Bright Green Algae?

[David J]

Hi

Here's a couple of pics. I gets this on one part of the rear glass and on the wood shown on the photos. The bit of glass I get it on is close to the wood. I've also noticed it on the amazon sword leaves nearby and there is now the odd small patch appearing on nearby moss.

I have scraped the stuff on the glass with a razor. It comes off very easily and remains in one piece like a sheet.

Any ideas what it is and what to do about it?

http/i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu120/DavMars/0c38d4804826a92fdd77e38b5cbaf5ed.jpg

http/i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu120/DavMars/a9962c4cc2442b2feb4f19cf0fd1affe.jpg

I have big plans for my aquarium including new substrate, wood, rocks, co2 but don't want to do anything until it get this sorted in case it keeps coming back as it does now.

Thanks,

David

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Looks like cyanobacteria, aka BGA or blue-green algae.
 
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
 
Hydrogen peroxide dosed directly on the BGA area AFTER removing all that you can (it will stink) can also help stop a recurrance.  Be careful with the H2O2 though, don't want to use too much, and do a water change about 15 minutes after dosing.
Also, want to turn off ALL circulation during those 15 minutes, so that the H2O2 sits where you want it better.

 

[David J]

Hi eagles,

That looks like the stuff.

I'm looking to change the wood soon anyway so that will help get a lot of it out before treating. A good trim down of the moss will also get a lot out. I'm also intending on getting one of the amazon swords out and it has a lot on it. Then a good clean of the heater and back glass.

I'll read up on hydrogen peroxide.

Thanks .

 

[KirkyArcher]

A three to four day total black out much safer and easier for Blue/green algae removal, a good gravel vacuuming, manually remove as much left over algae, and huge water change afterwards, then cut down on your lights.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Firstly, I'm at work and they block certain sites like Photobucket where you've put your pictures up so I can't see the extent of the problem, but I got rid of mine by OD'ing on ferts, regular cleaning/water changes and increasing flow in my tank. Also I reduced lighting I think.

Far safer than using Hydrogen Peroxide.
 
Just found this thread too which might be worth a read. It helped me remember I got rid of BGA without the need for any blackouts!

 

 

[thelaw]

i would say get your self some Otocinclus catfish.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Otocinclus won't eat BACTERIA... and that's what BGA is - cyanobacteria. 

 

[David J]

Hi all

I've already got oto's and can confirm they don't go near this stuff. I'm planning a big clean tomorrow to get as much out as I can. Before this, I had been considering getting a power head to increase flow around the tank. At the moment I would say there's roughly 10-20% of the tank with no or little flow. Interestingly, the area where the BGA is on the wood is close to an area where amazon swords have overgrown a bit and I think the water struggles to flow around there.

Ive not had time to properly read up on hydrogen peroxide yet and I'm keen to start acting so think I'll go with the big clean tomorrow followed by much more regular cleaning and water changes and will move plans up a notch to feta power head. I'll see how that goes. I'm near ours about a blackout just now because I've just introduced a young bolivian ram to the mature existing female and there is a bit of agro going on between them so really want to keep an eye on them so I can intervene if I have to.

The BGA is crazy stuff. It can grow FAST but equally reduce just as fast. The bit I showed in the photo on the wood can extend and attach itself to a leaf of a sword overnight. I've also seen it extend down the wood by an inch overnight. Equally, the other day I checked it in the morning and the amount on the wood had more than halved. I wondered if it had detached but can see it elsewhere I the tank.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll post updates.

David

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That's what bacteria do.  When conditions are favorable they reproduce like crazy, but when not, they die back quickly.

 

[David J]

Well, that's today's massive clean done. I literally removed everything from the tank apart from the substrate. Cleaned all the glass, which had BGA on it. Vacuumed thoroughly, cleaned the filter in/out pipes, cleaned everything that came out of the tank and a good clean of the external filter. I decided to get rid of the worst BGA affected plants.

I've repositioned the wood and heater so they sit slightly lower to improve flow around the tank from the spray bar. I've Repositioned the rocks to allow the flow to continue back around the tank better instead of creating a bit of a wall.

The tank looks a little bare now but much better. I'll definitely need a couple of new plants but first things first and I want to get rid of the BGA. I'm getting a powerhead in ASAP and I'm going to reduce the lights by an hour. I'm also looking into starting with co2 but want to really look into that before taking the plunge. In the meantime, I saw liquid co2 is available. I know it's not going to be anywhere near as effective but has anyone got any experience of it?

David

 

[Freedom]

David,
 
BBA is highly toxic to dogs.  If you have any pets (dogs, cats), make sure they can not get into the trash where you disposed of stuff.
 
Dogs I know.  Fish, not so much!

 

[David J]

David,
 
BBA is highly toxic to dogs.  If you have any pets (dogs, cats), make sure they can not get into the trash where you disposed of stuff.
 
Dogs I know.  Fish, not so much!

Thanks for the heads up. I don't have any other pets at the moment but we're looking to get a couple of cats in the coming months so good to know.
Quick update for anyone that's interested. Nearly a week since the big clean out and no BGA has returned so far. I'm not naive enough to assume that's it sorted but as I know how fast this stuff can grow it's got to be a positive that I don't see any yet.m still looking into co2 and will be getting a powerhead soon to improve flow.