also doing nothing on my 100 liters tank, 12 days now.









Is it ok to clean it now? I can't wait!.

Thanks


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Thanks you to all those brave enough to do this. I now have to convince the wife to let it be


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## Aqua_Horn (Mar 26, 2006)

Any verdicts on the "sit it out and go insane method"?


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