Bga Problem, Any Tips?

[snazy]

BBA is not related to ferts normally.  Well, according to one of those articles BBA can be caused by various factors, like too much Ca compared to Mg(your rocks), excessive phosphate, etc...
 
In a not planted tank the best way is to clean it manually as BBA won't die on it's own. Clean the filter media in tap water, do several bigger water changes in a row and you can also get a small bottle of Excel and just dose the recommended dose for a period of time as Excel is algecide and helps kill the BBA.
In the article I posted the owner suggests removing certain types of rocks but in a cichlid tank it's not a good idea. You can decrease the intensity of light though.

 

[ballyclover]

thank you

 

[TaurineLittle]

I thought I would just throw in my two cents worth, I have recently set up a high tech planted tank and before it was even set up for a week I had a BGA outbreak. Mind you it wasn't a very big one at all but, I tried the blackout and no success ( probably wasnt dark enough haha) but Seen as though I just planted all these plants I didnt want them to go another 4 days without light. I read all over the internet about what others have done and heard people saying many different things like "It really doesnt like high Co2" and that it occurs as a result of low nitrates, even went to the LFS and asked what they do if they ever get it and they told me to try out a product mainly for red cyanobacteria ( I think its from SW tanks) but I dosed it at its recommended dosage and I also dosed Kno3 as well as 30ppm Co2. Within a couple days it was almost all gone!
Not entirely sure if it was from the SW antibact stuff or if it was a mix of everything but its worked and never come back ( two weeks later ).
 
BTW. the SW red cyano bacteria med is called: Chemiclean, treatment for stains from red cyanobacteria.
This is just my experience, whether this works for you or not I don't know. But it seems to be an alternative.

 

[FiddleSticks268]

Use Maracyn I.  Blue Green Algae isn't an algae it is a bacteria called cyanobacteria.  Maracyn's main ingredient is erythromycin which is an antibiotic for gram positive bacteria.  Meaning it will kill off all gram positive bacteria (including the cyanobacteria) and hopefully the gram negative bacteria will be enough to keep your tank nitrogen cycle going.  I used it once and it went away and my tank did not experience too extreme cycle swings!  But it came back after a few weeks I believe because it was in my filter media and underneath the sand too. I am currently attempting to bake the sand and run the rest of my tank through another antibiotic treatment and blackout.  I am also going to try upping my nitrates by doing more frequent water changes and more fertilizer. 

Maybe the blackout works not because Cyanobacteria is photosynthetic, but because in a planted tank no light means the plants will constantly be producing CO2.  Therefore it's the increased CO2 levels that kill the BGA not the light!!